Can't pay vet bill shouldn't have pet?

[2manypets]

I see a lot of people saying "If you can't afford to take your pet to the vet, you should not have the pet" but what if when you got the animal you saved say $300 but there is an emergency and it cost $800, eventually you find a way to get the money, should that person not have the pet because they did not have $800? Do large breeders have $800 for each animal? What do you think?

 

[Andrea]

Actually most quality breeders I know of put most of the $ they make off kits back into their chins and that includes vet care. It is my personal opinion that if you cannot afford vet care that you should not own pets. If I had a child and he/she was sick and I didn't take him/her to the doctor that would be considered negligence or abuse...and I feel the same way about animals. I will never understand how people can just let their fur-kids suffer horribly due to money. There are always ways to pay...most vets know that times are tough and they will do payment plans to help ease the financial burden. At the very least, I would hope any pet owner would either humanely euthanize the animal in a TIMELY manner OR turn the pet over to an organization that can help with medical costs.

 

[Luci]

In my opinion, when things like this are said, its in reference to people who try to talk themselves out of needing to take their pet to the vet. They say "well I'll just wait it out until next week cuz I don't want to pay anything if it isnt needed". Sure, there are times where that may be applicable- like if the chins poops are a bit off and the owner refreshes water, offers fresh hay, and monitors, THEN decides to take to the vet after no improvement. But we've seen people who throw every excuse out as to why they cant get to the vet. Money is usually the reason, but the car somehow "broke down" that afternoon...

I do NOT have $800 to just hash out for an emergency visit. But I do work out payment plans with my vets. When Gizmo had a tooth infection, the vet bill ended up being around $350. As a college student (which some people use as an excuse), I did NOT have that money upfront but I did give them postdated checks so it could be paid off in a few months.

We're not saying that owners have to be extremely wealthy. Heck, I'm not wealthy by any means, but Gizmo is part of my budget. People can say that they can afford the pet in terms of food, toys, etc; but some may overlook health costs. Those are the people who should not own pets. When you own an animal, you take everything into consideration.

Then again, this is just my opinion. I cannot afford $100's of vet bills upfront, but its still in my budget.

 

[Gabby88]

I think people should be able to take future vet bills into consideration before purchasing any animal!

If you know all of your credit cards are maxed out, you can't borrow money from friends or family, and you have no money saved or a way to get money in a huge emergency, don't buy the pet.

There's way too many neglected animals who are refused treatment by their owners because they simply can't afford it. In these cases, the owner should either find someone else to take care of the animal or they should give it to a rescue.

Too many people buy a pet on a whim because they have just enough money for the pet saved, but they never take future vet bills into consideration.

So I HIGHLY agree with "if you can't afford the vet, don't buy the pet".

 

[Essentia]

In my opinion $300 isn't near enough to put away for vet visits. I recommend having at least $600 at all times in an account for vet visits/emergencies. This goes for any animal, not just chins.

In an emergency situation, most vets will let you pay the $300 and will start treating the animal while you are getting the rest towards that $800 bill. Saying someone will "eventually" get the money though doesn't cut it in my book. How long is eventually? A day? A week? A month? You see where I am going with this.

Do most breeders have $800 for each chin? Of course not. That's not what anyone is saying. Do most good breeders have a decent amount of money set aside for vet costs? Yes.

When someone says "If you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet" it's referring to them using that excuse for not taking their pet to the vet. No one is coming down on anyone for bringing their chinchilla to the vet and not having the entire amount of the vet cost in their hand. If someone is just willy nilly getting an animal KNOWING they don't have the money, or not caring if they do have the money, for a vet, this is where I start having issues with it. Like it has previous been stated, "If you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet". Pets are not disposable and deserve the same care we would give ourselves, or our car, or the electric bill, or the shopping binge we just went on to TJ Maxx. Most people have enough money for vet bills, they just don't manage their money well enough to put any aside for that purpose. THAT is the person that should NOT be getting a pet.

 

[3CsMommy]

The idea behind that statement is to remind people that animals need medical care-- BY PROFESSIONALS-- just like humans. If you can't see to the basics like required vaccinations for dogs and deworming for kittens/cats, you shouldn't bring an animal into your home until your finances are stable enough to recover from all of the situations pets can get into. (Bee stings, hit by car, fight with another animal, stuck on/in furniture, food allergies, genetic problems...)

