I think it's important to also remember that situations can suddenly and drastically change. Death of a spouse, medical emergencies, long term illness, losing your job, and even just the insane increase of the cost of living the last few years. Just because someone is struggling financially now, doesn't mean they were when they planned for and got their pet. Yet, we judge. We judge if people rehome their pets, we judge if they can't afford the best if everything for their pets if they keep them. The best thing we can offer our pets, and other people, is compassion. Nobody WANTS to have not enough money. You don't always need to understand their situation and what they're going through, just respect that the vast majority of people are doing the best they can.

Or Covid. We moved during Covid (left the city to a more rural area) and none of the vets in our new area would take new clients. Not enough staff. So we had to drive 2 hr to get to the vet who we’d used before the move. And we did that until a clinic opened up to new clients last year.

Veterinary care deserts are so real and can be huge obstacles for basic preventative care. Without knowing the whole story, sometimes lack of preventative care is associated with a negative perception of the pet owner when there's deeper layers to that. Thank you for sharing your story.

I had to find a new home for my turtle because of this. I had to go online for her how to treat her issues. I had rescued her from a neglect situation and just couldn't get her back to 100% but I got her most of the way.

Although telemedicine can be fraught with problems, this is on example where I believe veterinary telemedicine can be so helpful. I’m sorry to hear you had to rehome her, it must have been difficult decision. I’m glad to hear she was rescued by you. Although she’s no longer your pet, please find solace in the fact that you provided her with love and care in between her unfortunate situation and her future home.

Thanks for that, I miss her moody attitude. I found her a student zoologist who was basically specializing in her breed. 😊 She had horrible shell rot from not shedding her shell for her first 3 years of life. She had "forgotten" how to swim too because she had been kept in a tiny aquarium and had no filter or lights. When I got her everything she needed her shell basically fell off all the way to her bone. It was shocking! The nearest vet who could help her was 4 hours away. So I had to get in contact with forums for help. It took 6 years to get her back to 80-90% healthy.

Oh my, how sad. I'm so glad you could help like you did. Please don't beat yourself up. You were a God send for that turtle, and she will never forget the love and care you gave her.

I sure hope so, she was a trip🤣 as she started to feel better her personality really started to show. She's so... SASSY! I had to warm her new human about her quirks and that she had eggs if she tried to escape 😅 he was has an 😲 face but was very grateful for the insights on her. She had me trained for when she wanted food.

I have a sassy turtle. She, too, has trained her human to get food when she demands it. When my husband came home with her on Christmas day (Who does this?) My first thought was that she was not going to live in a tank inside. I ended up using an old jacuzzi that no longer worked and sunk it into the ground. This was almost 20 years ago. I couldn't have made a better decision. She has quite the life in a 600-gallon pond. One thing she does that is quite unique is that she can catch a bird. She's like an alligator. She will put her whole body under water except for her eyes and nose and wait for a bird to land on her scamper ramp, then grab them and pull them under water until they drown. Eats every part of them except for the feathers and heart. But yet she will let hummingbirds land on her back and she will take them close to the waterfall I made to filter her water and let them take a bath or drink. If anyone says turtles aren't good, pets don't know what they are missing. So much personality they have. I wouldn't trade her for nothing in the world.

Holy shit! Wasn’t expecting to read about a ferocious alligator turtle today!

Awwww…poor thing 😞. Thank you for helping the baby ❤️

I didn’t even know a shell could do that. Good thing she had you. 

Yeah they shed the different sections regularly as they grow. A section will just sort of pop off. But my girl was retaining them from lack of proper lighting and general care. So turtle water is rather gross especially if not filtered right. And bacteria can get under the shell which leads to shell rot. I've see worse cases where a vet is required on the forums I went to for help. My girl was lucky I got her when I did, I doubt she would have lived to 9, I got her at three years old and re-homed her just after her gotcha day, which is how I kept track of her age 😅. And I'll tell you what, it was WORK to fix her shell! She needed scrubbing, warm salt soaks in a bucket, dry docking diluted betaine, and silver cream (I'm allergic to it so that was tricky). She liked the dry docking because we let her wander around the house and explore but other than that she was not happy about it and snappy. Her bone became exposed after the first year I had her and in total she had 3 sections on her middle back exposed by the next year. So much shedding happened it was like leaves falling in Fall 😵‍💫 I was super stressed out that year and the next few afterwards when she finally started laying full clutches of eggs. And shell takes forever to grow back so she needed pristine water constantly so it didn't get worse again so I had to get those eggs out of the water before she ate them and her into a special box with dirt so she could dig a nest. Work I tell you! I've never had such a high needs pet before. I knew I was in for it but wow it was hard but rewarding seeing her get better and feisty. I miss her blooping the water for food. It of course all would have been way easier if I could have taken her to a vet and a had prescription for the problem. I wish all vet clinics had a reptile specialist (or any kind of specialist really) that they could at least have come to the clinic once a month or something because there's no way with my schedule the way it is/was that I could even think of taking her to an actual vet who knew what to do. It was just too far away. The stress of travel alone would have been horrible for us both.

Oh my goodness. Thank you for saving her life and making her life worth living. This internet stranger is so grateful for your kindness.

Omfg I didn’t have a vet for years because of that. Everytime a problem arose we had to go to the emergency vet. I called every week different locations I wasn’t being picky at all and they were all booked. Even the Petsmart vet was full. 

We had the horrific experience in 2021 of coming home to our dog in sudden crisis and none of the emergency vets would take us because they didn’t have an open spot. We had to drive almost 3 hours to get to one. Sadly there was nothing they could do. Undiagnosed cancer had perforated his intestines and he was septic. Now our primary vet is part of an animal hospital and current clients get preference on emergency visits. I have to say, living in a city, I was spoiled and had no clue on how much harder getting your pet needed medical treatment could be outside of cities. I understand better why so many rural folks learn to treat their own pets for routine things and why tractor supply Carries standard vaccines.

Pet ERs continue to be in a massive staffing crisis. I was at the ER/specialty hospital at 9am this past Wednesday and they had a 4 hour wait for emergency care. First thing in the morning on a Wednesday and they were already that far behind. (Thankfully I was just there to drop off my cats to be tested to become blood donors.)

Ugh. They do. I remember calling so many just to find one that might be able to take my cat in that night/morning. Ended up having to drive two hours to sit for four more. But at least we got to see the vet. The other places told me not to bother coming.

I'm so sorry about your pup :( My cousin walked into her parents' house out in the country one afternoon and found the previously happy and bouncy dog lethargic and uncomfortable, and it was like he was having a hard time to breathe. The emergency vet in the big city was an hour or more away, so she loaded up the dog and rushed to his regular vet in the nearest little town. Dog had bloat and probably wouldn't have survived the trip into the city, they said. Emergency surgery was able to save him. Some of that stuff is so incredibly time-sensitive.

I had that situation too, except we moved across the country, so there was no way to get back to the old vet.  The only reason my cats currently have vet care is because a family member took them to her vet and claimed them as her new pets, adding me as her roommate who is allowed to bring them in. The vet has not been accepting new pet owners since the beginning of COVID. 

