Pets and responsibilities
 

My cat Gordon was at the vet this morning for his booster and health check - weighing in at 7.2kgs, the vet declared him a 'big cat' and then felt him over for lumps and bumps and apart from his gut, didnt find anything fatty sticking out. He is 8 years old and it was decided today that he needs a dental within the next 6 months, a quote was given for dental, antibiotics, pain relief and some IV fluids to support his kidneys when he has an anaesthetic.

The cost came in at $580 - which will be claimed as periodontal disease so my insurance will pay up, I have to pay $200 excess, well I have to pay the whole lot but get some back from our insurance. We have time to save up for it and he will get it done.

Now ages ago - last year I do believe, I was talking to an Aussie colleague who said he would never dream in a million years in paying that for an animal, he would keep it and if things got too bad, give it the lethal injection and he is horrified that us 'soppy POMS' would even contemplate it.

In my opinion if you have an animal then you have a duty to look after it. Yes vet fees sure are expensive but I couldnt imagine having my pet destroyed because I didnt want to spend money on it. I know it must be hard if your pet is seriously ill and you dont have the money to pay, I remember when my whippet broke her leg and our vet let us pay in installments thank god.

We keep a credit card for emergencies and I guess if our cat/dog needed urgent treatment then we would use it and then claim back on insurance.

Would you pay out for your pet if it needed it? Vet fees are expensive which is why I am glad I have insurance but I couldnt imagine having Gordon put to sleep because I didnt believe in paying out for him. There is a big difference between 'Can't pay and won't pay', I am talking about the people that wont pay.

Anyway, best I start saving up for the ginger one to have his teeth done - I wonder if this will stop him chewing up my towels.:eek:

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I can't imagine anyone having their pet destroyed because of not being willing to spend money on the vet. From what I've seen at our vet and the small animal hospital plenty of people are happy to spend the money when required.

Our pup is only a few months old but we've already spent well over $1000 on vets bills for her and I know there is going to be at least another $1000 spent in a couple of months (we've decided to use a specialist recommended by the vet which put the cost up a bit). I don't regret this one little bit and always tick the box to resuscitate if necessary.

I know the people over the road bought a rabbit and she became ill and they spent around $800 on pet intensive care for her despite the rabbit costing near to nothing originally.

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We took on a 10 yr old mini fox terrier late last year, after his owner died. We discovered very quickly that he was having fits so off to the vets we went. He needed pills that were about $17 per month. I was astounded by how many people told me to just get rid of him!
He became very unwell a month ago & we paid out for what was needed. We were advised by the vet that we would need to make some hard decisions regarding his life based on quality of life, which we would have done once life was no longer enjoyable for him.
Sadly he died in his sleep two weeks ago & we never had to make that decision but I would never have had him put down because I couldn't be arsed to pay for his treatment.

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:( At least he died in his sleep and spent his last days in a loving home.

Yes it was suggested to me to destroy my kelpie because he has a problem with his right hip - it pops out sometimes, he is on some shark powder supplement in his food and later on will need regular expensive injections.

I do often wonder why people have pets and then when they need things like flea/worming/vet treatment - they wont pay out.

As a vet nurse I have seen families get rid of cats as the cat has fleas and they are worried about their kids. Never mind using their common sense to deflea/worm the animal, they just get rid.:frown:

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Hes probably chewing your towel in an attempt to floss.:rofl:

Vets, as well meaning and supposedly caring as they are are in business to make money. My neighbour has a little dog and everytime I speak to him hes telling me that the little mutt needs pills for this and creams for that. Im pretty skeptical as Im sure vets are well aware how attached people are to their pets and charge what they think the owners can stand to pay.

My neighbours dog was apparently eating dirt due to a B vitamin deficiency. :confused: Suppose its gonna need bifocals next too and liposuction. :rolleyes:

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:p

Gordon has always enjoyed a towel or two, he actually licks his lips when he sees them. Our towels are awful with threads hanging down. We keep them in a cupboard but if Gordon ever breaks into the bathroom which he sometimes does as he can open doors, he will have them.

