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The Big Guy and I have almost always had a dog – or two! They have been like family to us, and we treated them accordingly. Recently, though, one of our dogs, Max was hit by a car which dislocated his shoulder, and the other, Lena, had to be put down.
After the accident, knowing that it would cost $1,000-$2,000 to get Max fixed, we decided that the best decision would be to put him down. However, our neighbors knew what a good dog he was and offered to take Max since their son wanted a dog, and they would get his leg fixed. We agreed, they got his x-rays done, and their son (and Max) seemed super happy.
Then one day, Max showed back up in our yard. The Big Guy called the neighbors, who told him that they were frustrated with their son because he was already starting to neglect Max’s care. So now, we have Max back.
Here is the catch: Max’s leg isn’t fixed yet. He walks on it, sometimes, and can run – which amazes me, but its not fixed. The neighbors gave us his x-rays, so we don’t have to worry about that expense, but having his dislocated should be put back in will still be pricey. What do we do? I really do not want to spend more than a couple hundred dollars on this dog, because even though we love him like family at the end of the day he is still a dog.
Question: What do we do? Max seems perfectly happy besides a leg that is not completely functional, so I would feel bad putting him down. But, spending lots of money on vet bills really doesn’t fit into our debt-reduction plans.
Anyone have any ideas for me?
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First question: How old is Max?
You could look into a local university that has a vet program. They might be able to fix it for cheaper.
The thing is, if he’s still fairly young it’s only a one-time expense. (However, the longer you wait, the more likely arthritis will set it in (I think)),
It’s definitely a very hard decision for you, it’s also emotional too. Pets are becoming more like ‘children’ than like ‘animals.’ If it were a disease it would also be an easier decision…
So true! I hadn’t thought of looking into vet school – I’ll have to do that. I guess its just like a dental or cosmetology school where the students need to learn so the treatment or exam is discounted. Thanks for the suggestions!
If that doesn’t work out, you might be able to get into contact with a German Shepard rescue.
My sister was involved with a St. Bernard rescue, and her organizations would sometimes pay for surgeries (although you’d have to give up your dog, but you already did that once…)
I hope the vet school option works out though!
I have heard of those, but hadn’t really looked into them! Maybe I will have to have The Big Guy look into that if all else fails. It would be so hard giving him up, but better to give him to a family better able to take care of him, I guess. Being on a budget is hard – am I right?
Oh, it is definitely hard to be on a tight budget! However in a year or two you’ll be in a much better place and happy you stuck to it!
Please let me know the outcome!
If the issue is more not have $1500 to pay in a lump sum than spending $1500 on a dog, you could also ask the vet about payment plans. I’ve never used one, but I think they work similarly as human doctor’s offices (you pay x smaller amount a month with probably a 0% interest rate.)
Hi Retire by 40,
Unfortunately I do not have a pet however what I would do is weigh up how much you have to spend vs what you would like to spend.. Then I suppose you could consider borrowing money if you would like to save your pet..
Hope Max gets better soon :)
Yup, here lies my dilemma, spending more than a couple hundred dollars on him is something I don’t want to do :-(, neither is borrowing money. We have been credit card debt free for 4 months now, and are working to get our other debt paid off, so I really don’t want to do that. But, I was able to find a vet school and I have a call in to them. Hopefully it works out :-)
I would recommend getting it fixed. Looking into a local university might be a great way to get a lower estimate! I know it is a really hard decision, but since it is an injury vs. a disease, I think that getting it fixed is the right thing to do. Our white lab mix had to be put down last August because he had a really aggressive cancer – it was a hard decision for us but it would have cost of upwards of 10k to treat and in the end it would have only extended his life by 6-8 months (and there was only a 50% chance that the treatment would work). Again, I know that these things can be expensive, but if you decide that you can’t afford it, I would look to see if someone would be willing to adopt Max first.
Best of luck!
That’s terrible! I always lived in fear of the day when we would find out Max had cancer, and would have to put him down. I can’t imagine how hard that was for you :-(. I always thought it would be something like cancer, where even though I didn’t like it, the decision was pretty clear cut for me. This, however, I wasn’t prepared for…I guess we’ll see what the vet school has to say. Thanks for stopping by!
The age of Max makes a huge difference. If he is not near the end of his life expectancy, he deserves to be fixed and live a happy life. It is the responsible thing to do as a pet owner. It is unfair to say you love him like he is family, but are willing to end his life because the added cost doesn’t fit into your budget. When our two year old dog became suddenly very ill, we paid several thousands of dollars (that we didn’t have) to treat her. It took us a year to pay off the added debt, but she is almost five now and happy and healthy. If you are unwilling to pay for Max, please do not put him down, rather find someone willing to give him the care he needs.