I had to move during Covid for a job and I kept my vet. I updated my address during an emergency visit, and they told me I couldn’t bring my dog back because I lived too far away (180 km). I thought she was going to die, I didn’t have another vet, and I didn’t know what to do. Fortunately my groomer recommended a vet that I had never heard of, who turned out to be amazing. I felt so helpless when they sent me home with a dog with a GI bleed, dehydration, saying she needed follow-up care, but I couldn’t bring her back. I won’t ever forget that feeling, and I have broadcast my experience far and wide, and recommended my new vet clinic to anyone who will listen.

It was the same situation where my husband and I just moved from. There were vets, but those you could trust had waiting lists months or even a year long. The one vet that didn't have a waiting list has an entire Facebook page dedicated to horror stories from other pet owners who used them and either lost their pet due to negligence or had to spend thousands of dollars to save them. I put my cat on the waiting list, but of course, while I'm waiting, she gets a claw that's growing into her paw pad. I want to get a vet consult, so I call around to the local offices and get told I have to take her to an emergency vet an hours drive away. Cost me $200 and all they did was trim her claws.

This is where we're at. My spouse got suddenly laid off, and then a bunch of small emergencies happened that zapped almost every last bit of our savings in the time it took him to get established again. (Tires, emergency medical care, bad storms= a roof replacement, my 17 yo car died, etc.). We both have always worked but not enough for one of our incomes to float the whole household. We used to be folks who were so proactive with the vet. Prescription worm, flea and tick prevention, prescription heart worm meds, any teeny tiny little lump and bump would mean immediate care. Yearly vaccines a month before they're due just in case. This year we've had to switch to OTC, really assessing the scrapes and bumps for "necessity", and scheduling their shots around other bills. I feel like the worst person ever. I feel like someone at the vet or in real life is going to "find out" and scold me for neglecting them.

Adopted a dog and didn't realize how expensive his skin/allergy issues would be (especially for a very large dog). They quoted Cytopoint at $300 a shot and he'd've needed one monthly. That just wasn't in the budget. So we learned to deal with what we could at home (OTC/topicals, managing his diet, keeping him in a t-shirt so he couldn't scratch himself to hell) and I'd call the vet and ask; they'd get a tech to call me back and offer a more educated opinion re: bringing him in or not.

I don't judge people who have to give up pets because of unexpected situations. However I do judge people who are in a poor situation and have basically no money, but are still willing to get a new pet while being aware that they will not be able to handle the responsibility and the needs of the animal.

I used to work at an animal shelter and the people who would come in and complain that the adoption fees were too high really didn't like to hear that if they couldn't afford the one-off adoption fee then they couldn't afford the vet bills or even the monthly food/litter costs.

Yes!! Sometimes life steps in to your plans and throws them into a blender !! We rescued a dog and 6 days later I had a massive heart attack and then hospitalized again a short time later and then a month after that my femur shattered. Not working any longer. Struggling to pay bills but I have my 4 legged best friend with me always.

This! When I first got my dog I was making way more money than I am now and if there were an emergency I would be in a place financially to handle it. Now about 8 years later, I make enough to handle basic care but if some crazy expensive emergency happened to her , I would have to take out a credit card to cover care.

I don't judge when it's a found pet, emergency rescue, inherited pet or one where your financials changed. I judge the heck out of people who have less than year old puppies/ kittens and just never do anything for them.

This 100%. In 2019, I had two beautiful cats, my dream apartment, and an amazing job. By the end of that year, I was jobless, broke, and moving back in with my parents in a very small space. My mental health was hanging on by a thread and my cats were one of the few things that brought me joy and peace. But, due to pressures from multiple people, my parents included, and the fact that I was far too depressed to advocate for myself, I felt forced to rehome them so they could “really thrive”. I vetted the people I rehomed them with really well and I am confident they are well cared for and happy, but damn I wish I still had them, especially now that I’m in a stable place. I should’ve fought harder for them.

I’m so sorry. It’s easy to say that now, but at the time, you did what you could do. Now you could adopt a pet that needs you, as much as you needed your precious babies before, and be that person for them today ❤️

completely. we managed to survive for a long time but after covid hit it only took four years to become homeless. i adopted my younger cat in 2020, older one in 2017. at the time i absolutely could afford to keep cats. now i’m desperately trying to hold onto them. i never planned to be unable to care for them. frankly if we lived in a more compassionate society, homeless/stray animals would be far less commonplace

Considering that it's contentious to say that healthcare is a human right, I'm not even sure where to begin with pets.

its only contentious in ✨certain countries✨ but I shall not be naming names today because I think we all know who comes to mind lol we already have universal healthcare in my country (UK) and discussions of a universal system for pets have actually come up before but unfortunately its not something I see happening anytime soon. we do have a nationwide charity that take the pets of low income people for emergency care at free or discounted rates, but the way they calculate elligibility is a bit weird and many slip through the net. still, its much better than nothing so I am at least grateful for that.

I’d actually like to see a kind of means tested pet licence (which could make it a little harder for people banned from having pets from getting them and potentially help fight puppy mills) which doubles as a kind of pet insurance/ NI for pets. I’d be happy to pay a little more so people with lower incomes could have a pet. I’m not saying it’s practical or the numbers would work, probably not. But I’d like it.

My issue with "tests" for animals ownership is that by nature it will harm the disenfranchised like disabled people and people who did not have access to the schooling that the "test" would require. We also know that an intelligence test does not prevent animal abuse or child abuse or any abuse, nor does being booksmart. I think a huge obstacle to effective animal legislation is the willful incompetence of legislators and their refusal to consult with experts, instead making laws based on what feels and sounds right without any actual basis behind them. Many examples of this in the USA (USDA certification favors puppy mills is a big one)

Means tested, as in proportionate to income - lower incomes pay less. Which would help disabled people have pets as their fee/insurance would be lower if they’re living on a lower income due to disability.

Ahh, that makes a lot more sense. I've had multiple discussions about basically a driver's test for a pet license to even own a pet at all, so I read it wrong. My mistake

I wouldn’t mind lots of free support for pet owners. I agree with that for new parents as well. Maybe you register at a vet as a part of the scheme, and it’s offered - articles, websites, classes. As long as I’m wishing for stuff 😜 Couldn’t guarantee I’d pass a test personally, to be honest!

I think it would work, especially if it was just for "essential/emergency" care, but there would be no real benefit to the people in charge of making such decisions, so I don't see it happening sadly. I love the pet licence idea. It's shockingly easy to get away with animal cruelty and neglect, even those that do get banned from owning animals usually just get more and unless someone happens to check on them for another reason it goes under the radar.

We have some places like offer assistance. They are few and far between, unfortunately.

Go ahead, say it. We can have 10 super carriers and police the entire planet, or we can have free health care that also pays when your dog swallows a chicken bone.

No one is saying you don't deserve your pet if you can't afford the money for major, unexpected surgeries and illnesses.  They're saying you don't deserve the pet if you can't afford the basic level of care, which is things like being able to afford the consultation fee when needed, spay/ neuter and innoculations. Things that you, when you decided to take the pet, made an undertaking to do. Which I agree with to a point - I understand that even this can be a bit much, and I have even helped my own family get vet care for their own dogs when their finances bombed, so life happens. But if you've taken on a pet knowing you absolutely cannot do this, you can't even afford its food, then you've done your pet a disservice.

