People Expecting Handouts When It Comes to Pet Ownership
By Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
United States
March 31, 2007 1:02am CST
A lot of people complain about the cost of spaying and neutering, and claim that's why they don't have it done. They complain if they have to drive more than a few miles for a low cost clinic. People think vets should make less money than an office worker just because they don't want to pay. Often, these are people who could definitely afford to pay and just don't feel like spending money on an animal.
Is it just me, or does this annoy others as well? I'm not talking about people who actually have low incomes and don't live in the greatest places, but I mean well off people that just won't spend money. I don't make much money, but still, if I have to spend money at the vet, I have to spend money at the vet.
Pets are not forced upon you, you chose them. Even if they are all rescued pets. One of my rabbits was found outside. Yet I still made the decision to bring her home, knowing that I'd end up having to pay for her stuff. I wouldn't just not take her to the vet because I didn't buy her or even formally adopt her.
A lot of people seem to think they had no choice but to get a pet. When they realize they want to spay or neuter their pet, or get vaccinations, they don't want to spend money. Well what happens when there is a medical emergency? You'll be wishing you were only spending $100.
I guess that's just a rant I have. Another post kind of set me off how people think all vets should just do low cost for them. Because of course while they wouldn't work for free, vets (who paid a lot more than they did for school) should do their job at no charge. Right. Anyone who's ever seen a spay done knows it isn't the easiest thing and it does take a team of people. Should all of those people work for free just because you got a pet you don't want to pay for? I don't think so.
4 people like this
11 responses
@rainbow (6761)
•
31 Mar 07
I know exactly what you mean, I would never avoid taking my fur babies to the vet due to the cost involved, I take my bank card and if I'm really worried my dad, he has to come with the dog anyway as poor Newty is so scared it's hard to hold her (doberman).
My vet uses to let you have an account and put interest charges on if you couldn't pay at once but so many people never paid he had to stop - what a shame!
I have paid for strays I have picked up spaying or having other medicenes, even though I have done this for cats that have left home a week or so later, I would never have left them in need of help.
If it was someting really big and expensive we would find a way to look after our pets, even if Shrek had to get a credit card or something.
We give to animal charities too in the hope of helping poor pets.
I used to have pet insurance until it got too expensive, and it didn't cover a lot of illnesses as my dog and cat are old now.
People who work with scared dpoorly animals need to be paid and able to have a good quality of life, it's like saying if you enjoy your job do it for free choose what a persons profession is, Drs etc earn a lot of money and no-one neglects their own healthcare so why are pets different to children? I can't understand how people want pets when the goings easy but can leave them when they're ill.
2 people like this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Aww! The vet I worked for used to allow that too. I doubt she still does because of all the collections letters we were sending out.
Some people think doctors should work for free too, but not as many as the ones who think vets should. Some people do neglect their own healthcare, but if you neglect a child's healthcare, you'd be in trouble. So yeah, I don't get that either why people wouldn't take their pet to the vet. I spent $500 on a parakeet before at the vet. Sure, I would have loved to buy something with that $500 instead, but the bird needed a vet and I wasn't going to have him put to sleep when he had such a good chance just because I wanted to buy something.
2 people like this
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Actually, it is a shame that many poor people are no longer able to afford a pet. When I was little and growing up we always had pets, even though we were POOR. If we had to pay all the things that are now "required" to have a pet, we never would have had even one.
Like a lot of "simple pleasures"; the cost of obtaining, licensing, and providing shots, spaying, medications and pet food are prohibitive for a lot of people.
A lot of young people will never experience the joy of living in the same home with a cat or dog. When they become adults, they will have no idea "how" to care for them or love them.
A lot of people on disability will never have the companionship of a pet because they can NOT afford to care for it "properly".
The same is true of a lot of single people and elderly people. They literally have to choose between food for themselves and "shots", "licenses", or "spaying" for their pet.
Even "low cost" clinics are too expensive for them.
Only people with money can afford to have and "properly " care for a pet today! That is what is a "shame".
1 person likes this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Actually, there are a lot of organizations that will help the elderly and disabled with the costs.
Did you know that you have to make a certain amount of money to adopt a child as well? But many poor people have kids. It's just that, if the kid is at an adoption agency, they want it to go to a good home. So far no one can stop others from having kids. But they can be taken away if not provided for.
