Some Have No Financial Limits When Caring For A Pet's Health

Many people would go to any financial lengths to care for the health of beloved family members. And for some, pets are included, too.

The Early Show reports on the findings of a recent survey that shows 70 percent of people who own pets are willing to pay anything for their pet's health.

In addition, a recent American Pet Products Association survey shows that we've spent $50 billion on pets this year alone, and that spending on pets has gone up over the last 10 years, Colorado's 9 News reported.

9 News reported on some other surprising (or maybe not that surprising, given our love for Fido!) stats when it comes to paying for a pet's health:

According to a recent survey by Kroger Co., 61 percent of pet owners say they'd spend between $100 and $1,000 for life saving medical treatment. Another 15 percent would be willing to pay between $1,000 and $3,000 for treatment. Ten percent of owners said they would be willing to pay $3,000 or more for medical care if their pet required it. Fourteen percent of those surveyed were unsure how much they would be willing to pay.

Dogs typically cost their owners about $8,000 over their lifetimes, while cats cost their owners about $10,000, MSN reported -- the additional expenses from cat-ownership likely have to do with their longer lifespans.

Earlier this month, Veterinary Practice News told the story of Christine Gowen, who shelled out $10,000 in medical bills for her pet labrador retriever.

And while some humans will do anything to help pets' health, let's not forget that pets can help humans' health, too. Check out HuffPost blogger Joan Liebmann-Smith's compilation of the health benefits of having a pet.

Comments

[Barbara0817]

03:38 AM on 12/23/2011

I dont mind spending any amount on My dog One of My dogs had heart worms it cost Us a thousand dollsrs, He lived about another four years well worth the money. He was a goo dog and We still miss Him. I adopted a dog and He came with 30 days of pet insurance call YOur local shelter They know where to get pet insurance I think its abuttwenty dollars a month

[mwmwmw]

03:29 PM on 11/17/2011

What are some recommended/reputable pet insurance companies?

[thegrrrr8est]

08:46 PM on 11/16/2011

Love is love. I'd pay whatever it takes.

[aka62792]

04:18 PM on 11/11/2011

I have spent $15,000.00 on Doxie back surgeries and I never hesitated for a moment.

[WMM1532]

10:56 AM on 11/09/2011

This article is extremely disappointing, and quite frankly, stupid. The important question should not be "how much will some people pay to keep their pets healthy and alive" but "how much does the average pet owner HAVE to pay to keep their pets in good shape." The costs of vet visits and pet medication is astronomical, and most people, especially in this economy, simply cannot afford it. The solution is not finding "good" pet insurance, but pressuring vets and the AMVA to keep medical costs affordable.

Last year, a close friend's dog went into a seizure. The dog was about 12 years old, had a history of various illnesses. When the dog went into a seizure, she brought it to an animal hospital and explained the pet's health history to the vets. The hospital said they could stabilize the dog, and charged her $2000 to do so. They released the dog the next day and while my friend was driving home with the dog, it died in the car. The hospital did not refund any of her money, and instead extorted thousands of dollars to save a dog that, at that point, any idiot would have known was not going to make it. What that hospital did is not uncommon; I have family members who work for vets and at animal hospitals and they've seen the same thing happen. The fact is that pet care costs will only get more expensive and more corrupted unless pet owners push back.

[tz1030]

03:24 PM on 11/09/2011

I'm an account for a vet. Over the past 3-4 years their revenue has remained the same, but unlike 4 years ago, paying bills is a challenge. Costs of medical supplies has sky-rocketed, business insurance continues to climb (despite never having made any claim or changing coverage), the State of Florida has tripled their Unemployment Tax rate. Plus, many more people are bouncing checks or just not bothering to pay at all. What do you want them to do, run their practice on a $30,000 year salary or lay off some of their vet techs? I agree the hospital who treated your freind's pet should not have even tried, but was your friend willing to accept a death sentence without the vet even trying? So many times the clients, despite the Vet's advice, want to do anything at any cost to save their pet. You can't blame the vet for that.