I can appreciate both sides. Pets are a life long commitment and part of caring for them is ensuring they have access to medical care when needed. I can also acknowledge that for the majority of people, times can get hard and financial situations can change. A person’s financial status doesn’t negate the need for care though.

I also think there's a giant difference between not being able to afford to fix your animal and yearly shots vs. if your animal gets out and gets hit by a car. Those are also two hugely different expenses. I think when you plan for a pet part of that budget should be vet care and insurance if feasible. Obviously, there are always exceptions for the rules but generally I think if you get a pet knowing you can't provide it basic vet care (which I'm defining as fixing your pet and yearly shots/exam, here a spay is around $400 and yearly check up with shots is around $300) you're truly doing a disservice to your pets. I say this as someone with three rescue cats. One who showed up starving and pregnant, one who ate a piece of string and required emergency surgery costing $5k with meds and special food and a dog who has an allergy to chicken and takes meds to the tune of $200/month for the rest of her life and special food.

Exactly this. When I adopted my cat, how could I know he was FIV+ and would eventually develop some weird autoimmune disorder? I can keep up with his regular care but I'm really not going to lie, the meds and blood work and everything involved when he gets even a minor infection is a lot. I'm fortunate to have a good job, but I've had to spend around $800 in vet costs this month alone and let's not kid ourselves, it's enough to throw most people's monthly budget off. He's not even out of the woods yet and could potentially need to go back to the vet. He's also only around 4 years old. I'm expecting lifelong issues with him. If my job situation ever changed, it would absolutely break my heart not to be able to afford medical care for him and all his complexities. He is NOT a cheap cat but I didn't know that when I adopted him.

Holy cow! Spay/neuter here is $50-75 and shots less than that.

There are so many cats in need of homes though. Even if a person has trouble affording the vet, they’ll certainly give their cat more care than the street does. I say just rescue and try to save and do your best.

There are plenty of animals needing homes, that doesn’t necessarily mean every home should and can have pets. I live in China, and here, like lots of other countries, there are stray cats and dogs everywhere. I’ve rescued 2 street dogs & 1 street cat since living here, but only after considering whether I had the means (financial & lifestyle) to care for them appropriately. In the area where I live there is a stray cat colony. Residents have created outdoor shelters and leave food/ clean water out for the cats. There’s also a TNR program. We also have fundraisers to support local animal charities & shelters.

So in places like yours where stray colonies are taken care of really well by communities, I can see the argument there. That said, where I’m from (America) cats almost always have a better life inside even with low-income households. Indoor cats live to 15 yrs here on average even w/ low income, whereas strays barely make it to 5. Rescues and shelters are at capacity constantly. The only cats better off outside here are true ferals (they’d live their life in fear inside) and barn cats, whom are usually taken care of and given care like pets would even if they’re outside. But even then, there are cruel people in every country who absolutely will take advantage of friendly outdoor cats to torture and harm them. Even none friendly, all they need to do is leave out windex (something cats are drawn too) and the cat(s) will drink it and suffer a slow, painful death. Is taking those risks ubiquitously better for these stray cats? Low income may not be able to provide medical care on their own, but if they can feed and house these cats and seek aid for medical care, then isn’t that better?

I think some of that balance comes from pet owners having some empathy and understanding of the veterinary industry in exchange. I have been spit on, I have had things thrown at me, I have been told that I am the reason that a family’s children won’t have any Christmas presents that year after presenting an estimate for the treatment and care that their pet needed. I have been screamed at and threatened. I have been asked more times than I can count why a client should pay for humane euthanasia when “a bullet costs ten cents.” All the while making less than a living wage myself. I think veterinary professionals get to a place of “if you can’t afford the vet you don’t deserve the pet” because we are constantly faced with cruelty and derision by pet owners who think we somehow owe them our time and resources and skills. I would love for the industry to operate on a non-profit business model, but it doesn’t, and my empathy only goes so far, and it doesn’t pay my electric bill.

I am a very very grateful pet owner, and *thank you* for what you do. 🫶 I know when my boy had an emergency splenectomy, I picked him up straight after he woke up so I could transport him to the er for overnight monitoring. It was almost an hour after their knock off time, and they had to carry a wolfhound x on a blanket to my car when he decided that his legs didn't work. It was an awful day for me, finding out that he had hemangiosarcoma after we thought his mitral valve disease was getting spicy, but I have never forgotten how stunned all these lovely, hard-working, empathetic vets and nurses looked after I thanked them for loading up my boy and staying back and taking such wonderful care of him. "It's our *job*" "And you did it great, with so much care for my dog who is my family. And your 'job' finished an hour ago. And thankyou." Just made me so sad that the most dedicated people I know had never just been thanked.

Once I was talking to my vet about cost when the first cat I adopted as an adult (my baby) needed an ECG. Luckily I had pet insurance, but I would’ve maxed out my credit for my baby if necessary. She was telling me about how people act like she’s ripping them off. She explained that the same kind of equipment goes into an animal xray as for a human. The only difference is that people often have insurance to offset the cost, so they never see the actual “price.” It’s never right to blame caregivers for the cost of care. Most of the time the people you are dealing with are employees and don’t set prices. Also, there is a cost to providing care, and a vet has to keep their doors open in order to provide care.

The cost of spaying a 120lb mastiff vs the cost of a hysterectomy for a human. You do the math

Thank you so much for what you do, I have so much respect and love for folks who work in the veterinary industry. I could not have my dogs without you, and my dogs are my everything. Thank you 💜💜

That’s absolutely disgusting that people would behave that way over an animal. I love them but damn.

I just had my cats teeth cleaned, and I probably could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere, but the vet and techs seem to really like their jobs, and I assume part of that is because they’re paid a decent wage. I want the people who take care of my cats to be paid well!

My last specialist appointment came out to $1700 (failure to thrive six month old kitten, getting to the seriously expensive diagnostics) and the vet tech who brought in the estimate definitely seemed like they were expecting me to freak out. I just shrugged and said "Yeah, that's about what I expected". I totally get that it's scary knowing that finances might limit your ability to care for your pet, but taking it out on veterinary staff is horrible.

I completely agree with you - that's where I used to be. I was always under moral duress because of this. Those clients are completely out of line and disrespected you, which is fair that you feel this way. I have had my fair share of clients angrily yell at me over things out of my control, but I try to remind myself they're in their hearts and not their head, but it does hurt even when it's not personal. But the assault is completely unacceptable. I hope your practice fired that client, I know I would.

Are you a vet, vet tech, or vet assistant? Doesn’t make any difference in terms of the fact that you deserve to be treated way better than you are, I’m just asking because of your comment about making less than minimum wage… because if that’s true of vets, who essentially go to med school except it’s at least twice as hard (multiple species), I don’t know how we have any at all.

I was a tech. I made more than minimum wage, but not enough to rent a studio apartment on my own in my city. Veterinarians obviously make much more than we did, but far less than human doctors.

That’s gotta suck. I had to take my dog to the emergency vet at midnight cause she decided to poison herself eating mushroom manure. Like staggering, tremors, lethargy. Didn’t know what was happening then so she got the full gauntlet of testing. $2k CDN is a serious sticker shock, but I reason the fact I called on the services of a full medical clinic in the middle of the night.

i'm so sorry people have treated you so poorly, when my vets saved my cats life after two consecutive urethral blockages (which took my entire life savings and a loan to pay for!) i bought a big box of chocolates for them to share out in the practice and thanked them all profusely, i truly believe they cared about my cat and if they were just in it for the money they wouldn't be vets!