I think it's a rather selfish viewpoint to think you are entitled to a pet whether you can afford them or not. Pets are living and breathing creatures. Would you have a child and then expect doctors to treat the kid for free if they are sick? Would you neglect to have their shots done? Hopefully not. Pets aren't around simply for your pleasure. Pets are a privilege, not a right. If you can afford them, great. If not, there are other options. Lets say that someone does have all the time in the world, yet they cannot afford food and vet bills. It's not a smart decision for them to bring a pet into their home, but they could help socialize an animal in their home for a shelter, with the shelter providing all of the food and vet care.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
2 Apr 07
Stop and look around. The people who can least afford children are the ones who have the most kids. They don't expect the doctors to pay for the kids treatment - they expect YOU and ME and every other person who pays taxes to pay for the child's health care. Every state has a program to do just that and these programs are subsidized with state and federal taxes. These people often do not pay any more than sales tax themselves; because, the more children you have, the fewer taxes you pay.
If the parents are found to be neglectful or abusive; then the children are taken away.
The same is partially true for pet owners. If a pet owner is neglectful or abusive their pets are taken away. But, the FEW programs you are talking about are very few, very limited in scope, subsidized with PRIVATE funds and are NOT available to the average family who is struggling to get by. Every child or person who wants a pet should be able to know the special love that a pet can give them. God knows with the number of pets that are destroyed by shelters everyday; there are more than enough pets to go around. The only people who should not have a RIGHT to have a pet are those individuals who have had an animal taken away before for neglect or abuse. But, we NEED a program that will provide the pets of this world with basic medical care when their owners CAN'T provide it.
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
31 Mar 07
I agree with you on this 100%. If you get a pet you take on all the responsibilities of that pet. Vets shouldn't be doing this for free. They've got to make a living just like the rest of us. I think it's unfair and wrong for us to think otherwise. Our first cat we adopted and did get the spay for free - but it didn't matter. The second cat we got (from our mother-in-law) we still took to get spayed and declawed (back paws only) just like we did our eldest. We do need to take our dog in though. She needs it too. Although I keep trying to talk my husband into breding her :) I want a puppy and she needs a friend anyway.
1 person likes this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Yeah, but dogs typically have more than one puppy. Better to adopt a friend so that you don't end up with 8 friends for her.
Just wondering, why only get the back claws removed? Most people get the front because those are the claws that they scratch at furniture with. But those are also the claws they defend themselves with. Just not sure how the back claws being removed would help.
2 people like this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
2 Apr 07
Oh gez! Brain fart. That's what I meant - I just got the front claws removed. I thought it was cruel to get them all removed - or any but if they're inside...
That's true too. We have thought of adopting her a friend too. Who knows...
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
31 Mar 07
When I had my male guinea pig fixed, the very charged me $25.00. He said that he wasn't making any money on it but felt it better to have him fixed than to have more guinea pigs running around. Any animals that I have are fixed, I am a responsible pet owner and when I see people complaining about the cost of a vet bill I ask them why they have an animal at all.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
31 Mar 07
That is amazing! Probably lost money on that, or would have around here at least. Usually, a guinea pig neuter out here is $100 to $150, not including the exam.
Are all of your female piggies spayed too? I rarely have them spayed just because it is so risky. Even with the neuters, I'll avoid them if I can just pair two males together. But with piggies, it's sort of different because there aren't all the health risks and behaviorial problems associated with not being neutered.
1 person likes this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Yeah, that's definitely the smart way to go about it. I know someone with 3 females and 1 male, that was so afraid their beloved male would die on the table, they had the females all spayed!
I've definitely seen a ton of piggies going at it... but usually in more of a dominance way. I've probably done a hundred guinea pig introductions since I'll do them for people who are afraid to do it themselves.
1 person likes this
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Nope, just the males. I Figure that if I have 2 males and 6 females, it's easier to get the boys done lol. When they go to piggie functions or are at the park I am pretty careful that they aren't around any 'active' males. The funniest part, even after they are fixed, they still have the urge to 'mate'. Some of the looks on the females faces are just priceless. Not sure if you have ever seem guinea pigs go at it ... but they aren't exactly in the race for that long. Sarah, one of the biggest girls we ever had actually looked like she was irked when the male we had would hop on her. Eventually she just got over it and ignored him when he was a little frisky.
@PlanetProzac (166)
• United States
5 Apr 07
I think if you have a pet you shouldn't complain too much about the vet bill, that's part of being repsonsible for something or someone else. I think it's great that people that do not have much themselves take in pets and care for them. I think people complain about spending money on anything, car repairs, doctors visits and dentist. Why should a vet bill be any different!