I think that "money" rule with chins needs to be stricter in many respects b/c they don't need yearly shots and registration, but if they do need a vet, the fees can be astronomical. Living paycheck to paycheck works better with pocket pets as long as your supplies (food, water, bedding) are accounted for somehow. But, if that chin gets loose around your cat, or falls from the top of the cage, you suddenly need multiple hundreds of dollars and gas money to get to a qualified vet (which in my case is over an hour's drive away). Ideally, I'll build my savings back up to have $500 set aside between cash and Care Credit for each animal I have. I'm not at that level now thanks to some medical problems of my own (and if I'm not here to feed them, the pets suffer too), but at least that way I'd have enough to take care of an emergency exam and if necessary a euthanasia/necropsy to find out what went wrong.

 

[Amphy64]

I think that "money" rule with chins needs to be stricter in many respects b/c they don't need yearly shots and registration, but if they do need a vet, the fees can be astronomical.

I think that's very true, so it's probably especially important to emphasise this with chins - many people don't realise how expensive treatment for them can be.

While someone may not have all the money up front (I'd hope they have a decent bit of it, though), there's no excuse not to take an animal to a vet because of it, they should perhaps be surrendered to a shelter if the owner really isn't going to be able to pay vet bills. It drives me absolutely mad seeing people put up wanted adverts for chins that say 'must be cheap or free', especially when they say that this chin will be an opposite sex 'companion' for a chin they already have, that just makes me want to cry. If they're not able or prepared to pay for even the initial cost of an animal, how are they going to care for that animal?

It's difficult, I can't say I'm exactly financially secure because I'm unable to work due to my own health issues (looking at another operation , I guess at least we have the NHS here), but I do have £1500 that's for chin emergencies, and more that's just my general savings that I can use if I need to. I know my family would unquestionably help if I really needed it, but don't want to have to rely on them. I've wondered if I should have a pet in this position, especially as I'm interested in breeding on a very small scale (one pair. I want to have more 'chin savings' and learn more before seriously looking at the possibility), but they are definitely my priority, and I'll continue to put money away. Henry brings an awful lot to my life, he makes me feel better when I'm feeling rotten with pain from my nerve damage, and in return I need to be able to take care of him, and any future chins too.

I looked at insurance, but the ones available seemed to practically exempt teeth issues, which are my big big worry. We've had three rabbits with malo, which was heartbreaking, and repeated teeth filing is just horrendously expensive. Our last rabbit developed malo when he was less than a year old, we managed to keep him going for five years until he died last year from an unrelated issue. It seems that it isn't really possible in chins in most cases (in our bunnies' case, they were quite happy and normal between filings so it was possible and worthwhile for them, if not we would have had to have them PTS). If I ever had a chin with teeth problems (I know Hen's lines are Ok for five generations, but you obviously can't be 100% sure a chin won't develop malo), I still want to be in a position to at least try it a few times if it's considered by the vet that it might help.

 

[AZChins]

I have some money put away for chinchilla vet bills, but that often gets depleted so I have to use an emergency credit card or figure out another way to budget for bills. My vet is very nice and doesn't charge an absolute fortune for his fabulous care of my animals - I would be in a much worse place financially if he charged what the other vets charge me!

Still, I don't know if people need to have an incredible sum of money saved up. Mostly I think that they should be willing to sacrifice should they have to take an animal to the vet. Many people won't go in at all and they just let their animals suffer and possibly die. I've had customers that don't have the money to pay for the vet bills straight out, but they get the Card Credit or figure out another way to pay.

I'm not rich by any means. However, I will find a way to pay for the vet and have always done this no matter what financial position I am in. Even when I was in my late teens and early 20s I still managed to take everyone to the vet when there was a problem. Not having the money isn't a good excuse. Where there is a will, there is a way when it comes to making things like that happen. Borrow the money, use a credit card, sell something...etc etc etc. (I have borrowed money and sold things of mine to pay for large bills...and I will probably do it again!)