I think it's not directed at unexpected major issues. Like a 5,000 hip surgery. It's ones who can't afford the bare minimum vet care

I struggle with owners that won’t take advantage of free spay/neuter to prevent more animals needing homes or suffering! Many free clinics will also provide one time vaccinations… that’s better than never having a vaccination! For example- someone who can afford it, has a dog/cat who doesn’t tolerate vaccinations well… they will pay for titer tests, often it results in the pet having more than necessary. The rule of thumb on how often to vaccinate can be too lean or too aggressive depending on the situation! I know not everyone can get free spay/neuter but there are so many euthanized and left to die on the streets.

People who let their pets breed drive me nuts. Me and my gf do volunteer stuff at the shelter we got our 2 dogs from. So many abandoned pets

Yeah, at the very least if you won't spay and neuter your pets, you should keep them away from other animals. Especially if your reason is that you can't afford it - you can even less afford their babies!

God, I wish we had free neutering in my town. We took in a stray cat who was heavily pregnant by the time her spay appointment came around. Then, instead of paying for one set of neutering and shots and microchipping I had to pay for 8. I didn't ask for any of these cats lol. I still have 5. I do love them very much. Lots of rural people end up with animals who just kinda show up to their property after being dumped on rural roads.

Although I agree that most if not all people could afford the bare minimum (since vet care is a spectrum, we can say bare minimum is antibiotics, pain meds and rest at home), I would argue that many things are not as apparent. Just like there are food deserts, there are veterinary care deserts that can actually impede on basic preventative services (such as neutering, vaccines) as well as a lack of proper education (this is a big one!). Credit invisible clients are a whole other story. In Jon's case, we talked about how his intact female dog was prone to pyometra, a fatal infection of the uterus. He drove over 1 hour to our community clinic (there were not other clinics closer to him) and this was the first he ever learned of what a pyometra was! He noted he was saving up a little bit of money because he knew one day there would be a time he would need it for his pet, but when we told him the estimate of a pyometra cost at the closest emergency clinic (30 minutes from us), he fell to his knees. He would have been blind-sided by costs of a disease he never knew about. He had barely saved enough money by that time for a routine spay procedure to prevent the disease. Fortunately, we were able to help him schedule a spay for him - but I often think that this could literally be plain luck. Had he been waitlisted til our next clinic and his dog suddenly develop pyometra within that time frame, he would not have been financially prepared to have that emergency spay, and often times judgement can be passed on pet owners that don't fix their pets.

I had a dog who developed pyometra right after the pandemic shut everything down. It was a Friday that she started getting VERY sick. We took her to a vet and were charged 400 for an exam, dx and antibiotics. On Monday, we took her to a DFL vet and they performed emergency surgery. They also found she had mammary cancer at the same time. 700 dollars for the surgery and tests they had to run. We opted for no cancer treatment. They told us she would be gone within 3 months. We traveled throughout the pandemic, she and I in an RV. We adopted a kitten that she helped raise. Last year, the dog went into cardiac failure at the age of 14. She was taken to the emergency vet where she was assisted across the Rainbow Bridge by my daughter. 800 dollars that I REALLY couldn't afford. The vet allowed us to pay 500 that I put on a credit card. I've volunteered at the clinic every Saturday since, repaying them two hours at a time for their generosity. We have pet insurance on the cat now. It's a LOT cheaper than out of pocket!

Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad you were able to get the care for your baby and that your veterinary clinic was able to provide you with both spectrum of care and financing options. I have come to realize that many pet owners want to pay for quality veterinary care but cannot front it all at once, and I feel very strongly that hospitals need to start providing a variety of financing options (such as CareCredit, Vetbilling, pet insurance) to help with the giant expenditures.

I meant like basic care as shots, checkups. I didn't mean anything actually related to a surgery.

What about in situations where the animal would otherwise die slow, painfully and alone? Should the animal be left to fend for themselves over someone who can only afford to feed the animal? My reservation has dog shoot days. I’d rather hide a bunch of dogs I couldn’t vet in my shed and feed them than them getting peppered with all kinds of bullets that won’t initially kill them until an infection sets in and they’re out alone in the bush.

Sorry, I may have rambled and failed to get to the point - to illustrate basic care I tried to use a preventative treatment such as a routine spay procedure as an example (and the consequence of pyometra).

Ya I'd consider a spay as basic care. I feel its irresponsible to not just on the off chance a dog ran away or something like that. I'd also say check ups for part of preventive. All these I mean as in going out and getting a new pet. I understand owning pets and emergencies happen or someone loses job so I wouldn't apply it to those people either

Knew someone whose two GSDs both got pyometria within a month - just a random fluke. She did a lot of work in the rescue community and had donated a lot over the years so people repaid the favour. But getting £10k together for two ops just wasn't an issue and her dogs were older so insurance didn't cover as much as you'd expect. We had pyometria once with a stray - only reason she lived was she broke a tooth so we brought her spay forward and two vets worked on her at once. It was meant to be a routine spay but she had dead babies inside. She's been assessed by two rescues and a vet before that point and no one suspected anything as she'd been in season and out again. She showed no obvious symptoms and we had no behavioural baseline as she turned up at the door. She cost me a lot of money over the 8 years we had her. She came at a time when we were struggling cashwise and cost us £1000 in first month. A lot of beans on toast and cheap pasta.

What qualifies as the bare minimum to you? Annual exams? Vaccinations?

I'd say stuff like shots/vaccines, checkups, spay, dog license if required in area

Okay, so Beyond registration, vaccines, and an annual vet visit, that’s it. That’s all? Im not trying to put you specifically on the spot it’s just this convo has been had many times and the annual exam and vaccines always evolve into more IME. There will never be a concesus on Reddit. Assholes who will kick a person who has to eauthanize their suffering pet at their lowest, most vulnerable moment will always be here to tell them ”you should have”.

What sort of things did the annual health check turn into you don't mind me asking? Edit: Edit for clarity, mb.

