I agree that there are times in our lives that almost ALL of us have been less financially stable. I know I have spent a few years barely making it, that's for sure! And we do the best we can with the pets we have during those times, just like we do the best we can with our own healthcare, the food we can buy, etc.

And frankly, as much as we all hate to think about it, there is a financial limit for almost ALL of us ... what we can afford to pay for a pet's medical care. The limit is higher for some than others, but most of us do not have unlimited resources to put toward saving a pet, no matter how much we love them. We can work out payments with our vets, use credit cards, borrow money, sell things ... but sometimes, frankly, it's just not enough. I don't know many people who, faced with a ten thousand dollar vet bill, could pay it. That's a sad reality of life.

The thing that bothers me, though, is people who get new pets, knowing they can't afford it. I've not really seen it on here so much, I'm talking more about people I know in 'real life'. I have seen people who literally are getting their utilities turned off, who are in line at the food bank because they can't afford groceries ... and they go to animal control and get yet another dog or cat. They KNOW there is no possible way they can afford even the bare minimum in vet care, yet they get the animal anyway. Then I'll see them a while later, and the dog will have an ear infection, or the cat will have FIP, and they will say, "Well, we can't afford the vet! Do you know what they charge?!?" Why, yes, I do ... seven times over, as a matter of fact.