He never used to eat wet towels but now the gloves are off, when wet towels are on the clothes airer, he is in there like a rat up a drainpipe.

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Love that name, Gordon for a cat. Classic. My brother used to have a Doberman called Chris and I had a budgie called Gary. People dont believe me but I asked my budgie what his name was after I bought him and he whispered 'Gary'. No shit.

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:lol:

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No pet insurance here... which is why I'm now $1700 out of pocket after vets treatment last week on my dog, Wilbur, after he got very sick. On top of a similar bill for the car the week before, it was a bit of a financial killer.... but not paying wasn't really considered. Having said that, if the cost had been even higher, then it would have been one of those difficult decisions about how much more we could afford to pay out before we had to stop treatment.

Pet insurance has now been arranged... which probably assures he won't get sick again.

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What happened with Wilbur?:(

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Human names are funny for animals, I love it.

At the cockatoo rescue place where I work at weekends, we have Denmark, Gunther, Cathy, John to name but a few.

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On the subject of pets, we're going to be bringing out our 3 cats, Derek, Clive and Alan and we are going to be taking out Pet Insurance, can anybody recomend any insurers (we used Pet Plan in the UK)?
Think Alan knows he's moving abroad, he's been practising catching more exciting stuff than mice (not that he ever caught a mouse he prefered leaves and newspapers) - thus far, in the past 4 weeks, we've had 3 squirrels and 2 slow worms - so dred to think ...! :)

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For my cat and dog I would pay anything but I did decide not to pay $400 for an investigation into why our guinea pig was very sick as with any treatment it may have cost a $1000 + However now I know I'm not prepared to pay I will never have another guinea pig!

p.s he died a day after seeing the local vet and I wouldn't have let him suffer.

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2 of my past dogs were Simon and Dave.

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Well the vet says it was pancreatitis. Wilbur was violently ill for several days and spent three days in 'hospital' on drips for fluids and anti-biotics. He's home now but still not right and probably won't be for another week or so. This is an old picture but it sums up how he looks and probably feels at the moment. :)

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I also have a cat called Wilson. It was the surname of the people who left him at the RSPCA but I thought it suited him.

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You'll be delighted and enraptured to hear my man-eating pitbull is called Lil.

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OMG they are the best names ever!!!

I was with PP over here and had huge problems with them, not taking premiums out and then taking them all on the same day several times over, the insurance ombudsman got involved and we actually had to visit the bank to block them from taking more.

They also took far to long in processing my puppies hip claim and then demanded a full history from the owner that surrendered him at just under 4 months old and wouldnt listen when I said confidentiality would be breached if the rescue place gave me previous owner info for a dog under 4 months.

Spoke to our vet today who agreed with my concerns on this company. Now I know people on here have used them with no problems but for me, them taking out a couple of hundred dollars more than once in one day, despite me being on the phone to them begging them to stop as they were taking money that was allocated elsewhere - couple that with the hassle I had for claiming with my puppy, no thanks - I wont give them another chance.

We are with Medibank we pay $31.95 for Gordon which covers him for $15,000vet fees.

This also allows an annual benefit for all of the following:

1. $30 – Vaccinations or Health Check (we shall claim this for todays booster shots)

2. $10 – Heartworm test or Blood screen

3. $10 – FeLv/Fiv test or urinalysis

4. $45 – Flea /Tick/Worm control

Plus

1. $70 annual benefit for ONE of the following: De-sexing
Micro-chipping

2. Heartworm preventative medication (we have had a 6 pack of heartworm stuff already which normally costs around $70)

3. Teeth cleaning (this is routine dentals)

4. Council registration fees (not applicable to us)

5. Alternative therapies

6. Prescription diets

7. Dewclaw removal

8. Cremation or burial

9. Behavioural therapy (by a qualified animal behavioural therapist or vet)

10. Dental illness treatment (dental trauma included under main benefits accident cover)

11. Obedience training (at a recognised training facility)

Now with PPlan, we paid $27.40 for $12,000 cover and that had no health extras included so for the sake of paying $5.00 extra which equates to an extra $60.00 a year, we get $100 worth of stuff which is purely vaccination and heartworm control plus we are insured for $15,000 which can make all the difference in certain injuries and illnesses.