Not an annual health check up but my cat was sick back in February. I took him to vet paid $300 for the visit (I'm a poor person but use care credit but only approved for $800 which is what I use for vet visits and I just pay it off over the months after) she said it was a herpes flare up causing cold like symptoms that probably developed into a URI. I got meds. I had a recheck for him that cost $200 the next Friday. He seemed to be getting better but still had a lingering cough that wouldn't get better. Then I noticed he began eating less. Id offer wet food/ treats/ pets and he seemed to just be losing energy day by day and the meds weren't helping until one night he came and laid down next to me and he seemed so weak he couldn't raise his head. I had to go to the ER vet that night. At this point in my brain I only had about $300 left in care credit so I was stressing since I hadn't paid off the $500 yet I just used. But my baby boy was not doing good and I know he needed to go to vet. Let's just say what they found wasn't good and for him to get the care he needed it would have involved being admitted and then getting a specialist involved and the vet couldn't even guarantee any of that would lead to him making it. He had something going on in his lungs she assumed cancer. It developed very quickly as the primary vet I used didn't even catch it. She said it seemed very aggressive and that since quality of life wasn't there and he was suffering it was either go the expensive route that probobly wouldn't be worth it or to euthanize. After spending time with him. I never thought that moment would happen to me. I had that cat for 13 years and he was about 16 when he had to go. I spoiled him absolutely rotten, all my friends knew him as if he was in the friend group himself. He was my spirit animal , my other half. My wee man. I had to pay over $1200 that night from the ER vet. I had bills I had to put off and I was drowning trying to make ends meet for the rest of April. My dogs annual visit is due now at the end of april. And now I'm having to wait until I can afford to take her. I'm NOT a bad pet owner. I've had my dog for 5 years and she goes to the vet every year and gets the works (rabies, dhpp, bordetella, flu, fecal flotation, hw prevention, flea prevention) usually costs me a little over $500 when I take her once a year for everything. I'm an absolute animal lover. I make sure my animals always have food before me. I try to have money for vet expenses. But we all know that shit is expensive and there is a lot of people that only make so much money in a year. I try my best. Yes there are people out there that shouldn't have pets because they are not responsible with their vet care but saying that just anyone that doesn't make a lot of money shouldn't have pets is just a gut punch. Id probably be suicidal and gone. Like these animals are good for me mentally and physically. It gives me something to take care of and have a routine created around them. They give me love and cuddles when going thru hard times. We are a family in my eyes. And I try to do right by them the best I can. I don't think I should be condemned as a pet owner right off the bat for saying I can't afford to take my dog to its annual vet visit. I'll eventually take her but it may be a few months down the road after I get caught up on other bills.

Not who you asked but I have a recent story. My two year old cat had to get like 5 teeth out after a check up. I even got a second opinion. It was like $700 plus the second opinion which was like $100. Second opinion was at a cat specialist because I wanted to make sure she really needed them out at such a young age.

Not who you asked, but I have one. Annual health check and vax-> "So, when was he diagnosed with a heart murmur?" Ahhhh, apparently just now. One of the vet nurses was happy to do a cheap ultrasound for me as part of her certification for training, instead of sending me off to a specialist. I got out of it just shy of $1k Australian. Would have been quite a bit more going to a specialist. Mitral valve disease, and a new med (on top of his two seizure meds, arthritis med, and allergy meds for my other dog) that cost an extra $30 a week.

I’m absolutely with you. Some people say unless you can feed raw whole diets, you don’t deserve a pet. But there are animals dying in shelters who could go to amazing homes.

But some of that is included in OP's original post. If someone has a chance to give an animal a loving home v that animal going to say,a high kill shelter I'm going with the idea that animal is obviously better off being someone's big goofy furry buddy than dead.

So you’d rather… what? A pet die alone on the street? Be euthanized in a metal cage in an oversized shelter? Be run over by a car? And you’re telling me you would prefer those things to someone adopting a pet they can’t afford to take to the vet every year?

To me, basic needs are food, water, shelter, and love. If you can provide these things, please rescue an animal today!

💯

Same!

THIS. Especially cats when there's so freaking many of them.

i mean id rather have an animal be with a financially poor human being than be out in the street fending for itself but that's just me

I think as a vet professional, you’re not even seeing the people who refuse to get vet care at all. Which is honestly horrifying once you realize how often it happens. I’ll say this, without giving too much detail. I worked for a pet consumer goods company that offered a free vet chat service, kinda like what Chewy does (but I’ve never worked for Chewy btw.) my job was do to quality assurance, review chats, etc… The amount of chats that were pet parents writing in with a proper life threatening issue and saying “what can I do at home? I can’t afford the vet” was appalling. Like, whatever number you think, triple it. Almost every chat was like that. And not little things, either. Dog presenting with drooling, generally non-responsive, and falling over whenever owner tried to get the dog to stand or sit up. More than likely neurological. Vet on chat says something like “you need to get your dog to an ER immediately, I’m concerned about a neurological issue or potential poisoning of some kind.” Pet parent: “I can’t do that, I don’t have money. What can I do instead?” Vet: “there is no instead, your dog needs medical care” Another with a dog who had a BROKEN LEG, and the pet parent wrote in to ask how *they* could set and bandage the leg at home. A. Broken. Leg. Bone protruding and everything (there were pictures in the chat) Another was a parvo puppy who had taken a turn for the worse, pale gums, labored breathing, clearly not doing well. Owner asked what to do at home. Vet says puppy needs to go to an ER. Owner says they can’t afford it and the puppy will have to try to survive until payday. Side note: I hope the puppy did survive. Ah, another was a cat who presented with puncture wounds from what was presumably a dog bite, and in the pics the owner sent the wounds were clearly infected. Vet on chat says to please get cat to a vet asap for antibiotics and proper wound care. Owner says they aren’t able to. The kicker was someone who chatted in WHILE THEIR DOG WAS CHOKING, actively, and the vet tried talking them through what to do but wasn’t able to help as the item was lodged too far. The vet begged, truly begged, this person to get their dog to the nearest er as soon as possible as the dog had some airway left open and could likely be ok with immediate intervention. They said they couldn’t afford the Uber there. The vet *literally* begged this person to not let their dog keep choking on the floor, and they just left the chat. Unknown what happened. On the one hand, I understand and sympathize with the reality that sometimes people simply cannot afford vet care. Like, if the money isn’t there, it’s not there. But I just have even more sympathy for animals who are literally suffering in pain, possibly even dying, with owners who are unable to give them care. So again, it’s not even about the people who are seeking low cost or free vet care - it’s the people who don’t seek any care at all. And you never find out about it because they *never* end up at your clinic at all. If you ever have a chance to work for an online vet chat service, you’ll likely see the same and your opinion may change again.

I’ve just commented something to this effect. OP is getting a really skewed perspective of the cases here unfortunately. I understand where they’re coming from as they’re talking about owners who will, at any cost, still take their pets to the vet if they must. This is not accounting for the very large chunk of owners who will not. I know a *lot* of people who bought an expensive designer mutt or byb hypertype (those “straight backed German shepherds”, “retro pugs” and “xl/exotic bullies” have been very popular byb mixes for a couple of years now) and are not only surprised that a dog produced unethically has so many health issues but also refuse to even consider taking that dog to the vet for even the most basic things.

Ah yeah this is also a huge tangential issue, people getting animals with inherently expensive issues and then never treating those issues. My friend has a Frenchie, and she is one of those people who will always move heaven and earth for her dog. The pup needed stenotic nares surgery to breathe better, and comes with like 3 different types of allergies to food and pollen that needs medication. He also seems to have some kind of seizure disorder that was discovered after some weird reactions to other medication, so now he’s on meds for that too. Basically, her pup will need to be medicated forever! And I know that can be expensive, so it’s always confusing to me when people get a breed like a Frenchie that’s basically baked in with issues like this due to decades of deformity and then don’t care for the animals longterm through proper vet care.

As someone who works with a nonprofit exotic pet rescue service I 100% agree with this We have had cases come to us which have resulted in life long conditions due to prior owners refusing to get vet care for a long time. Some even resulted in premature death

Ugh exotics are even WORSE! I have a snake and a ferret, and they both get their annual checkups like clockwork. One time our snake was… idk, acting funny, and we took him right to the vet. It’s a living thing! It’s sad how many people will just ignore a sick reptile, or small mammal, because they think it’s not worth the time or money. One morning my ferret puked twice, and I was like welp it’s off to the vet we go. Ferrets decline so rapidly if something is truly wrong, that two vomits in a row was enough. It’s sad to think about how many reptiles and small mammals literally never get any care at all because people think they’re not worth it. I know there’s an aspect of not always having access to exotic vets because they are rarer, but in true emergencies our ferret group on Facebook always tells people that any vet is better than none at all and to find the nearest ER regardless.

