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Veterinary Practice News Editorial Blog:
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Costs of Caring
By Marilyn Iturri
Editor of VeterinaryPracticeNews.com and Veterinary Practice News
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An acquaintance is thinking about getting another dog to keep his 2-year-old Lab mix company. The dog’s frequent canine companion recently died, and her owner worries that she won’t be as happy without some kind of doggie company.
But the owner is one of those folks who doesn’t want to spend money at the veterinary clinic. He’ll get vaccines, but if the animal needs any special care, he balks. And it isn’t that he can’t afford care; he just doesn’t want to spend a lot of the money on an animal.
I probably take a harder line on this than most. I figure that most practicing veterinarians and technicians have long since come to terms with this; they must see it all the time. But I don’t see it every day, so I think that people who don’t want to pay for any medical care for their animals shouldn’t have animals. Ownership comes with responsibility, after all.
I’m not saying that every pet owner needs to be able to spend thousands of dollars on medical care, but at the same time, people who refuse to pay for anything beyond vaccinations shouldn’t be adopting animals. Stuff happens.
Options for help abound, of course.
During my cocker spaniel’s recent bout with cancer, I was grateful that I’d been smart enough to sign her up for pet health insurance, even though her premiums as a senior stressed my budget. Having the insurance enabled me to keep her until she decided it was time to go. I didn’t have to resort to putting her down because I couldn’t afford supportive care.
And third-party financing can be a huge help to pet owners as well. Companies like ChaseHealthAdvance and CareCredit can provide a cushion beyond regular credit card accounts for qualifying clients.
There are limits, of course. I wouldn’t take out a second mortgage to care for a pet, but I also wouldn’t refuse to even check out a problem. At the very least I want to know what kind of problem I’m dealing with, whether it really is just a lipoma.
The world would be pretty boring if we all thought alike, I guess. But I just don’t understand how some people rationalize their financial choices. Taking in an animal then refusing it medical care just isn’t an option for me.
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