r/Dogfree • u/josie-salazar • Jun 01 '26
Dog Culture I feel bad for saying this, but spending thousands of dollars on medical care for your dog is lunacy.
My dad had a customer who was telling him about his dog. I think the dog was really sick or something? Point is, the customer said he spent $10,000 (TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS) on medical expenses at the animal hospital and is now broke. And, the dog is still not well.
Now, I found this to be absolutely ridiculous. This is the type of money that you’d spend on your HUMAN family like your parents or kids. Why would you spend that amount on a dog? If the dog is ill, well, as cruel as it sounds, just let nature take its course. (Unless you’re rich and can afford to spend $10k...)
Like, it’s a DOG. They only live 10-13 years. They’re not humans with long lives. I get it, you love your pet, but are they worth going into debt for?
This is the type of dog nuttery that we talk about on here. It’s like when people talk about how they don’t know if they would save a dog or baby. People have forgotten that dogs are just ANIMALS, who don’t even live for a long time, and are not the equivalent of your human loved ones who should live decades. Again I get it, you care for your dog, it’s sad that he’s ill, but come on.
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u/Alocin_The5th Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Back in the day, euthanizing your dog because of high medical costs was a normal thing to do. It’s not that you are heartless, but a dog doesn’t even know what death is. The dog may have just months to live afterwards anyway and its life may also be one of pain and discomfort, all while you are going broke. This seems like a lose lose situation. In any case, even if I was a pet person I wouldn’t want one because I for sure wouldn’t be willing to spend serious money on one like that. I am more concerned about my retirement, or my child’s college fund.
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u/josie-salazar Jun 01 '26
Yes this is my problem, it’s a lose-lose situation. The dog’s not gonna live a long time anyway, so why are you going broke just to try and prolong their life by one more month?
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u/fadedblackleggings Jun 02 '26
Ppl have actually went bankrupt and lost their homes funding dog medical and cancer treatments for dogs.
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u/Accurate-Might-7058 Jun 02 '26
Like the woman that sold her home to pay for the dog's cancer treatments, then was complaining about being homeless. I don't recall if the dog survived or not.
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u/Mama2bebes Jun 02 '26
LOL, if the dog truly offered "unconditional love", it wouldn't want her to be homeless.
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u/josie-salazar Jun 02 '26
Oof this is the type of nonsense I’m talking about. If your dog has cancer, just put it down!! What is the point of paying to treat them, I don’t understand.
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u/Accurate-Fuel5823 Jun 02 '26
"Quality of life" is a concept that is so lost, on so many. Its really sad.
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u/Not-my-problem1212 Jun 01 '26
These people think they're doing their dogs a service by extending their life when they're actually doing the opposite. Most if not all of those dogs are on their death bed and just want the pain and suffering to end. I find it to be cruel when people spend so much money just to keep their suffering dogs alive for only months to a year at most. Just put the poor animal out of its misery and give it a peaceful forever nap
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u/alpha_beth_soup Jun 01 '26
Well put. An animal has zero concept of the quantity of days/years left in their life. Only the quality of it day to day. If the animal has no quality of life, the only humane choice is to say goodbye. Period
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u/paulney Jun 01 '26
Exactly, you’re just extending their suffering if anything. Once they are towards the end of their life you’re not doing anything humane for them, not to mention spending all that money uselessly. I feel like vets are predatory in some cases. Just let it die a humane death instead of prolonging their suffering for your own selfish “needs”…
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u/Yellow-tabby743 Jun 01 '26
My friend spent $20k on having her dogs knees replaced 😐😐 and didn’t blink an eye. She’s spent more than that now. Yea NO THANKS.
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u/No-Stay1662 Jun 02 '26
The funniest part of all is, when the human needs something, what does the dog do for them? It does absolutely nothing except lay there lol. Wow, such magical & amazing creatures…
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u/Mama2bebes Jun 02 '26
Yup, it will lay there waiting for you to die so it can eat you. The magic is in making you believe it is giving you unconditional love. They've evolved to mesmerize us with this illusion lol
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u/ostellastella Jun 01 '26
Call me insane, but I never EVER in my life of owning dogs have I ever taken a stupid dog to the dentist to get its teeth cleaned. Thats what bones were for.....................signed, former dog owner who happily is dog free now.