 

[chechinchillas]

I use care credit for my chinchillas and then pay it off when I can.

 

[LexieHeg]

This is the same for hedgehogs. I see this on our side of the forum...people trying to self treat or wanting someone on the forum to fix their pet because of some excuse they have which really falls down to money.

I don't have a vet savings account, but I have a credit card I designate for vet care. In the last two months we've spent about 500.00 on a sick baby hedgehog - I hadn't planned on it, and I didn't want to spend that money anymore than anyone else does, but she was sick and it is my job as her owner to take care of her. I have the means available to pay for her vet bills but if I didn't have that credit card, I would borrow from whoever I could to get her taken care of and that's the point people are trying to make here. There is always a way...even if it means pay day loans. If you've maxed out every back up resource available to get money...then you should NOT have a pet. Not a dog, cat, hamster, hedgehog or anything. They all deserve the same care and if you can't provide it then you are not a responsible pet owner. I don't think people need to have a padded savings account but you definitely need to have resources you can use if an emergency does come up.

It's the same with people getting exotics without having a single vet within 4 hours who can or will treat them. I wouldn't have a baby when I lived in an area where there wasn't a doctor or nurse for four hours...so why do that to your pet?

It's such a touchy debate and you see it allllllll the time.

 

[caiti]

I understand the reluctance to spend massive amounts of money, but it is so much easier when you have it then have to freak out in a waiting room arguing with a vet tech about how you are going to pay for this bill in front of you. Or worse, not going to the vet and freaking out at home wondering if you've just effectively killed your beloved pet.

Also, people can't know they will always have that money set aside. There are other emergencies that can happen that leave you depleted. I think the trick is to have back up plans. Have a credit card, know you may be able to get loans or just have friends or family that you know will help you in times of need etc. And if all those options run out, the pet needs to be rehomed, either temporarily or permanently.

There's a big difference between not wanting to spend the money and not having the money. If you're unwilling to spend your money or if you can't get it--you shouldn't own a pet that very well may cost more than what you're willing to spend on it.

 

[Brittany]

I see a lot of people saying "If you can't afford to take your pet to the vet, you should not have the pet" but what if when you got the animal you saved say $300 but there is an emergency and it cost $800, eventually you find a way to get the money, should that person not have the pet because they did not have $800? Do large breeders have $800 for each animal? What do you think?

This literally happened to me, I had a fund of $300 and between Lily's malo, Lady's diet (took months to diagnose), and an ER visit to get pain meds for Latte's toe, I've spent over $2000 in the last 7 months. Luckily I keep my credit card at a $0.00 balance, so it all went on there when my initial funds ran out. I was fortunate that I was able to sell a few old instruments, and paid almost all of it off instantly. Since then I've started putting away a little bit of money each month. It's in my budget, so I'm not going to stop when I reach any certain dollar amount. I'm just going to keep putting it away indefinitely.

I think the most important thing is to have a back up source of money, like a credit card or pet insurance, for when those types of situations occur. I've found the old saying, "when it rains, it pours" usually applies to chinchilla medical expenses.

 

[SarahKay]

I am a college student as well and I'll admit that I'm putting off totally spoiling my chinchillas until I have a full time job. I make my own fleece liners but I know I can give them everything they need and a bit more. If something happened, I would have to use my credit card (I keep a balance of $0) or maybe ask my parents and pay them back but even if I did have a vet bill of $1000, it would be covered without a problem. The way I see it, these chins have given me innumerable happiness and I will do whatever it takes to make sure they stay around as long as possible. I think of pets as part of the family (they're even listed as family on my facebok! ) and I think that every animal should be treated like a child.

 

[greychins]

I don't personally have tens of thousands saved up for vet care. I do have a few thousand put aside, but if my entire herd and all rescues came down with something, I wouldn't have enough saved up. That's what credit cards are for. I would gladly max out my credit cards to pay for chin (or any pet) care. I own the animals, I should be able to care for them, simple as that.

