In reply to Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) :
I can relate. Maya had both knees replaced and a ruptured anal gland. We spent $6k on her 10 years ago. She lived 6 years after her last surgery and I would have done it again.
Cheyenne was 10 when she suffered her twisted stomach issue. She had 2-3 years of life left and $9k of surgery that night or might not work wasn't worth it. She was in pain so we made that hard choice.
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:As to the lawsuits and such, I'm not that stressed over it and won't pursue it that far. It was an accident caused by a child that didn't know that actions have consequences. If she learns from this and it saves someone's life later I'll call it money well spent.
Also, this is my deceased uncle's family and at the end of the day, family is more important to me than money. The girl that was driving was a great-grandaughter and her parents don't have that kind of money. We will have a discussion about who should be driving that kind of equipment and where they should be driving it at the next family meeting.
I have spent more money on stupider stuff. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. At the end of the day, it's just money.
Might help to take the great-grandaughter along for the vet visits? Help drive home the damage/hurt she caused and the need to be careful?
I hope your pet has the best recovery possible.
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:It dawned on me, I have spent thousands of dollars on inanimate objects for moments of enjoyment. What is it worth to have 15 pounds of fur and meat jump up on my lap and give me a hug every day when I come home.
Apparently, it's worth more than $7000.
This is an area where we couldn't agree more.
I recall talking to an acquaintance who was saying he would never spend $xxxx on his dog because its ridiculous. I pointed out that his new SUV will depreciate that much this year. I asked him if driving a one-year newer car meant more to him than the life of his pet.
I have spent a lot of money on dumb things, my dog is not one of them. When I rescued my dog, I made a promise to myself that I will take care of my best friend to the best of my ability, and that may mean spending $newcar money to save his life one day. As a realist, I'm sure there is some value I can't stomach/ I don't know that value is, but I hope I never have to find out.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
They live in Atlanta and were only down for the weekend so that's not possible. I have spoken to her mother this evening and I am sure the child feels pretty awful as it is. As I said above, I hope she has learned a valuable lesson.
ProDarwin said:As a realist, I'm sure there is some value I can't stomach/ I don't know that value is, but I hope I never have to find out.
I actually surprised myself. If you had told me yesterday that I was going to write a check to pay an enormous amount of money for a dog's life I would have laughed at you. I knew that wouldn't happen. This is literally more than I have paid for the majority of the cars I own.
But even the cold hard facts show there is value and worth to a pet's life and wellbeing. While dogs are cheap, this dog, Maddie, is precious to me. More than I had originally considered. I still don't know what my limit is, but it's much higher than I thought it was.
While I wish I had never been put in this situation, I am thankful that I'm in a position that makes it possible to absorb the cost. 20 years ago it wouldn't have been an option.
In reply to Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) :
That's great news!
Throw up a go fund me if needed, I'm in for $50.
You made the right call.
My wife, when I explained about the dog that was in my prayer for dinner tonight, said to tell you “worth every penny, for a best friend.”
glad she is doing well
our prayers will be with you and yours.
Thanks for the support guys. It's appreciated.
Napoleon is missing his sister. He's patrolling the house looking for her and then laying in her bed wondering where she is.
Sorry to hear about your dingo - wishing her a speedy recovery. Also glad you weren't forced to give up on her based on inability to pay. Hoping for a happy ending to this story.
Really glad to hear she's going to be okay. And it sounds like you just got a new side by side.
I hope she gets well soon.
Appleseed said:Dogs are tougher than E36 M3. We humans often forget that. We should never test it, but it's there.
That they are. Last fall we had to take our beloved mutt to the animal hospital because of blood in her urine. Spent nearly a grand to find out that she had a massive tumor in her bladder. The vet couldn't believe that she wasn't showing any symptoms other than the blood (said she had to be in a ton of pain). It was too late to do chemo as they gave her 3 weeks to 3 months with or without chemo. She lasted about 2 months before we had to take her in to get put down. We couldn't bear to watch her suffer anymore.
Hoping for a quick recovery for Maggie!
Hi Toyman,
I would ask them to pay 50% of the medical bills...100% their fault yet you're not asking them to do any more to save Maggie than you are.
Honestly, your $100 valuation based on what the pound charged you for Maggie is completely irrelevant in my mind at this point ($100 = random pound dog hoping for a good owner...$7,000 = established minimum value of Maggie to you based on your actions).
If you don't think they can afford their half ($3,500)...take a shot at what you do think they can handle (say $1,000) and tell them the vet bill will be $2,000 and you expect them to pay half.
Dogs do surprise you. Ellie lived four years post cancer diagnosis and leg amputation. Dingo lasted nine months. Dylan is currently at 18 months. They all act as if nothing has changed. They don't look in the mirror. They have no vanity. They love unconditionally. Well, except Dylan. He tolerates us for food and shelter. He's a diva.
Glad to hear the good prognosis.
I'm an odd case. I grew up on a farm an we always had a flexible number of dogs and cats, somewhere between 3-5 because they died off at about an annual rate of 1-2 and we got about that many new ones each year. I learned that animals come and go, it hurts but it's a fact of life.
Combine that with the fact that my sister is a vet, my tolerance for exorbitant vet bills is much lower than average.
Man, that's horrible, but the update from the vet sounds encouraging. Hoping your pooch gets well soon!
I'd pretty much do anything for my dogs. They are family.
In reply to Steve_Jones :
Thanks for the offer.
Several family members and some close friends have also stepped up to offer help but I think we have this covered.
Just a thought about your cousin's responsibility. Is there homeowners insurance? This might be covered.
Glad you got to save your friend. I went through a similar experience with my cat a couple years ago. Unfortunately they couldn't save him, but I'm glad I gave them a chance to try (some kind of kitty autoimmune/cancer). The bill almost exactly negated my annual bonus, which altogether made for one sad Christmas Eve.
It speaks to your character not pursuing your family members and acknowledging a child's innocent mistakes. I wouldn't have pushed the issue either. I would have felt awful if I did something like that as a kid.
The Wife talked to the vet a little bit ago. Things are looking up. Maddie is groggy but has been able to get up and walk around a little. She may still come home this afternoon but it will probably be tomorrow.
Glad your puppers is going to be okay.
I need to go give mine a hug.
Within the first year of getting him, we spent a couple thousand just to save his eye. (Although, what the vets initially diagnosed as a corneal ulcer, turned out to just be an eyelash growing the wrong way.) Would do it again.
Pets are family. My ex was forced to eat a bit of crow after commenting under her breath about how some of our friends would spend insane amounts of money on their dogs, "I would never do that..." then her cat got a urinary tract infection and the result was a $4000 vet bill. She paid it. And never commented about other's pet expenditures again.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
I have said the same thing in the past. You can bet I'll be keeping my mouth shut in the future.
As I see it you made the right call and I am happy to hear she is recovering.
I've got way more in this pound dog than I would have imagined spending. Broken leg, two stomach surgeries, torn ACL which had to be undone. Non were quite as pricey as $7k at once but cumulatively it's been well beyond that. I just don't have the heart to put him down when there's something I can do and he's got a good quality of life otherwise.
The other one developed nose cancer. Given the option of bi weekly treatments to extend her life another 4-6 months just didn't make sense. It still hurt to lose her but there wasn't regret about about the decision.
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