1. Patricia, I can understand where this guy is coming from -- my dog needed an operation on his eye or he would go blind. $1,800. He is probably going to need the same operation in the other eye. Before this happened I didn't know that there were doggie eye specialists/surgeons. This animal hospital is nicer than some people hospitals I have been in.

I didn't have a problem paying for the operation but I agree with the guy when he asked how people on a tight budget deal with these situations? Its so expensive.

I don't think there is anything wrong with spending your money on your pet. Unless of course your being selfish when the pet really is suffering and that won't be able to be helped.

Kristi Collins

Posted at 3:34PM on Aug 3rd 2007 by Kristi Collins

2. my cat has just been diagnosed with cancer. unfortunately it is too far gone for any kind of treatment to be effective, and id be surprised if he could even tolerate it.

he has been in and out of the vets for three years and this has only just been picked up. If he had been diagnosed earlier i would have quite happily footed the bill, not matter wat the cost i would have tried to save him.

As it is now we will probably be without our boy before christmas

Posted at 10:55AM on Aug 11th 2007 by jenny

3. Thank you for both of your comments. It is a hard choice, especially when we love our pets so very much.

Jenny, so sorry to hear about your cat's illness. I hope that you still have lots of good times ahead with your kitty.

Posted at 11:15AM on Aug 9th 2007 by Patricia

4. YIKES!
It’s a SHAME…I agree to helping a cat/dog or any animal when they are in pain/sickness, but that was nonsensical…a bit too much!

God desires us to be compassionate to all existing things… But in the beginning of creation God completed man and made him superior over all mammals...We are to look out for mankind first…

This money could have really help out in the study/cure for cancer. The money that this person spent on this cat could have and should have been used on a study to better the chances/survival rates in humans recovery…There is too many people dying of cancer.

Think of all the people that spend this kind of money for their pets, and all the money that is being spent each year to veterinarians…God supply us with an abundance of animals, and they are all lovable in their own ways…

The human race is our bloodline, and we are suppose to be superior over our pets…

Not to be inhumane because I have two cats and a bird, I love them dearly and would surely hate to see anything happen to them, but there are MASSES of homeless cats in the world at this moment that are looking for a good home, looking for a handout of food/water and some love…

To me it seems inhumane to not help these homeless animals out, they need a home they need someone to love them and pamper them, they can be taught tricks…Cats are in great quantity, they didn‘t ask to be created…This cat that had this cancer should have been put to sleep peacefully and then remembered as a outstanding pet and friend…I trust there’s a place in heaven for these devoted pets…

This person that spent all this money on their cat to recover must have had a very big heart, and I can understand the bereavement of losing a pet, it's like loosing a best friend…But there’s a difference between an animal and human and I believe we ought to help mankind first…

But on the other hand it is their money, and people spend money foolishly everyday on worse things like drugs…

These people need to walk through a cancer hospital/unit and see the many people suffering from this dreadful disease…Maybe they would use their money more wisely...

Why not donate this money over to cancer research, and do it in memory of kitty… #;}

After all “Aren’t cats suppose to have 9 lives?“

Posted at 6:19PM on Aug 10th 2007 by Sheila Langley

5. I agree with the comments made by Sheila Langley. My cat appears to have cancer - it's been x-rayed but nothing further. Based on discussion with the vet, nothing further will be attempted (no biopsy, no surgery; there is no guarantee that all the cancer can be removed and the surgery itself can aggravate and accelerate the spread). Six months later my cat is still with me and exhibits no pain or discomfort. If/When that happens, I will take steps to alleviate the suffering, but I will not waste money on chemo or radiation or any other treatments. I think it is selfish and foolish of people to spend so much money to keep their cat alive - they do so for their feelings only - they anthropomorphize their pets to the point that they believe their pet is their child and therefore will do anything humanly possible and spend ridiculous amounts of money to 'save' them. I give my pets a great life - they do not want for anything (as compared to the millions of stray, feral and abused cats and dogs in North America). I will cry my heart out when my cat is put down - and I will be there with her when it is done (putting aside MY feelings to comfort my pet at that time). I support my local cat shelter financially and will get my next cat from there. Just because "it's their money" does not excuse or justify their actions. That type of attitude contributes to the problems we have with over-population, poverty, abuse etc. in both the animal and human world.

Posted at 1:40PM on Aug 14th 2007 by Michele Horton

6. Each situation should be viewed individually. As a general guideline, though, I agree it's important to keep the best interests of the pet in the forefront. As with people, prolonging life for just a few months with painful, invasive and expensive procedures does not seem like the right way to go. But if the pet has a good chance of living a few more years and the money is available, well, why not?

One thing I really disagree with is this notion that people are somehow superior to all other creatures. Talk about a self-serving judgment! True, humans are an incredible species in both a positive and a negative sense -- I think of this often as I look at the roads, buildings, power lines and other structures of the city. We are awe-inspiring in our ability to create these things, but I also think we are a bit pathetic in our outlandish, yet ultimately futile, attempts to deny, control and conquer our own animal nature and other animals. People tend to forget that they ARE animals. You can learn a lot in a conversation with someone if you ignore their words and just observe them. You will learn better through observation whether someone is a predatory type, or submissive, whether they are at peace or neurotic, etc. We focus on the superstructure of language and culture we have created, and ignore the fundamental animalistic aspects of ourselves, which are primary. We ignore them at our peril.