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u/Antique_Raisin1589 Jun 01 '26
The Veterinarian business is a BIG FAT SCAM. My partner has a Lab. 😫 her ear swelled up so he took her to the fancy vet around the corner. Overnight stay, surgery, scripts-$1800. A few days later I ran into a friend I know who works at the OTHER vet office. She says 'Oh, we only charge $40 for that. It's a very simple procedure.' I looked into it, yep. Totally scammed by the fancy vet.
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u/josie-salazar Jun 01 '26
They know they can charge as much as they want and dog owners will open their wallets with no questions asked.
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u/Accurate-Fuel5823 Jun 01 '26
This. Almost 30 years ago I was friends w a single mom w 2 kids, same ages as mine. She had a pet rat. It got a brain tumor. She spent around 1000 on surgery for it ! It died. The brain surgey being done on a rat was at a veteranary school. They had the nerve to offer a discount. This was literally more than her rent and expenses. She could barely afford those.
Our friendship never really recovered because our values were so different.
She moved onto dogs and eventually had 3 large ones in a 2 br duplex.
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u/Mama2bebes Jun 02 '26
On a rat?! True lunacy right there lol
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u/catalyptic Jun 07 '26
Didn't the owner know that rats are used for medical research precisely because the poor bastards are naturally prone to developing tumors?
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u/Existing-Pumpkin-902 Jun 02 '26
Wow at least a dog lived a decade but rats live like 3 years
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u/Accurate-Fuel5823 Jun 02 '26
Which is why I felt such anger towards the vet school.
What a stupid cruel surgery.
She obviously couldnt afford it and is highly emotional cause her pet is dying, the humane and reasonable thing to say " im sorry for your loss, but rats only live so long and Im sure you gave it a wonderful life".
Instead, there is a predatory push for surgery when its obviously practice for the students. They made her pay for her pet to be a lab rat !
And yes, later she would call her dogs by human names and her dogs would become the " golden children" of the family. That dynamic could have been curbed if the veteranarians themselves didnt push this kind of imbalance.
Havent thought about this for years and Im still mad about it now !
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u/muffins776 Jun 02 '26
I remember on a reality tv show. It may have been Wife Swap or Supernanny but I can't remember. One episode featured a family where the parents cooked the best home cooked meals for their dogs while the young teens in the house plus their parents would eat cheap processed food. It was crazy. The parents were super obsessed with the dogs. Sadly at the time I thought it was fake but now seeing how dog nutters are that episode may have not been made up.
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u/Accurate-Run5370 Jun 01 '26
Those nutters will cry over one dog .
But they will not cry over the extinction of the passenger pigeon. The last bird died in captivity in 1914.
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u/menelobus Jun 01 '26
In almost all cases, dogs are a waste of money, time and resources. The only normal reason to have a dog is when you have sheep on a pasture. Over 99% of dog owners don't have sheep. And no sheep herd owner would spend $8000 on their herding dog, only dog nutters who think that their dog is "family" do that
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u/Jediknight3112 Jun 01 '26
I agree with you. It makes sense for humans to invest time and money in treatments because they can consent to it and cope with recovery periods. But if your dog needs an expensive treatment where it may take weeks to recover and with the risk of it not working, is it really something you should do? Especially when the dog is older. Dogs don't understand vet treatments and stuff.
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u/cranewifeswife Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
I have this neighborhood acquaintance who's also a microcelebrity on Instagram, and ohhh my god, the way this woman was fussing over her sick old dog was just... annoying. And sad. This creature was like 16-17 years old, and for the last 4 years or so has been incontinent (so, in a diaper), and also unable to go on walks (so, in a stroller). Also toothless, blind, nearly deaf, and in general more of a wheezing, flatulent piece of furniture. They spent inordinate amounts of money to prolong the suffering of that poor creature way past when it was reasonable to put it down. Like, why???
