A little Frustrated

[Lori Jordan]

I just want some input....

In another forum im in there was this woman who has a black lab with a damaged foot,And she was complaing on vet bills and how much she would have to put out for an x-ray,In the same line she said that it was going to set her back because she buys things off of Ebay and just put out five hundred dollars to her"Hobby"

I got upset,and simply said if you cannot provide you animal proper vet care you should not own one.

Then she replies again saying that everybody complains on how much pets cost.

I dont,Maggy was in at the vets on Monday she has an absesse and she is on medication,I dont care how much it costs i love her and would do anything to make her better Wouldnt you?

Then they all started saying that by me saying that im rediculious and should put my money towards other things but my animals.I am so mad at that remark,I have 4 dogs because i love them and when a problem occurs it is up too me too fix it.

I have been left short more than once but i put in more hours at work.

Am i wrong for telling someone that if they cannot afford the care for an animal they should not have one?

I know well that if you walked into a shelter or a breeder for that matter,And said i cannot afford the vet bills they would not give you the animal Simple!

Some people do not even have a clue it scares me on how many animals actually suffer because of owner who would rather dish out hundreds of dollars to ebay rather than care for there animal.

Thanks for listening to me rant.

[lvpets2002]

By no means do you need to even question of you being wrong.. You very much in the right.. I feel the same way.. We are these babies Parents.. These Oxxcciiee Morons need to think further than their shoe size when they are wanting Pets.. For goodness sake when you adopt a baby four legged or two legged = your responsable for them in all aspects.. Home & Health.. Well I feel better too & off my soap box..

[applesmom]

It's always frustrating and often heartbreaking to hear someone say they can't afford to take their sick pet to the vet.

However in this case according to your post, the owner did indicate that she was going to have the xray done, and just wasn't happy about the cost. A normal comment that anyone might make under the circumstances.

You're not wrong for expressing your opinion by stating that if someone can't afford an animal they shouldn't have one. The other poster wasn't wrong in venting either as long as she's providing the necessary medical care for her dog.

It sounds like somewhere along the line the thread got a little off topic and became a discussion about priorities. As we all know priorities can differ tremendously from individual to individual.

Preventing animal abuse or neglect is a priority for many of us and can often become our business if we're in a position to help or educate.

On the other hand, how someone chooses to spend their own money is none of our business--even though we may think it's silly or even downright stupid.

Of course we have the right to express our opinions to that person. If we do so, we must remember that they also have the right to respond!

[pitc9]

You had every right to let her know how you felt.
Hey...She felt the need to let everyone on the board know how she felt about spending more money on her dog.

[Jakesmom]

When people think of the cost of veterinary care, they need to remember that although the vets don't have the malpractice insurance costs of MDs, most other costs are pretty similar--monitoring, radiographs, labs, vet techs ("RNs"), etc.

Most veterinarians train for almost as long as human physicians, and are paid significantly less.

My plea, don't blame the vets, the vast majority are not getting rich off the pets...the "parents" need to be able to discuss costs, what makes sense to do, openly so they are clear about what they are paying for and what the risk/benefit of doing something/not doing something really is. Most vets will do this with you if you are willing/able to participate.

jake's mom

[Taz_Zoee]

I might complain about the cost of vet bills, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to take my animals in if they need care.
But at the same time, I don't think I'd mention the other things I spend my money on.

[Muddy4paws]

Maybe she was looking for your kind of reaction, Let me explain that. I totally agree with you. An animal is a huge comitment as you and I both know any loving owner knows that vet care for a poor or injured animal is the top most priority and to go on to a dog message board and talk about her poorly dog and how she spends money elsewhere is asking for trouble really. Sounds like she needs to find the dog a loving home with someone who can provide for it.

[lv4dogs]

I understand where you are coming from in a situation like that. It seems that her priorities are mixed up. Sounds like she has the money but would rather spend it on other things. In that case, bill them more! lol j/k Seriously though, you would think that pure live beings are more important than materialistic things. (if she was in fact buying materialistic things on ebay, maybe she was buying meds or needed items to live or the like? Unlikely but it could happen)
Some situations are different though. It hurts me quite a bit to know that there are those that will be a better owner than those with money, yet (s)he is unable to have one due to the cost of care. Just because they have no money they have no right to experience true love & devotion that a pet can provide? It makes no sense. Or to have enough money to cover their complete care & emegencies if they arrise but then something so big hits that their once "appropriate" vet fund and makes it very difficult to treat after spending a lot.
I think it's pretty much a case by case basis, taking different views into consideration I guess.

[applesmom]

Maybe she was looking for your kind of reaction, Let me explain that. I totally agree with you. An animal is a huge comitment as you and I both know any loving owner knows that vet care for a poor or injured animal is the top most priority and to go on to a dog message board and talk about her poorly dog and how she spends money elsewhere is asking for trouble really. Sounds like she needs to find the dog a loving home with someone who can provide for it.

If she'd refused treatment for the dog so she'd have more money to blow on ebay I might agree. But that isn't the case. She'd already said the dog was having the xray--and then complained about the cost. A perfectly human reaction!

She might have been joking too! When our dog had an emergency C section, I commented that the surgery cost as much as the shotgun I wanted. That didn't mean I put a shotgun above the welfare of my dog.

A lot of it has to do with the way things are percieved in writing as opposed to talking to someone in person.