A recent USA Today piece covered the ongoing cost of maintaining a pet, the comment section did not reflect the topic.Nobody likes to talk about the business end of pet ownership, and it's ownership in every state I've lived in. Try telling your vet, you are the dogs " guardian" come payment time.
Before anybody tries to accuse me of not understanding the Vet's view, be aware that Baywatch Greta was my sounding board.. And she sees the problem from two very different angles. As a volunteer in a shelter out of her degree, she knows that adoptions are way down. ( Ever notice Mr. Winograd never mentions that he's working "out of his" ) And, as a retired Veterinarian she applauds the new treatments coming down the pike.. The ethical dilemma comes when the eagerness of the treating DVM exceeds the financial ability of the client.. My oldest daughter, who is a little chubby, used to routinely return my gifts, that wounded me. One day she came right out and stated " Dad, just because it comes in my size, doesn't mean I should wear it" I took that to heart in other areas of my life as well. Just because I can have something, doesn't mean it's the best choice.
The rising cost of medical care is keeping people from adopting, or purchasing, an animal. I'm not suggesting the cost is inflated, I'm saying there are many more life extending procedures available today, and frankly.
" when is when? Shelter medicine takes short cuts, they have to. Ever notice all the 3 legged dogs being released for adoption, that's because it's cheaper to amputate that repair. Heal time on a cruciate repair, which runs about $3,000 ( per Oreo ) is about 6 weeks of complete rest and then rehab in a swimming pool. Shelters can't do that, so they amputate, grab a pity poster and start fundraising.
I am not suggesting a pet be allowed to suffer, I am saying that there should be times when an animal is considered for euthanasia ( without a guilt trip ) when the treatment costs exceed the ability of the owner to pay. This old man is hearing stories about "financial vet abuse" on almost a daily basis through this blog.My personal experience was escorting a young friend to her veterinarian, and the woman got hit with a estimate of $4,000.00. Far out of her financial ability to pay, she was told "she had to have it done, the animal was in pain" She stated her financial problems and the Vet said they were sorry but it had to be done, no debate.
Palliative care or euthanasia should be a medical option once more, when did they get taken off the table?
We understand the Vet wants to do as much as they can; it's what they trained for, but more is not always better.. I may update with some figures later in the day.
For now, it's urgent to make the public aware that a large number of animals entering shelters are in need of veterinary care, and the owner cannot afford it. They see surrendering the animal so it can be treated as the right thing to do.
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3 comments:
What I see time and again is computer-chair zealots criticizing public shelters across the country for not treating all animal injuries and illnesses in the animals that come into those shelters. A public animal control department is no less cash-strapped than many owners, but they get the brunt of the criticism when they euthanize rather than opt to treat that dog with a broken back/leg/pelvis after the owner surrenders the dog due to inability to provide the needed care.
I have opted to amputate a dog's leg rather than have a board-certified surgeon try to repair the injury, and cost was the biggest factor in that decision. The dog healed well and has gone on to a life of being spoiled and pampered without even slowing down because of that missing leg, and she doesn't have to face a future with arthritis in the repaired limb.
You are right Suburbangirl. A three legged dog can have a good life, if everything else is okay. Does the animal have a home and protection ? Is there aftercare for the stump, I wish all troubles were so easy to fix. I was referencing the fact in my post that shelters had finite resources, and the non profits could amputate and ask for funding while the public shelter could not. A public shelter is criticized for doing what needs to be done, if you cannot trat the animal it needs to be put down. Some shelters are afraid to do that now.
I think YB might have read your post for inspiration. This shelter is stuck between volunteers who scream when an animal is put down, but there is no vet on staff here. There are no funds for a vet to be hired. Rescues love the sad stories and photo op pictures. I would like to believe that it is not just a money issue with the rescues, but it seems no situation is so dire that there isn't enough time to stop for pictures. Of course these pics are then used for fuel for the chip ins (or online pan handling). The crappy thing is, the animals are stuck in the middle suffering.
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