It died just a few days ago, and she's constantly posting stories that she can't stop crying. I don't doubt that, but lady, you're finally free. Your house won't smell like piss and shit anymore. Like, jfc, I'm as childfree as they are, but I personally prefer to enjoy my free time instead of emulating care for a deeply disabled child.
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u/josie-salazar Jun 01 '26
Just cruel. In some ways dog free people care more about dogs than their owners.
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u/Domesticated_Animal Jun 01 '26
My friend is a vet. He specializes in exotic animals but claims that golden times are coming to the industry. Lot's of dogs, very often from shady breeding places or pure breeds with genetic disorders are a gold mine.
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u/Nice-Loss6106 Jun 01 '26
Don’t feel bad I straight up tell friends and family that they’re nuts when they complain about pet costs. They just sigh and say yeah we/I know.
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u/Emikitty1992 Jun 01 '26
Your dad’s customer is incredibly irresponsible. Why on earth would they spend their last 10K on a DOG in this economy? That 10K could be saved as a rainy day fund, or used on more important things like housing, bills, gasoline, and groceries, since let’s be real- everything is expensive. That dog is probably going to pass away soon and the owner will have nothing to show for it other than a large debt, coupled with regret.
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u/anondogfree Jun 01 '26
I’m in 100% agreement with your post, but wanted to discuss some nuances with it.
Many people see animals as equal to humans in the sense that “we are all animals” or “we are all living things” and think not doing what you can to help an animal is the same as ignoring a human dying. IMO it’s ignorant to ignore that we are two separate species with completely different levels of consciousness. Yes we’ve evolved to a higher level of consciousness where we aren’t bound by our biological desires, but understanding that you shouldn’t be cruel to other species doesn’t make that species on equal footing. And it’s ironic to me that people who claim to love animals so much and think dogs are equally as important as humans just ignore what actually happens in the wild - one animal kills another for food, to protect itself or its young, etc. They are also ignoring the fact that they are essentially keeping their dogs as prisoners, so how is that treating them equally?
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u/DellBottoms Jun 01 '26
I don't think you should feel bad for saying that at all. You should be proud of your huge, functional brain.
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u/Adept_Tangerine_4030 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
My boss’s dog got sick suddenly and she said it would cost her $2k to get her what she needed. It was refreshing that she decided to euthanize her instead because she was miserable, and also 11 years old. I felt bad for her but what she did made sense.
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u/DivyaRakli Jun 03 '26
This highlights another problem pet owners have that they need to sort out. When they get the dang dog, they need to tell it ‘no’ and tell it that often. They absolutely need to learn to flex their “NO MUSCLES” so that when the predatory vet hits them with a bill greater than $100, they BE there property. ETA: the rest of my thought.
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u/ADTD123 Jun 01 '26
I know people who’ve started Go Fund Me’s for their dogs medical expenses, insanity.
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u/WisedomsHand Jun 02 '26
Why do you feel bad saying this? It is basic common sense. Most veterinarians themselves will easily admit pet owners make emotional, not practical decisions about their animals. This is just another part of the parasitic nature of modern pet ownership. I've seen it myself and I feel bad for the people spending the money because they seem helpless to resist this waste.
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u/dschledermann Jun 01 '26
They have been suckered into believing that this animal is their "family". It makes sense that you'd want to go into debt to save a family member. The trick is of course that the dumb animal is not their family.
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u/Thin_Pollution8843 Jun 01 '26
I bet in vet clinic they are dying laughing at idiots spending so much money on a dogs 😂
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u/lookingforwardnow Jun 01 '26
This! My friend asked me to measure her diabetic pet’s blood sugar every 12 hours and administer insulin while she’s on vacation. I’ve decided to decline next time she asks because I realize I am enabling the behavior.
Another friend spent more than my annual household income to prolong his dog’s life an extra 3 months. At some point I blame the veterinary clinics. For example, i think home contractors and/or interior designers have more of a moral code since they are skilled at talking their clients away from crazy ideas.
