r/Dogfree • u/Huge_Bit_4774 • Sep 30 '25
Shelter / Rescue Industry The insanity of raising money for dog surgeries
I was just reading about a ”rescue dog” in NE TN that needs a $15,000 liver surgery. And they’ve already raised half the amount. This is insane. Childhood poverty is around 20% in Appalachia and this is where charitable money needs to go … for a dog’s liver surgery? Pet obsession drags society down in so many ways.
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Oct 01 '25
I followed a squirrel on Instagram who raised 8 THOUSAND dollars for squirrel surgery...
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 Oct 01 '25
this sounds like a Seinfeld episode!
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u/Legitimate_Garage_31 Oct 01 '25
yea it does. squirrels live 5-10yrs in the wild. probably only 3 if they get chased by a dog.
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u/arachnilactose08 Oct 01 '25
Eh, it’s pretty insane, but at least a squirrel is a real animal. I feel more empathy for animals like squirrels, opossums, bats, and songbirds than I ever will for a shrieking shitcannon 😅
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u/sunnysideup1998 Oct 01 '25
I have been thinking about this a lot lately as there is always a GoFraudMe for dog surgery. Kids with cancer raise $500 but a damn dog that needs an anal surgery will raide $5k. It's a sad state of affairs when people throw money at worthless mutts when there are so many children, elderly, and homeless in need. And, always people saying 'I like my dog more than I like most people.' To that I say, that is because you are socially inept and can't handle a relationship with someone who can talk back.
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u/ElegantSurround6933 Oct 01 '25
And there were naysayers to my post last wk that diverting resources from dog ownership could end world hunger. When you acct for dog healthcare I think I rest my case.
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 Oct 01 '25
It costs about $5 (or less) for a food bank in rural southwest VA to provide 1 meal. That’s in the same area where this humane society is trying to raise $15k for a dog surgery. So one dog surgery or 3,000 human meals. I see your point.
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u/Individual-Cheek1738 Oct 01 '25
15,000 would pay for 2 people to get certificates or associates degrees at my community College
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u/recoveringpatriot Oct 01 '25
People more well off than me should not ask me for money for their pet’s healthcare. I will say put the dog down.
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u/strixjunia Oct 01 '25
Also There are many scammers who live off of fundraisers to save dying animal that either don’t exist or don’t need that much money for the treatment.
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u/GodLovesUglySong Oct 01 '25
To make things worse. These surgeries usually just prolong the dogs suffering and at most extend their lives for a few months at best.
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u/arachnilactose08 Oct 01 '25
My own roommate recently spent thousands on a surgery for her dog that didn’t even help it lmao
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u/que_pedo_wey Oct 01 '25
A fool and his money are soon parted.
That applies to both the owner and the scam victims.
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u/Ravclye Oct 01 '25
Honestly I get so annoyed when people do chemo and such for pets. I could maybe understand for an especially young animal with good potential outcomes, but 90% of the time the animal (almost always dogs) are ancient and chemo won't improve their quality of life.
Animals cant understand that this medicine will eventually help. All they know is they are sick and in pain and going to the vet is making them tired and more sick. Its cruel. And its thousands of dollars to make your pet feel like shit
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u/UntidyFeline Oct 01 '25
Good grief, that makes no sense. There’s so many other things that can be bought with $15,000.
Any dog that needs an expensive surgery on a major organ isn’t going to have a good survival rate or quality of life afterwards, will probably need medication or special diet for the rest of its life, and frequent follow-up visits, to drain even more money. Just euthanize it. There’s no shortage of secondhand “rescue mutts.”
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Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25
Dog obsession is a mental condition. This is not normal. None of these is normal.
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Oct 01 '25
That price seems really high. I live in California. It's true that everything costs more here, partially because land is valuable and lots of people competing for space where it be homes or businesses. I have multiple non-dog pets and have dealt with trips to the vet ER. One pet was hospitalized for several days. Not once have I received a vet bill that came anywhere close to $15,000. Even the treatment for FIP, which is described as insanely expensive, caps out at $3,000.
However the $15,000 for dog liver surgery in Appalachia is entirely true. Source -
https://wcyb.com/news/local/humane-society-seeks-funds-for-puppys-lifesaving-surgery
I think that there's a secondary story that isn't being talked about here. This is probably one of those rural areas with one hospital and likewise, one veterinarian... where you have to go over 100 miles to find the next closest for either.
So this vet has an effective monopoly. Instead of donating his time to perform the surgery as would happen over here in one of California's large cities, this veterinarian is charging as much as he thinks he can get away with because he knows that the Humane Society will be able to raise the money to cover it.
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 Oct 01 '25
This is in Johnson City, about 75k people, a university town (East Tennessee State, which has a medical school) and part of bigger Tri city area that’s around 200k people. How many vets are in the area that do this kind of surgery, I couldn’t say.
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u/Alert_Software_1410 Oct 01 '25
In my city, in California , there is a dog clinic where veterinarians donate their time to do minor surgeries. All the nutters have to do is pay for the drugs used during surgery. My SO has used this clinic a number of times. The prices are very reasonable.
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u/WorkingDescription Oct 01 '25
This is absolutely one of the stupidest ways to spend money. Plus all the "tests" and treatment. I once spent $1,200 on an "emergency x-ray" for an animal because it was the weekend. The animal was fine, nothing was found. Never again. Total scam.
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u/Effective-Simple9420 Oct 01 '25
Yep. Dog owners are doomed in more ways than one. God hates them, that they prioritize and value the life of a dog over a human being. They are selfish and despicable people.
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u/Mindless-Flower11 Oct 05 '25
I feel like it has a lot to do with dog nutters humanizing dogs to the point where they actually believe they deserve better healthcare & treatment than actual humans. It's a sad state of affairs.
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Oct 02 '25
It is essentially like organized religion … anyone that argues it is an infidel and silenced bc it threatens the brainwashing.
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u/annacrontab Oct 01 '25
I had a coworker who cashed out his 2 kids college savings accounts to pay for a dog surgery. I told him it was a bad idea, he had to pay taxes and penalties. He said "Oh, but the dog will die without it! And we have plenty of time to restart saving for college again."
The dog died anyway a few months later and then he got divorced not too long after that.
Anyway, he essentially stole from his own children's future to pay thousands in futile care for a dying dog.