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
3 Apr 07
We've never had any issues with paying all of our vet bills. We have two dogs and a cat, they are all spayed. None of them were when we got them.
When stuff comes up and the girls have to go the vet, it does sometimes make it hard on us financially. But they are our babies, we have to take care of them. Trinitie (our cat) has been with us since Halloween 2005. We've spent about $600-700 on her vet bills. When we took her to the vet the first time she was 4 months old and had never been. She had worms, and the vet said it was amazing that she was still alive. She also had fleas and had to have all of her kitten shots.
The people we got her from were good examples of people that shouldn't have pets. They were our neighbors, and they lived here for around a year. During that time, they had 5 different cats at various times, 1 when they left. They had 4 different dogs, too, and only took 1 with them. They never had more than three pets at any one time. They would get one, get tired of it, and give it away, or dump it somewhere. Even after we told them that Trinitie had worms, they never bothered to get their other animals checked. When they left here, they had a 1 year old $450 german shephard that had never been to the vet. Why you would pay that kind of money for a dog you weren't going to take care of is beyond me.
@locolady (374)
• Canada
1 Apr 07
I agree with you 100%-,on both sides,although if your pet is male -cat or dog the price is much cheaper then it is for a female, and also looking at pocket book expenses - getting a spay or castration done on your pet is alot cheaper then the extra pet food that they will go through rearing these babies-and the last time I checked getting bit from a rabid animal is not a cheap bill either.I've had my rabies shots as a preventitive (animal care aide) and when I had my 10 yr booster shot 5 months ago it cost $218.00(CAN),I couldn't imagine what the price in the USA would be.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
1 Apr 07
The male neuter price is almost always less, but it's also a much easier surgery. I guess that can be a good thing though, as people with males often don't get them neutered, as their dog won't be the one pregnant. So if it's less expensive than the spay, perhaps they'll be more likely to consider it.
@Script (592)
• Australia
3 Apr 07
I totally agree with all that you are saying. If someone wants to own an animal there are responsibilities that come with that. Spaying your pet is a responsible thing to do (unless you are a breeder) as there are so many unwanted, dumped or pets that don't have a home. For me it's really simple... if you want to have a pet, you need to make that commitment of caring for it in every way. If you don't want to spend money on a pet, or take care of it in every way, DON'T get one. Okay, done now!!
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I have no problem paying the cost to spay my cat. I just did-- What my problem is the emergency visits-- Even when they are during the normal vet hours-- If you don't have an appointment and you need to take your animal in- They cahrge you for an emergency visit- Why?? When I call to go into the doctor during normal office hours- I don't pay an emergency visit fee. Just my normal co-pay.
Maybe all vets don't do this but mine does. We recently just took our cat their to get fixed. Less than 3 weeks later he was hit in the road- Broke my heart--- But he was only hit in the backside- So he wasn't gone. We had to take him to the vet-- they said there was nothing they could do basically- Charged me and emergency visit- put the cat to sleep - charged for this .. so not only did I lose a part of my family-- but a big chunk of change-- I'm not complaining about the normal costs.. but give me a break- An Emergency visit during the day??
I've since gotten a new cat from the Lollypop Farm (Humane Society)-- she is in indoor only cat- And I've switched vets!
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
1 Apr 07
That depends on the office largely. Where I worked, walk-ins were perfectly fine. We weren't an emergency clinic, so we weren't open 24 hours. But if someone came in for an emergency at any time, they'd still just be charged for the treatments given. And then, if someone came in as a walk-in, most likely they'd just end up waiting a long time. But they weren't charged extra.
I guess if vets charge extra for walk-ins, it would encourage people to actually get an appointment so they'd know how many pets were coming in that day. But we didn't have that problem where I worked. By far the most people had appointments.
I would have definitely switched vets for that too! If I got an emergency fee every time I had to come in on short notice, I'd be done for. Most of my animals are exotics, and when they start going downhill they must be rushed in.
@ozzei69 (24)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I think this post is great...it helps people become aware of the mistakes they make with their animals...the things people do to their animals is cruel! Just last week i heard of a dog that was shot in the leg. the owners own two houses and the dog stays at one of the houses alone most of the time, they had let it out and left so it wandered into someone elses feild and the owner of the feild shot it in the leg and the whole leg came of... i think this is upsetting and people who act like this to their annimals just shouldn't have animals.