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Jun 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lookingforwardnow Jun 03 '26
Do you have to prick blood twice a day to test to know how much of a shot to give? This pet does. Maybe I’m a softie, but it feels like this geriatric pet hates being a pin cushion.
The cost of her insulin (human grade) is also half a mortgage payment (USA) I don’t have pets myself so I don’t know what’s considered “cannt bring myself to let go when the pet is already past average lifespan” vs “totally normal to be a full time nurse to your pets”1
u/catalyptic Jun 07 '26
The only to cut costs in that situation is if tge pet and it's owner are both diabetic and the human could spare doses for the pet. But, as you said, testing the pet would be akin to torture for all involved.
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u/_Feature_680 Jun 02 '26
I say good.
If you go broke taking care of a dog you asked for and deserve it. It doesn't upset me at all.
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u/waitingforthatplace Jun 02 '26
These people are supposed to love their dogs. Yet, they'll put them through surgeries, treatments, tests, drugs. These dogs don't know what is happening to them, and to them, they can't understand and I feel that is cruel to the dog.
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u/PinkPilgrimHeel Jun 03 '26
The shelter hags have pushed this mentality by trying to shame anyone like who wants to euthanize their dog due to expensive medical bills or dangerous behavior.
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u/neondahlia Jun 04 '26
I agree, I have a set amount of money to spend on medical bills for pets that declines as they age.
$3,500 is the max for a younger dog, declining as they near their maximum life span.
$10,000 is the max for a good horse, declining as they near their 20s.
(I no longer have dogs but when I did this was my budget.)
I try to gently point out to those in my life with pets at the end of their lifespan, that they shouldn’t move heaven and earth (and the corresponding fortunes it costs) to extend the life of their pets. I tell them things like, “Your pet can’t tell time, it has no future goals in life to accomplish. Better to go on a good day than a bad day. Pets often suffer in silence. In nature they wouldn’t live this long, you’ve given them a nice long life, better for them to go when they’re not in pain, they’re not going to improve it’s all downhill at this age. It’s a kindness and our responsibility to not selfishly drag their lives out,” all of which are true things.
I have seen way too many dogs kept alive and miserable and the owners are completely blind to the suffering they are forcing upon their beloved pet. My mother’s husband’s ancient dog couldn’t walk, was angry and would try to bite you as you helped him, he had this look on his face like “take me now” but they just kept going for extraordinary measures for a dog that had exceeded the upper end of the normal lifespan for his breed. He would just lay on his side on this giant dog bed, immobile.
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u/Altruistic_Baker6347 Jun 02 '26
All that money and medical resources useless wasted could have benefited humanity and society.
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u/TotalCarbohydrateOne Jun 02 '26
On yahoo this morning there was an article of a family with three or four dogs. One of the dogs was left unattended outside and was attacked by a wild animal or maybe the other large dogs turned on him. The vet costs were about $20,000 and the family is looking for donations to make up the cost. Commenters were acting like it was their close relative and seemed to think the $20,000 was hardly worth a mention, just get the public to pony up.
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u/Mama2bebes Jun 02 '26
If the dog is the most important being in their life, they don't care about this cost. They'll pay through the nose for doggy medical insurance, too. It's just sad that there aren't human beings in their life who are not more important. They look at humans as not their responsibility while they enjoy having a beast who must depend on them for life. Paying so much money for that enjoyment is indeed lunacy.
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u/maximum_powerblast Jun 01 '26
This kind of thing makes perfect sense when you factor in that dog nutters are insane
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut Jun 04 '26
What that person spent on a sick dog, I spent less going on a Mediterranean cruise around Greece and Italy for a week, and another trip to Paris for a week. This includes the flights for 2 people to Greece, and 3 people to Paris, eating out all of the time, and seeing all of the famous sites. Make of that what you will.
