How far would you go to save your dog's life?

Our older dog is 11 and has several problems. The worst is some tumors. These are not malignant but if even if she has surgery they will grow back. Years ago medical care for pets was not so expensive. I don't really know what I would do in certain situations. As long as my dog is comfortable, happy and gets around ok, I resist the urge to put her through the stress of expensive treatments. Especially since there is no guarantee that it would prolong her life. I also believe that if it comes to her quality of life and no chance for recovery I might have to put her to sleep. Humans don't always have that luxury.

I've had friends who have paid thousands for surgeries for their 2 dogs. They were in a reasonably comfortable way financially but still, the cost would have put a drain on them. For me, if my animals required attention that was going to require a lot of money with no guarantees then I would not go ahead. If the animal was suffering, I'd have them put to sleep. My Lucy was in a horrible accident a few years ago and had to stay in hospital and she also required x-rays and dressing changes every couple of days. There was no surgery but she was on some stiff priced medication. She developed gangrene and the tablets were about $20 each but she only needed 4. Over a week period, I think the costs got up to around $600 and I had a little saved and was earning an income then. She was being such a good dog while it was all going on so it wasn't too hard on me. Vets charge so much!!! She recently sliced a large piece of flesh off one of her pads. Its a one hour trip to the vet and I had waited a while to suss things out and it was too late to stitch it so the vet just snipped off the bit that was separated and said for me to bandage it. (Me, not him.) He charged me $t50 bucks for that 10 seconds. Unfortunately, it's a horrid decision when it's about your pets life, sometimes we just have to be practical. Lucy has had a great life so far with me. If she was badly injured or sick and suffering, I would not put her through a long recovery.

We just got our dog last week and we are all in love with her she is so beautiful and smart little thing. I dont know how much I am willing to spend on her if she got sick this is our first big pet.

I have done it before, twice, to try and save a pet when there was some hope. Both times it failed but I had to try. Only when it is obvious that they are very old and it is inevitable, will I not try. If they will be in pain, I will have them put to sleep. I love my pets just as any other family member.

I have faced this several times. The first question is am I saving the life for me or for the animal. The next question is can we afford it. Anything else we take care of after we have made the decision.

well personely i haven faced that situation befor but i do love my dog and i belive i will do evrything i can to protact him...

that was something that must have ached your heart for your beloved pet, miamilady. that is really something heavy to deal with. since most of us are so attached to our pets, i know that we will always do the best we can to make them comfortable and have them around us for as long as possible. i understand that you really had to take such a tough decision. by then, you must have been feeling that if only you can do something to produce that needed amount for the surgery... no, so far, i have not been confronted with such as much big a problem as yours involving my pets. i cannot afford to spend that much money either for my pet at this time. maybe, in the future if our finances will get better. a thousand dollars is not that easy to produce. most probably, if i come across with a similar situation, i will do just the way you dealt with it. so don't feel so sorry miamilady. there are many of us around the world who will treat the situation just as you did.