I don't think it's fair to ask people to have thousands on the side - not everyone can do that. A lot of people would do a lot more than buy a chin if they had an extra $2000 on the side. What I do think is reasonable is to ask people to "find" the money when they need it. Whether that means having $1000 in a special chinny account that they pull from, a relative that will borrow them thousands, or a credit card, I think that's fine. For me, as long as the people somehow have access to large amounts of money (like in my situation, thousands in a bank account just for chin care, and then credit cards once that runs out), then I'd say they adequately have the money to care for if the pet gets sick.

I think the problem, sometimes, doesn't revolve around not having the money... it revolves around not wanting to spend hundreds on vet care for a small animal. So many people think small animals are replaceable, and well, they say "it would only cost another $100 to get another chin, versus $800 in vet bills." I don't think that way, and many others don't either, but there are people out there like that...

 

[ticklechin]

There have been those who won't even take the chin to the vet for a regular visit when the chin is at deaths door, posting on the forum that Binky is dying and all the lovely symptoms that goes along with it, THOSE are the ones I think of when its NO VET=NO PET.

 

[Megan]

Do I have money set aside for vet visits? Not specifically for vet visits. However, as a breeder the chinchillas have their own bank account set up. Money from sales goes into that account. That account pays for feed, bedding, supplies, and new animals. It is also used if I need to use a vet. However, I also don't go to the vet unless its seriously needed and I cannot fix it at home. (Example, I'd take a broken limb to the vet...an animal involved in a fight I will treat at home). With the chins, I am always willing to dip into my own personal account (and have, I recently purchased them building out of my own account; not theirs) if needed..however i'll use up their account first for most items.

I also do not use my credit cards unless I can pay it off... so I have a credit card that has at any given time a 0.00 balance that I can use if needed.

You need to be able to pay for the expenses associated with your animal. However, everyone has a limit of what they are willing to spend. For some it may be $600, others $6000..but eventually everyone is going to say "enough is enough"- nothing is wrong with that provided you at least tried!

 

[ChilliPepper]

And sometimes you get a happy ending...
Someone we know had a cat. They ended up in fairly tight financial constraints and were already talking about rehoming the cat. Then the cat got injured. We went over to look at the cat and saw it really needed serious vet care. We had some antibiotics to get it started, but it was a very severe infection- vet said he got a mountain of pus out of the wound on an 8 pound cat. Anyway, we asked if she was willing to relinquish ownership of the cat and trust us to make a safe decision for the cat, that we would do what we could to make sure the cat didn't get put to sleep, but we had no guarantees. The plan was to ask the vet to do it free and find her a home if they could, and if not, if they would euthanize for free since the owners could not afford the care and the shelters would have charged them to surrender her and then done the same thing. Thankfully, we have an amazing vet, and we did end up finding her a new home- with our inlaws! She will be loved and spoiled and fat in no time! I am glad the original owners reached out to us, I know it was hard for them to let go, but if more people thought they could reach out for help, there would be less struggles to care for pets. I know we have self treated a few times and it turned out ok. We do have the instincts to know when we are in over our heads, but not everyone seems to have that ability.

 

[Whimsy]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell when a chin needs veteraniarian intervention. Thank God for forums like this where pet owners can get a bit of insight into a problem.

With that being said, when problems do arise, different levels of care will determine the total cost. In the event of a leg break, do you pin, or amputate. Some might even consider putting down an animal in a situation like that. Here we're talking about the difference in cost of over $1000 for pinning and follow up care, several hundred for an amputation, or less than $100 for putting the pet to sleep.

How far would you go to help your friend?
Something to consider.

 

[ticklechin]

If there is a chance of recovery or if there is no diagnosis I will not PTS, that is how far I will go.

 

[Siany]

I think vet bills should be thought about before you get any pet, with dogs and cats people always consider vet bills but smaller pets dont always get the same thoughts. I did not know a lot of the things that could happen to a chinchilla, but when Lola was given to me i started to look up information and started to realise the costs should something happen. I know i could not fork out a load of money for vets bills for my chinnies but i know that i would be able to work out a payment plan with the vets because it is important to me to have my animals healthy, both of my chinnies are registered with my vets just in case.

I think people should not get pets if you cant even consider the costs should something happen to them, and it annoys me when people complain about not being able to afford vet treatment when it should of been researched first, it also makes me mad when people dont even bother going to get their pets treated when they are poorly because money is more important than the health of their pets.