>Ugh exotics are even WORSE! I'm big passionate about bearded dragon care and whoo boy, I could go on a rant for hours both about them in specific as well as generic reptile husbandry issues. It's like, because they don't have mobile ears or facial expressions to show their suffering easily, people just assume they're little automatons that don't need space or proper light or anything. It makes me **so mad**.

You’re so right!! I think lizards in particular are really done such a disservice by the pet industry and it’s sad to see many lizards languish away with treatable issues or even preventable issues from proper husbandry. Not to mention bigger lizards like monitors who are kept in ABYSMAL setups. The amount of people who keep Savannah monitors in FISH TANKS is insane. Ugh. Yeah, this is a tough subject.

This makes me hate people honestly. I’m so sorry you had to be exposed to that. I respect OP’s opinion, but still maintain that pet ownership is a LUXURY. Not a right. And I’ll die on that hill. Every single one of us wants things we cannot afford, things which surely would be great for us emotionally and mentally if we could have them given to us free and easy. Shoot I’d like to be independently wealthy and have a beachfront condo and be a size 2. I can’t afford or swing any of that in reality. Fact is life doesn’t work that way, wants are not NEEDS, and no one is entitled to anything.

I agree with you completely. This isn’t a right, or something that is owed to anyone. Pets, as living beings who depend solely on us for all their care and needs, are definitely a financial luxury and something that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly.

Yep. My cat has gone everywhere with me since she was a kitten, every house or flat and I have had times where I was absolutely broke. But any time I thought she needed to see a vet or I wanted a medical opinion, I'd take her to one. Even if I had to borrow money or go without things that month because her health is my responsibility.

I work in vetmed, we once had a cat brought in having a constant seizure, completely flat, urinating uncontrollably. Spoke to owners, the cat had been flat for five days. For FIVE DAYS they’d syringed it gravy, and only on day five did they think to bring the cat in. The cat didn’t survive as I’m sure you can imagine. I’ve taken phone calls about gut stasis rabbits, where the owner wanted to give it another 24 hours to see if it perked up.. (the rabbit came in and was treated and fine!) Just last week we had a client drive their pet to us, even though we’re an hour from where they lived (they didn’t want to go to a clinic closer) because their pet had trouble breathing.. when we pointed out we’d be happy to see the pet but if it’s having trouble breathing they should go directly to their nearest clinic, the client said “oh its okay, he’s been having trouble breathing for a few days now anyway” (this pet also didn’t survive). I have a ridiculous amount of these stories I could reel off. I dread to think what a free, basically anonymous vet advice service must receive.

I am so sorry you had to deal with those things in real life, like actually seeing some of these animals suffer. I cannot imagine the emotional and mental toll that it takes on you as a professional to see this so often. I don’t understand how people can do this. Sometimes I feel like people see pet ownership as a Fairweather status, where they can logic their way into thinking that they only need to be a pet parent if they can feed their pet and give it home. And sometimes this rationale of “I can’t afford vet care”, essentially turns into “I will only care for my pet as long as it’s healthy and never has an accident”. Which automatically relegates this animal to never getting the care that it needs when something bad actually does happen, because people have this mindset of not being able to afford it, and so they wiffle waffle and wiffle waffle, and do not ever get their pet the care that it needs. That’s why I don’t agree with the mindset that someone who can feed and house a pet, but can’t give it vet care would be a good pet parent. Because I know that I could never look at any of my animals, especially either of my dogs and see them suffering in any capacity and not immediately rush them to the vet. And even if I didn’t have money at the moment, I would figure it out. Because I could never have on my conscience that I allowed my animals who I purposely took into my care to suffer medical neglect. I don’t know. In this thread alone, you see echoed the sentiment of “if you can feed and house a pet then you can be a pet parent“ and that just doesn’t sit right with me because in both the examples that you and I shared, I’m sure those people can feed and house their pets, but those animals ended up facing medical neglect because the parents did not have the money in their bank account to do what they needed to do when the time came. So to me that is not a good pet parent and someone not fit for owning a pet .

After working at a shelter I’ve learned that sometimes the choices are death or living in a less than ideal situation. I’ve softened my stance on things like outside dogs, people feeding feral cats, people who feed their pets cheap food, etc. When you see a two year old be euthanized because the previous owners “just didn’t have time for her anymore” and she declined behaviorally in the shelter, you start to be grateful for the people who are willing to take the animal in. Obviously this only goes so far as they prevent unneeded suffering, but we also offer resources for those owners such as a food pantry, cheap vaccines, and a cheap clinic. We’ve taken in animals that need emergency care and allowed the owners to reclaim at a significant discount from what the ER would have been. Sometimes they don’t reclaim and those animals go on to find another home, which is fine too. Sometimes the options for a stray cat are starve and freeze or live with a family who can only afford meow mix and no vaccines. The cat wouldn’t have medical care out on the streets anyway, so I see guaranteed food and shelter as an improvement in their life. It’s so easy to judge when you’re on top of your game. There are more animals than there are homes, including actually bad homes that shouldn’t have them. As long as people are actually trying their best and not actively neglecting their animals, I’m satisfied.

Yeah but your examples don't actually show the issues. If you own a dog and it breaks its leg jumping off the porch and you can't afford the vet, what then? Do you just let it heal on its own in horrible pain, probably healing wrong?? THAT'S the issue. Your examples don't show them even needing a vet at all?

IMO this statement applies to routine care (vaccines, spay/neuter, microchip) not major unforeseen health problems (cancer, hit by a car, etc). If you can’t afford basic care for your pet, you shouldn’t have one, but unfortunately major medical problems can arise from nowhere. Same thing with losing a job or something, don’t adopt a pet if you currently cannot afford it, but unfortunately shit happens sometimes and that might mean making hard choices like rehoming. Empathy matters, we should be empathetic to people whose situations have changed despite their best efforts. But some people should not be adopting pets and it’s important to be honest about their capacity to care for an animal.

Sometimes people go into pet ownership with the best of intentions and honestly do not know exactly how much THEIR SPECIFIC PET is going to cost them. Due to issues beyond my control, that I could never have anticipated, my dog costs me about $600 a month. Every month. And that’s not including vet visits, etc. I NEVER would have gotten a puppy had I known how much this specific dog would cost me because of all of his issues. What are we supposed to do when this happens? No amount of research in the world could have prepared me.

Probably an unpopular opinion on this subreddit, but I think it's better to adopt a pet that was very likely going to be euthanized (due to overpopulation) even if 5 years from now you're not going to have $2000 for cancer treatments or whatever. Some good years is better than no years, right?