[WMM1532]

03:53 PM on 11/09/2011

Actually I can blame many vets for this. I used to use someone who drove a Porsche to work, often with golf clubs in the backseat. Before him was a woman who spent more time taking appointments with medical sales reps, the same reps who are apparently bankrupting the vets. But just as it is with human medicine, many animal doctors receive perks, financial and otherwise, from pharma companies. There is nothing stopping vets from forming organizations, committees, etc to address the issue of skyrocketing medical costs, especially if they believe that the problem lies outside of their offices.

On the vet techs: I have a sibling and a cousin who are vet techs in the greater New York area; they've told me that they spend more time with the patients than the vets do. Often, the vets don't make an appearance in examining room, and yet the patients' bills haven't been adjusted to account for their absence. I think my relatives' experiences in the actual office count for a bit more than yours with the books.

And please, my friend asked if it was over for her dog. The vet (tech) said no. What was she going to do, challenge him and say "just kill it now and get it over with."

[FrenchKissed]

11:04 AM on 11/10/2011

I have a fantastic vet who I think is affordable. Veterinary fees vary considerably, and it's up to you to shop around and find a vet you like and can afford. I'd call around and ask for an estimate for having your pet's teeth cleaned. My vet charges $350 for a teeth cleaning, and I've paid up to $400 including an extraction. I had another vet who charged $450 for a teeth cleaning and extraction and I once got an estimate for $750 for a cleaning and extraction with another vet we saw but decided not to use. My mom paid her vet $1200 for a cleaning with two extractions for one of her cats.

Check out reviews on yelp, and be sure to really discuss things with your vet. Don't just be satisfied with them saying they can stabilize your animal, ask them what they consider your pet's prognosis to be. I have found that vets (like doctors) are usually conservative and will underestimate the time your pet has left.

I'm one of those people who will spend a ton of money on my pet's medical care. If my dog is sick, after finding out what's wrong at my vet's office I'll go see specialists. My last dog I adopted was old when I got her, and I spent over $12,000 on her in the year and a half I had her. This was not because my vet pushed me to do anything, but because I wanted to.

[Violette Noire]

09:40 AM on 11/09/2011

PLEASE HELP US!

SO MANY HEALTHY DOGS AND CATS ARE BEING KILLED EVERYDAY :(

ADOPTERS / FOSTERS DESPERATELY NEEDED!!!

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

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http://www.facebook.com/PetsOnDeathRow

Urgent Death Row Dogs:
www.urgentdeathrowdogs.org

Urgent PART2 on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Urgentdeathrowdogs

Email us at admin(AT)urgentdeathrowdogs.org

[tj123123]

07:24 AM on 11/09/2011

Im looking to find a GOOD pet insurance, that actually pays out. Anyone care to share their experiences.

I have had VPI, and their pay outs stink.

[Cyndie395]

11:00 PM on 11/08/2011

There wasn't much information in this article. Seems like more of a ploy to get people to buy pet insurance? Insurance companies are more than happy to take your money, but read the fine print. Watch vet bills rise as more people start buying insurance. That is what is wrong with human health care today. The insurance companies and the lawyers are making out like a bandit. The insurance companies hire people to figure out ways to "save," their money, not the insured. They have people on salary to look for ways to disalow payment ..... wrong code, no precertification, deductibles, "allowed" expenses, etc. It is sickening that it is going to happen in animal care too. My pets mean the world to me, and yes, I'll see that they get the care they need. It's scary to think that it could be that expensive! Insurance might help, but they are out for profit, not to help the pets/people they insure, so even the ones that buy it will probably have to pay out of pocket anyway.

[tj123123]

07:25 AM on 11/09/2011

You are so right.

[Tiffany Roe]

10:50 PM on 11/08/2011

I paid almost $1000 to save my dogs life. He was 2 1/2 years old, intestinal blockage from a toy. The vet fixed him and took nothing but my love for him to go through with the surgery without my money up front, and I paid them in cash and paid it off in exactly one year. The office staff is awesome, they are angels!

[tj123123]

07:28 AM on 11/09/2011

Your lucky, most Vets want 50% of the estimated bill before they do a thing.

After paying my Vet over $40,000 in a 17 year period. They still look for that 50% from me. Its all about money.