Money comes, and money goes. If you have it and want to give your pet a few more years of a happy life, well, I can't think of a better use for money. Sure, you could give a few thousand bucks to a charity that may or may not use the money efficiently or wisely to help other people. It may also go right into some administrator's pocket, or into some dictator's, for that matter. I'll take my chances with my cat.

Posted at 2:27PM on Aug 18th 2007 by Gail

7. Many improvements in human medicine first came about as improvements in veterinary medicine. There is a real give-and-take between the two.
So someone spending "a ridiculous amount on an animal" may result in finding that procedure is beneficial and can then be used on humans. (I think there were bone cancer treatment advances this way.)

Posted at 9:31AM on Sep 3rd 2007 by Shayla

8. Also, when my pet takes sick, I consider it my responsibility to keep him alive as long as he is enjoying life. I do understand, though, that sometimes pet owners simply cannot afford the care that is necessary and have to make a heartrending decision.

Posted at 9:33AM on Sep 3rd 2007 by Shayla

9. My cat was just diagnosed with cancer yesterday. Four months ago she was completely healthy, and two separate vet trips to her former vet (when I first noticed the symptoms, which were minute and then grew exponentially) resulted in the vet chuckling and stating "oh, she's a very healthy cat, you're worrying too much." After 2 lbs of weight loss on a 7 lb cat and a month and a half of being told she was healthy and that hairballs and calcification and arthritus were causing her problems, I sought a second opinion -- the new vet immediately told me she suspected a severe, advanced, and wide-spread malignancy. she suspected throat and lung cancer had spread. I'm not sure what I would have done had the first vet done his job, and been thorough. The second vet, however, seems to understand my philosophy about pets, which I'm making up as I go along, since I have never experienced a sick pet like this before. She said chemo would be an option to buy some time. If there were a very good chance my girl would recover, I might do it. But just to "buy some time," seems selfish to me.

while I can understand the sentiments of those who suggest that its a selfish or wasteful use of money, I disagree. If a person wants to spend his or her own money to preserve the life of a pet who DOES have a good chance of a full recovery, they have every right to do so. I also disagree with the idea that humans are so superior to animals. Yes, I do believe that humans ought to look after one another better than they do, but it's not like the two goals are mutually exclusive. In most cases, caring for pets gives us important lessons about caring for one another. What's to say that person spending 11,000 was going to donate to a charity anyway? Or, what's to say that that person doesn't donate 100,000 a year to charity? Don't be so quick to judge the actions of another person.

Anyway, a sick pet is a difficult situation and I know it well. My girl is not going to get chemo or any other procedures that will keep her around longer because the selfishness of that is not spending the money on the pet, but putting her through sickness and pain in order to keep her there. I just hope that I will know how to tell when the time comes.

Posted at 5:33PM on Sep 5th 2007 by fam

10. At the end of June, my cat of ten years was diagnosed with oral cancer. At that point, the vet said that the tumor was too big for it to be surgically removed, and that it was not likely that other forms of treatment would completely eradicate it. I opted for palliative care, and spent the next two months trying to make him as comfortable as possible and enjoying the time that we had left. I thought a lot about whether I should have opted for more aggressive treatment options - even knowing that they would only give him a few extra weeks or months. But then I came to realize that doing so would be all about my need to postpone his departure from my life, as opposed to doing what was most responsible as a pet owner. On August 26, I made the extremely difficult decision to help him end his struggle. I miss him a lot, and while I have huge respect for people who choose to spend any sum of money to help their ill pets, I hope that they will take time to think about whether they are doing it for the pet, or whether they are doing it for themselves. If the latter is the case, and the pet's quality of life is impaired, it may be time to consider other options.

Posted at 7:32AM on Sep 6th 2007 by hmr

11. I have absolutely no problem with someone spending their money to help their pet. After reading some of the posts it is obvious some people do not understand the bond between humans and their pets. It is if they see that relationship as not as good, important or real as one would have with another human being. All lives have worth. I rarely meet dogs or cats I do not like. I cannot say that about but human beings. When dealing with cancer treatments in animals we seem to have a different standard, we want complete cures. There is no such thing in treating cancer in human or animals. We get something called remission. Because remissions are only a year for an animal, the owner can rationalize not spending the money by saying it is not worth making an animal go through this for one year of life. Would you say that to a human being, that seven years is not worth it? No, of course not. Well it is seven human years to a dogs year, so the year remission for the dog is worth it. Chemo in animals is not nearly as severe a protocol because the care is basically pallative nature. In instances with animals one has to ask is the animal comfortable and still enjoying life, if the answer is yes then treatment options should be explored. If the animal is suffering and vet care cannot assist the animal then euthanasia is the best thing to do. I find it interesting how quickly people would euthanize an animal but not do this to a human being they love. It is also amazing how it is ok to spend money on thousand dollar purses, gas guzzling cars, designer watches and big houses but not on a sick cat. Man is an interesting species.

Posted at 8:12AM on Oct 31st 2007 by klotzba