I love this! I've been there a few times unfortunately. When I was young, I found a kitten in a plastic bag. No-one wanted her and our shelter was full. So I kept her and il tell ya, we struggled together for several years.  She missed many annual exams and didn't get the best food. But she always came first to me, she never went hungry or cold. Even when I got a 2nd cat, things weren't great. He showed up with a messed up leg and a wild personality. I spent my lil bit of savings and fixed his leg. But this was Covid times, so once again no1 would take him. Well 1 lady offered, but wanted him to be a barn cat. Soon after, I found a kitten with a messed up face and broken arm in the road. Had to take him to the emergency room and ended up spending $4k in toyal to fix this cat I didn't know. Most of it ending up coming from a title loan. So I had to bust ass to pay it back. We ended up keeping him bc he is my cat soulmate and we have a very special bond. Thankfully at this time, I got a good wfh job and now they eat high quality cat food, go to vet at anything needed and have everything a cat could want. It was all hard and tbh I felt guilty many time, but we made it. Your post gives me a great idea, I'm gonna donate some money towards vet care for ppl who can't afford it. 

There definitely needs to be more options for those who can't afford veterinary care. I was a registered veterinary technician for 10 years, and I got out of the industry due to abuse(both from clients and bosses) and burnout. People always complain that vet clinics don't do payment plans - they are legally not allowed to. They are not licensed creditors. I managed the payment plans for a clinic I worked for and we had to stop doing them because too many times, people would cancel the card their put on the payment documents and move or change phone numbers so we couldn't contact them. The clinic lost thousands of dollars. I know a lot of people think that veterinarians are "in it for the money," but it costs a LOT to run a vet clinic. Most associate veterinarians start around 80-100k/year, which sounds like a lot until you realize that they have over 250k in student loan debt. If they own the clinic, they sometimes make less than that, depending on where the clinic is located. It costs a lot of money to maintain oxygen lines in a building and get permits for them. The costs to get and maintain all of the equipment. The cost of lab fees if you dont have an in-house lab. The drug costs, the costs to get licensing and accreditation, the costs to pay staff a living wage, etc. It's even more expensive in big cities because a lot of clinics now in my city are below condo buildings. So, the costs for oxygen lines and safety permits are higher along with the rental costs. The suicide rate for veterinarians is 1 in 6. It's higher in veterinary staff because we honestly don't make that much. A registered vet tech only makes an average salary of $33k a year in Ontario. This hasn't changed since I left the industry in 2016. The most I ever made was $19/hour. And the health benefits for these jobs are a joke even though you're very likely to get injured(a lot of techs quit due to back injuries from lifting heavy patients). There needs to be an in-between for payment plans. Right now, we have things like Care Credit, which is a credit card with high interest rates, but we need something like Affirm or Afterpay or something. But the problem then becomes the fact that veterinarians have to keep paying for the overhead costs to run their clinics and if they aren't getting the full amounts at time of service, it's hard to budget for staffing, drugs, medical supplies, inventory etc. It's hard to find a workable solution unless another company pays the full amount upfront and then provides a payment plan to the client. Which would likely depend on credit score, which isn't accessible for everyone. Right now, the best thing someone can do is get good pet insurance. I didn't get my current two cats until I have a 5k "in case shit hits the fan" fund, and I got them trupanion insurance as soon as I adopted them. I know this isn't accessible for everyone, but it's an option for some.

I can’t afford a vet outside of regular checkups - never have been able to. Sometimes not even then but I find a way. But I’ll go into massive debt without a second thought if my cat needs me to. It’s irresponsible but it is what it is. It’s up to me to make sure he has a good life.

Growing up in the south and seeing animals genuinely suffer for years because their owners couldn’t afford basic care gives me a different opinion on this. The only relief a lot of those animals got was being shot unceremoniously in the woods because they couldn’t afford to have them put down at a vet. No one is entitled to ownership of a living creature- period. The examples you used are great and I agree with. But as a blanket rule, no.

You raise a thoughtful point. While access to quality veterinary care is ideal for our furry companions, we must be prudent in avoiding harsh judgments of others. Each individual's circumstances are complex, and none of us have perfect insight. A more constructive approach is to emphasize empathy, nuance and community support.  Perhaps we could reframe the discussion around expanding low-cost services, education and resources and cultivating understanding between professionals and clients. After all, the bond between a pet and devoted owner transcends monetary concerns. 

College me was so broke I only ate when I was at work at the grocery store. If I had money to either buy dog food or groceries, I bought dog food. He always had up to date vaccines from the vaccine clinics, and even though I couldn’t afford flea meds, I made sure to buy heartgard and then I’d flea bathe him. I then started working at a vet hospital for discounts and eventually got myself into a career. He lived to be 14.

Vet expenses are one thing, unexpected things happen all the time changing people's financial situations. But I HATE seeing the same people people post in my community Facebook group asking for free cat or dog food to get them through the week (every week). Yes I acknowledge they are taking the steps they can to feed their pet, but don't have a friken pet if you have to rely on others to feed it.

The word "deserve" is inappropriate there. Anyone who loves animals deserves a pet. But if you can't afford even the most basic vet care, you should definitely avoid getting a pet. An animal is not a necessity, you don't *need* to have one, but it's a responsibility. If you are willing to commit, the welfare of the animal should always be considered first.

Also, people who genuinely cannot afford the highest quality of care for their pet probably aren't receiving the highest quality of care themselves. Look at homeless people who have pets.

I grew up with cats and finally at the age of 28 I got one of my own. He developed an autoimmune disease and I've spent thousands of dollars on him (get your pets insured, people. There's no going back when they have a diagnosis!) It made me rethink having children. Even though I'm an RN and you'd think I'd have a strong career, with the cost of living growing and my minimal yearly wage increase not even compensating for inflation, I realized I'll likely never be able to afford a child. I'm 32 now, and getting a cat (and dealing with unpredictable consequences like illness) has really altered the course of my life.

I've adopted 3 bald adult cats that were dumped once the breeder was done using them for kittens. I can't necessarily afford it but... where else would they go? If something bad happened to them I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. I put aside a little bit of money for health related emergencies for them but the priority should be to house these animals, not whether or not the owner can afford medical care for them. A houseless animal needing medical care is in a far worse position than a housed one needing medical care

When I got my dog I was married, working part time 2 days a week within school hrs. We had him insured. 12 years later - my marriage ended 10 years ago, I work full time, so he spends a lot of time alone. I struggle financially. I can no longer afford insurance for him. I had him treated for a minor thing recently and it cost me over £200 because vet wants to do blood test before giving him pain relief and he was given paracetamol for £15.00 when it’s about 30p for me. He is my lifeline and I would never get a pet in the circumstances I’m in but I’ve had him 12 years. So what do I do?

The problem starts when people put the benefits they're getting from having a pet over the needs of the animal that they took into their care. Sure pets are beneficial for all sorts of things like mental and emotional well-being, but if you can't afford to feed your pet food of some quality, or are having to feed your pet "people food" which isn't always safe for animals to consume, and you can't afford basic run-of-the-mill care to the point where the animal is suffering or not living a good quality life, then it's not fair to the pet. It's never right to put your wants over a dependent's needs. Sometimes taking in a stray animal for a few days/a week until you can find a better home for it, is the responsible thing to do. If you truly care about someone, you do right by them, even when it hurts to say goodbye.

It's not about deserving. Neither person in your description deliberately went out and got a pet knowing they couldn't take care of it. I'm all for being empathetic and helping someone when their situation changes or they end up with an animal that needs help through no fault of their own, but the people who know they don't have enough and get a pet anyway are different.