Actually I think we pay a bit less than $31.95 as we are already Medibank Private members.

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aaawww poor Wilbur. I love Vizslas. Both Simon and Dave were vizslas but are now in the big field in the sky chasing bunny rabbits.

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That is such a painful condition to have :( With cats they can die quite suddenly with pancreatitis.

My whippet had that with frequent flare ups, she had to be on a low fat prescription diet and absolutely no treats whatsoever and we had to do her blood tests frequently to check her enzyme levels. I remember holding her tiny body during one particular bad episode while she was in her kennel at the vets, she was wriggling about and crying, they gave her an injection and some fluids if my memory serves me and she settled but it was awful to watch.

Hope Wilbur gets over it.:wub:

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Special dogs... and probably about to become flavour of the month after winning Crufts... which is a shame because, as you know, they need plenty of exercise and 'trendy' dogs don't always get the treatment they need.

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Thank you! Brilliant thanks for the info had looked at Medibank and thought they sounded good but would rather go on a recomendation.

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Nope they don't. Dave came from the same breeding line as Yogi. He was a wonderful dog and did very well when shown. Miss him lots.

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I have met many people here who love their dogs just as much as people in the Uk do, and plenty of people in the UK who didn't want to spend money on their pets health.

I know one person here who spent $5k on vets fees after his dog was attacked by a kangaroo!

Personally I don't have pet insurance, and never had. There has only been one thing in my dogs life that insurance would have covered anyway (she is 9) and that was when she was attacked by another dog. The dogs owner did however pay all the vet fees. I am in a position where I could afford to pay vets fees, so I think this is actually better for me.

My dogs name is Charlie by the way. :D

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A few years ago my dog jumped a gate and got her leg caught in it. It dislocated her hip and she was in agony.
We didn't have pet insurance at the time, having read an article that concluded it was generally a waste of money.
We rushed her straight to the vet and she had emergency surgery at the cost of approx £1000. It wouldn't even have occurred to me to have her put down, unless the vet had said there was no hope.
We put it on the credit card and paid it off. Best money we ever spent - 7 years later she is still with us and I love her to bits :wub:

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I can't understand why people have pets if they are not going to take care of them when they most need it. If somebody doesn't want to spend £X on a cat then that is fine, but don't get a cat.

I have always had pet insurance but thankfully have never had to use it. I will have to get some organised over here soon. I paid about £20 a month for two cats in the UK and barely noticed it so well worth the peace of mind.

I also have a bit of a bugbear about people who dump their animals when they emmigrate, because in many cases, I think that it is cost driven and nothing to do with the welfare of the animal. As if being rehomed is good for them. :(

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We're emigrating, hopefully, in September and wouldn't dream of leaving our 3 cats, they are 5 years old and healthy. I think that if they were elderly, then yes we would think about whether it was best for them not to come, but would never consider dumping them or having them put down. Our cats are a part of our family.

With regard to insurance Alan (our white cat), is one that seems to attract trouble, he's twice been bitten by foxes, first time more seriously than the second and also got flu whilst in a cattery which he past on to the other two, of course these all happened over weekends. We had insurance but other than the first incident didn't claim. We decided to cancel it in the UK and put money aside instead. However we have no idea what Alan will do in Oz and feel it best to arrange insurance cover at least for the first year.

Derek is above exerting herself too much and will most likely stay inside the vast majority of the time and is scared stupid of anything that moves or anybody she doesn't know. Clive, well, he's the sensitive type really, likes a bit of exploring but not too much and if Alan leads him on an adventure you'll find Clive cowering afterwards - it's all too much. Alan, is just Alan, a curry eating, boiled egg stealing, I'm so cute feed me salmon cat.
Attached is a couple of photo's taken today of a couple of things they dragged home .. lol. OK it's the kids but we thought it was funny. (The tabby is clive, the white one is Alan, the one in blue top is Kate and one grey shirt is Alex).