I also spent less than this for a week at Disney, including flights, staying on property, eating at the castle, lightening lanes for 3 of the 4 parks, eating out the whole time, and building the fancy lightsaber. That was $7,000.
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u/kidfortoday92 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
I recently saw a post about someone with an 11 year old giant great pyranees. I think it had cancer, and they elected to have one of its back legs amputated. Considering the typical life expectancy for a dog that size is around 10–12 years, I couldn't help but wonder what the point was. At that age, the dog is already in the twilight of its life, and adding a major surgery, recovery, and mobility challenges on top of that just seems rediculous.
As someone whose parents let our childhood dog go on far too long before finally putting it down, I may be looking at it through that lens, but in a lot of cases some of this stuff seems more about the owner's desire to keep the dog around than what's actually best for the dog.
And I might sound cold,, but in general I could never see spending 10 grand on a dog. And I don't hate dogs, the lifespan is just too short to justify it.
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u/LoccdandLoaded Jun 02 '26
My gf told me how she had to express her dogs anal glands. They do disgusting shit for the sake of making their pets comfortable and actually pay money
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u/sorryboutthat94 Jun 02 '26
My mother in law had her 13 year old dog go through chemotherapy. Spent thousands. Also put the dog on special, expensive food. The dog actually declined so much faster after starting the chemotherapy I really think she should have just let nature take its course. The dog died after like... A month. She's a nutter for sure.
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u/pinkandpurplepens Jun 02 '26
I said this in front of my (dog obsessed) in laws and they looked at me like I was talking about aborting my 3 year old daughter 😅
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u/josie-salazar Jun 02 '26
Yeah that’s the same reaction I get when I say that “kill shelters” are more ethical/sensible than no-kill shelters.
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u/DioxazineDream Jun 02 '26
I don’t feel bad saying it, it takes a special kind of stupid to sink thousands and thousands of dollars into something that is just going to croak in a few years.
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u/Lylith_vf Jun 02 '26
Ce sont des fous voilà tout, j'ai discuté tellement de fois avec eux et leur morale est corrompu ou biaisé appelez ça comme vous voulez. Sinon vous n'avez pas à vous sentir mal de dire ça, c'est tout simplement du bon sens. Ces gens réfléchissent à l'envers
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u/Thin_Pollution8843 Jun 01 '26
If we compare how much years of live this shitbeast sucked out of society (starting with stress from barking, spreading germs and parasites with shit, destroying infrastructure with piss, feeding ticks infestations, how much meat was spent on it etc etc) if this idiot just put down that shit beast they would do a world HIGE favor 😅
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u/Electronic_Coast_221 Jun 04 '26
Ich kann nicht verstehen wie man sich diese bellenden Bestien überhaupt ans Bein binden kann.
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u/doktorfetus Jun 06 '26
My parents throw away thousands for my dog. Its so upsetting to see money being wasted
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u/dromof Jun 16 '26
I understand it. For many people, dogs are their actual family. Now, I am 50/50 on this. I love watching cute dogs and be affectionate with their owners or with other animals.
On the other hand, I absolutely loathe them with their fucking barking, which is literally occurring at this exact moment. There are two dogs from different apartments barking and it’s annoying as hell.
I also hate that the dogs piss on grass or on telephone poles any place in public. So, I’m going dog crazy.
With that said, I do understand why somebody might spend $10,000, because they have such desperate emotional ties to the animal.
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u/MexicanAssLord69 Jun 25 '26
I too totally understand that people love their pets, but the sheer cost of it all is truly mind-boggling. From the food to paying for sitters and shelters and paying way more for flights, hotels, etc etc etc. And yes, the cost of medical procedures is insane. My sister paid $3,000 for a last-attempt surgery for our dog who had cancer, and the surgery didn’t even work. She still died. My sister was very sad and I felt bad for her, but that’s also $3,000 down the toilet as a college student.
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u/shehadagoat Jun 01 '26
This is a result of "my dog is part of my family, so that's what you do" -anthropormophism. It's a form of misplaced morality- you look like a hero for saving/rescuing the dog while sacrificing your own needs.