Hi there, I don’t know if this is a practical option where you live, but have you considered using websites that let you share or swap your skills? I’m thinking of websites like http://www.streetbank.com (not sure if it is used in the US or not). This article talks about Timebanks and might have a few more US based ideas http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/how-to-share-time . Also if you can’t afford the cost of your local vet, how about haggling / shopping around / seeing if you could arrange your own skills swap with a vet (a university student as mentioned above might be more open to haggling… )
I have a black poodle and his name also is Max. I believe that this is a personal decision for you and your family. Max is a big part of my daughter and I life. So for me I wouldn’t mind going off of my budget to take care of his health. Good luck with whatever decision you decide.
Thanks! It is such a hard thing, isn’t it?
I respect what you are doing to save money and reach your goals.
I really don’t want to sound harsh, but none of us should take on the care of animals that we aren’t able or willing to pay the bills on.
They are dependent on us to provide for them, it is unfair to make them suffer for our financial goals.
Rescue groups may take on a dog needing care and re-home them, but then please seriously consider if you are really willing to take on the responsibility of having another “healthier” dog again. They are meant to be a member of the family, not traded in to skirt bills for their care.
I had unexpected bills arise this winter when my 6-year-old dog started running into walls. We had 2 vet visits, and an additional 2 visits with a vet eye specialist within a week. The total for docs and tests was maybe around $1200 and came with a diagnosis of (uncurable) SARDS.
These were bills I didn’t budget for and was difficult to stomach at the time, however.. my dog was in need and I was going to do what I could to save her sight if at all possible. I’d want the same consideration if I was reliant on someone for my care. Nothing could be done to save her sight. Was the $1200 I spent in vain? Not at all, because I have peace of mind that I did all I could.
On my summer vacation this year I plan to write a book on dealing with a blind dog, and how much more rewarding our relationship has become since her blindness.. to help give others dealing with a similar situation guidance and hope. You never know, maybe our book will turn profit enough to cover those vet bills. ; )
Good luck to you and your family. I hope everything works out for you.
I hesitated about answering your question because a lot of time has passed since your initial post and also because I have very strong feelings about some of the things you wrote in your blog. I know you pride yourself in living frugally and showing others how to use and save money wisely but, along with being frugal, how we choose to spend whatever money we have often says something about our character. While paying off debt is a critical goal, there are other things that are important as well. Pets give us so much in the way of unconditional love and companionship; how can we not consider their care to be important? I believe that pet ownership carries with it a great responsibility and should not be entered into lightly. I am saddened that you are only willing to spend a few hundred dollars on your pet’s medical care, because in this day and age it is almost unheard of for any kind of procedure to cost that little. If you are going to limit the resources you are willing to make available for a sick pet perhaps pet ownership is not for you. Whether you’re looking at a cute little puppy, or a more mature dog for your family, you need to take into account that EVERY pet has the potential of getting injured or sick at any point in its life. If you aren’t willing to provide for its care in a reasonable and responsible manner, I don’t think you are ready for pet ownership. Putting a dog to sleep is not a choice to be made lightly and to do it because you don’t want to spend more than a few hundred dollars for its care is, in my opinion, not right, and, not to sound harsh, it is setting a bad example for your children. I think you need to ask yourself 2 questions when considering what to do when your pet is sick / injured:
#1) Will this procedure be curative or at least give my pet a reasonable extension on his life without causing him continued and prolonged suffering?
#2) Is my pet suffering now? Can the vet give me a reasonable expectation of alleviating that suffering and improving my pet’s quality of life?
I could understand and even agree with your choosing to put Max to sleep if, like one of the posters said, he had cancer or some other terminal condition and there was a question of whether or not the procedure would extend his life past a few months, especially if there is a chance that he might be suffering physically during that time. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for a suffering pet is to put him to sleep. That doesn’t sound like the case with Max. Although he is “just a dog”, (that phrase made me cringe….) you took on the responsibility for his care when you got him and part of that responsibility is to treat him when he is sick or hurting to the best of your ability. To answer your question, I would spend whatever amount I needed to if it would insure that my pet’s quality of life would improve and it would not cause him to suffer, or prolong his suffering. One suggestion: Research Care Credit; many vets take this card and it is a way to extend your payments over 12 or 18 months without paying interest. I know this gives you another debt to pay off but it also allows you to take care of your pet without incurring extra interest.