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We've ad pet pal (uk) as long as we've ad our dog. 8wks old...more than glad of it wen he was 8month old, wen he ad a GDV twisted gut, vet bills over £1000..i would ave paid it tho.......was told if we heard from the vets within 3hrs, it was bad news.

we got 4n call bout 2 1/2hrs later....but was good news, and by the following afternoon asked us to pick him up as he was getting strest at the vets, even tho we were told we wouldn't get him back 4 3days.

he is coming to Melbourne with us, i dont care how much he cost me.

then get insurence as soon as we get him there.

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or even pet plan!!!!

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As an Australian who appreciates our native wild life, it might be a good idea to leave your cats in the uk, or if you do bring them keep them inside.
A lot of Australians are not as " cat friendly" as most europeans, and shooting them is a national pastime ...............:thumbup:MM

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We used to have a cat named Sam and a dog named Ralph :)

And my sister had a cat named Camel :blink:

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Oh well, a towel or two that Gordon eats is a nice clean food at least.

One of our cats vomited up her beef yesterday.

I went outside to clean it up and found our food obsessed kitten had cleaned it up for me.

YUCK!

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We left our 3 cats behind when we came over as they were pretty elderly and the vet was of the opinion it would not have been a good idea to bring them, so we rehoused them with the neighbours whose houses they raided anyway and have been very happy.

We now have Mickey our little chiuhua / fox terrier cross and he would get what ever care was needed no matter what the cost. Rather find myself living in a wheely bin and him healthy.

This is my Micks

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We had a dog named Ralph.He was a gentle rottie and I still miss him like mad:(We have two female dogs and it is much more difficult to name them than males as we would have gone for names like Rodney or Dave.Sue.

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We have a Chinese Shar Pei called Dumpling :D. I've insursed her against both accident and illness for up to $15,000 with a $500 XS for each incident and it only cost us $180 for the year which I didn't think was to bad given the reputation Shar Pei's have.

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We have 2 dogs, a border collie x and a black lab/springer spaniel x. We paid nearly £5k to ship the pair of them over when we eimgrated 4 years ago. They were 8 and 9 years old at the time. There's now way we would have left them behind, we decided to get them, we decided to move, it was our responsibility to pay for them to join us and remain part of our family. Both dogs and always had pet insurance in the UK but when we arrived here we could not find anyone to take them on as a new policy because they were both too old.

A few months ago Meg the back lab was extremely ill with pancreatitis and we so nearly lost her. Thankfully my sister, who is a vet nurse, took her to work with her and she was treated. Due to my sister then be allowed access to iv fluids, bandages, needles, a cage etc, we were able to have Meg home and give her 24 hour care ourselves thus doing away with hospital costs. With my sister's staff discount it only cost around $450 to get her all well again. I can't thank my sister enough for the long hours she put in after work treating our girl.

Anyway, I also know of someone who found a lump on their dog who otherwise had no symptoms whatsoever. He was a happy 6 year old westie terrier, who was eating well, running around, showed no signs of pain or anything. The vet wanted to charge $120 for the lump to be tested so they decided "Rather than pay $120 to find out it's cancer and then have to pay for loads more treatment that we probably can't afford we're having him put down." :ohmy:

It could well have not been cancer! The poor dog was put to sleep imo, for no reason whatsoever. 2 months later I find out that they are looking at paying $350 for a puppy from the pet shop! :curse::curse:

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I love rotties. My folks had a rottweiler/german shepard cross named Themba (pronounced without the "h") - a Zulu word meaning trust, hope and faith. He really lived up to his name :thumbup:. My Ralph was a ridgeback, also an amazingly gentle dog.

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How do you find her in that basket:eek:Love the name and also her colour.Sue.

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One of my daughters friends in England had a ridgeback he was a gentle giant:)My Ralph had ingrowing eyelashes and we just though he had a bit of a sore eye when we took him to the vets we were told he would have been in a lot of pain.But you would not have known he was so good natured:)After his op my husband had to wrestle him to the ground twice a day to put eye drops in:eek:Sue.

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I have never heard of anyone that actually has done what PP started the thread about before. This is probably the first time I have heard a real story before and I feel absolutely sick by that. $120 OMG :(

They should not be getting another puppy.