[averagezoe]

10:48 PM on 11/08/2011

If I only had 4 or 5 pets, I would spare no expense for treatment of a life-threa­tening illness. But since I am involved in rescue and have many cats and dogs, I have them euthanized when they are diagnosed with a potentiall­y fatal illness. It may sound harsh, but I do everything to give them a good life while they are living with me whether they ultimately get adopted or stay with me for life. As it is, I spend over $25,000 a year out of my own pocket - that's mostly to get each and every animal I rescue spayed or neutered, tested, vaccinated and treated for any illnesses or injuries. Then there is the cost of food - I feed Science Diet to both dogs and cats because premium food cuts down on health problems in the long run - I spend $180 a week on cat litter - then there are the annual vaccinatio­ns for everyone and monthly flea nd heartworm prevention­. Having any of them euthanized when they get so sick that their life is endangered is always heartbreak­ing, but under the circumstan­ces, it's the best I can do. I envy anyone who only has a small number of pets and can get the very best vet care until the end.

[policy5]

11:28 PM on 11/08/2011

that's wonderful that you do so much for dogs & cats!

[tj123123]

07:30 AM on 11/09/2011

You need to try to get all of the vets in your area to volunteer some time to you, write the dog food companies also. See the manager of major pet stores, see if they can help, or write their home office.

[realwoman8]

09:49 PM on 11/08/2011

I have and have had a lot of pets (dogs, cats, etc.), and I have also paid a lot into their healthcare, but I think at some point the line has to be drawn between doing what's reasonable for the animal and going overboard to assuage owner guilt and the desire not to lose the pet. There is no reason to feel guilty about drawing the line if the kind of treatment recommended by your vet will deplete your resources. It is okay to say good-bye. It is okay to have a limit. It is okay to know you've done all you can within reason to help your pet, and then acknowledge when enough is enough. I've seen too many elderly, ill pets forced to keep going and going because their owners can't bear to part with them, and I've seen families brought to the brink of financial ruin to chase a medical miracle for a beloved dog that suffers through painful treatments and endless vet visits. I think people who say they have no limit when it comes to what they'll pay for their pets like to think they're martyrs, but are they doing it for the pet or for themselves?

[Miz Fit]

09:06 PM on 11/08/2011

I've paid thousands for my pets and will continue to do so up to the point where I'm doing it for me and not them.

[integr8er]

08:36 PM on 11/08/2011

Ok, here is how you figure out what to pay. take the cost to replace the animal, then take a hump shaped ratio profile of the useful life of the animal. so look at it like this. If the animal will live ten years, and the first two are not so usefull what with potty training and chewing on stuff etc, and the last two years they would be too old to use much, then the middle six years are the expensive ones. so year one you would pay like 50%, the next 60% then 70%, then 80% then 90% then 80% then 70% etc. etc. You may make some adjustments based on invested effort like training or something.

[tj123123]

06:39 AM on 11/09/2011

Are you talking about a car, or a family pet?

[integr8er]

09:13 AM on 11/09/2011

Either, they are both assets you buy sell or trade.

[Rubberfish]

08:33 PM on 11/08/2011

70% would pay anything to save a pet? That headline is misleading; only 10% of people surveyed say that they would spend more than $3000 on medical costs for their pets. How about some reporting accuracy?

[aurorarob]

08:27 PM on 11/08/2011

I have had several dogs over my lifetime and have invested thousands of dollars on them. I feel that I chose to own a pet and have the responsibility to care for them when their sick. I don't have children and my dogs are replacements for not having children. Would anyone allow their child to do without proper medical care?

My current dog required several knee replacements. It cost a whopping $12000.00 dollars by the conclusions of all three. So yes, I'd have to say that I love my dogs at any cost!!

[integr8er]

08:38 PM on 11/08/2011

Yes, and they should do the same for themselves if they don't wish to see the country destroyed. You can not just spend with no limit on anyone or anything, there ARE limits and you must consider what the return on the investment will be. If you have the money and want to spend it by all means, but you can not expect anyone else to pay for it. This means for people or animals.

[metalsmithgirl71]

07:08 AM on 11/09/2011

return on an investment?? what are you talking about?

[rp2par]

09:04 PM on 11/08/2011

Wow! I thought I had it bad. My Himalayan needs his teeth cleaned and it's going to cost between 400 and 500 dollars. He had to have a tooth removed last year $$$.....and I thought dentists for humans charged a lot.