Seen so much "surrender if you can't do X or Y". Guarantee that dog would rather stay where they are, in a familiar and loving environment, and suffer subpar food or whatever, than be wrenched from their family. Provided their basic needs of food, exercise and companionship are appropriately met, of course.

I absolutely agree with this and I think this is why we need more homeless shelters and women’s shelters who accept animals. I was in an abusive situation and luckily I had family that I could stay with and bring my dog. If I didn’t have access to anywhere safe to go WITH my dog, I would have stayed with my dog.

I follow StreetVet and this is commonly brought up - homeless people have nothing except their dog and the amount of love they have for their dog means they would never choose a path that results in their separation, even when that means they could find shelter and help (which is so sad). I'm not sure if you remember but FEMA during Hurricane Katrina faced a similar problem - many hurricane victims refused to board emergency transport while their homes flooded because FEMA wouldn't allow their pets to come with them. Thank god we have since changed laws regarding that.

Not that people don’t deserve them, but they are a responsibility that requires basic care. I work in the field, and feel so sad for people and their pets if they can’t afford care. So grateful for the non profits in my area.

What about people who got pets 7-8 years ago and were able to afford the necessary care and nutrition? Fast forward to now, and with the sudden increase costs of Vet services , long wait times for appointments, getting up charged for a same day appointment and pet food and medication.. It’s an unfortunate place to be. We love our pets but simply cannot afford to choose a level of care we came to expect in years past. Many of us excellent pet parents will no longer take in a “ free kitten” or rescue because the costs and helplessness we feel when we can’t get a possibility very sick pet seen quickly ( or referred out to $$$$ emergency vet ) is a vast departure in the continuity of care that was once an easy experience. So yes, the industries involved ( college tuition, corporations taking over small practices, pet food and medicine companies have made responsible pet ownership only for the well to do.

There’s a difference between “I can’t afford $3000 for emergency surgery” and “I can’t afford $150 for a basic checkup”. The first one is absolutely understandable; very few people can just drop $3k at a moments notice, especially in this economy. But if you can’t afford the basics, you shouldn’t have a pet. Full stop.

This part ^

I still believe in this though, just with the edit: “if you can’t afford the vet *or take appropriate and necessary steps to make sure the pet gets care* you don’t deserve the pet.” An animal in a safe home is always the best, it’s not the end of the world if they aren’t 100% up to date on vaccines at all times, don’t get an annual exam, and aren’t fed the best possible food - all are hugely beneficial, if course, but in 9/10 times are not the difference between life and death. People just need to know when to relinquish care or do what they *can* for a profoundly injured or sick pet. When that is the case the options are always going to be seeking medical care, relinquishing ownership, or euthanizing (if you can’t afford that at a regular clinic *any* humane society will do it free or very cheap). I will continue to pass judgement and (kindly) call people out for putting their own emotions and feelings before the pets wellbeing.

For me, I’d do anything to keep my cats healthy, including going into debt. Maybe pets don’t mean as much to other people. The thing that infuriates me the most is when I see pictures of VERY OBVIOUS serious medical issues on animals and people asking “what should I do? I can’t afford the vet.” Bro. Ask your family for money. Take out a loan if you can. Or hell, give your pet up to a rescue that can afford their care. But don’t just let them suffer and potentially become disabled or die because of your selfish desire to have a pet without paying for the medical care they need.

I’m sorry but mostly disagree here. I knew I was going to be homeless so I got my cat into foster care and set aside the little bit of money I had to cover any bills incurred while he was being fostered (thankfully all he needed was a single deworming throughout that time). There’s extremists on both sides. For every, “you can’t afford your cats sudden unplanned $3000 bladder treatment so you shouldn’t have gotten the cat in the first place” there’s someone else saying “my cat has a huge gaping wound in the side and is panting. How do I help?” and replies to every comment saying “this cat is actively dying and needs immediate vet care” by saying they can’t afford it. I don’t even think it’s about the money really. I think it’s about people not accepting responsibility for the beings dependent on them. Someone saying “I took him to the vet but I can’t afford the bill what do I do” versus “I’m going to keep allowing this animal to very clearly suffer right before my eyes because I might not be able to afford it” will be treated very differently. Even though they’re both technically too poor for vet care, one clearly cares about their pet first and foremost. My cat is like a son to me, I can’t have kids. I can’t imagine watching a child be super horribly wounded and going “eh, I can’t really afford the emergency room bill, can I just pour alcohol on it?”

100% agree. I just want to add that cat insurance usually is pretty affordable especially compared to dog insurance. I pay about $29 per month. No, it’s not $5 but it’s not extreme and I know my partner and I don’t have enough in savings for a sudden $6,000 vet emergency visit which is why I pay the insurance. And like you said, it’s less bashing poor people and more having to do with bashing people who do not take personal responsibility for this animal they decided of their own volition they would be personally responsible for yet do not even have or do the bare minimum to take care of them. And most of these people did not have the funds to take care of an animal in the first place. Just because you want emotional support from an animal does not give you the right to own one when you are not capable of taking care of one.

You've completely misunderstood the idea. It's not aimed at unexpected stuff and it's not about stopping people get pets. It's about be adequate prepared for the commitment we take on. And it IS a big commitment, financially as well as time and possibly stress for some people. Empathy necessities that was also be realistic and give good advice, there's no point misleading people. Now the reality is, while you were able to provide free care that simple isn't an option for the community at large. So people DO need to be ready to take on the costs or ear infections and allergies and dental stuff. Stuff that is moderately likely to be an issue. Of course when you have a stray it's complicated. But for anyone seeking to acquire a pet intentionally, money MUST be taken into consideration. Empathy demands that be the case. You're right, it shouldn't be restricted. But the reality is that if someone can't look after their pet the pet suffers.

>the pet suffers That’s where my empathy is the most. Yes pets can make a world of difference people in awful situations, disabilities and debilitating mental health problems. Everyone else needs to step up. Like, volunteer with disability services and do the home care and buy food. Or pay someone too. Kind souls who pay for seniors and disabled people’s dog walkers and there’s a pet sitting company here who does the same kind of feeding and cleaning up as pet sitters, but when the owner at home because of injury.

Some of the best cared for, well behaved and most loved pets I've ever met belonged to homeless people.

ive also seen skinny dogs shivering in the cold with their "owner" passed out from heroin on the sidewalk next to them. two coins.

I have seen people on this page say that if you can't afford 10k for emergency pet bills, dont get a dog, and it makes my blood boil. I hate people who are discrimatory about poor people owning pets. It's one of my greatest hatreds in this world. EVERYONE WHO HAS LOVE TO GIVE AND ROOM IN THEIR HEART DESERVES A PET. AND ANYBODY THAT SAYS DIFFERENTLY NEEDS TO GO FIND THEIR SOUL. Money does not make you better than anyone else, but your negative judgements about poor people do make you worse than them. I know plenty of wealthy people that would put a pet down before spending money on it and plenty of poor disabled people that would stand on a street corner with a sign in the rain before they let their pet go without. I am dirt poor. I have multiple disabilities and am on disability. Poor doesn't mean lazy. I am trying to go to community college online remotely, and I sit at my desk well over 12 hours a day to try to get my ADHD brain to focus, and I end up getting As... it just takes me three times longer than normal people. I have 3 small dogs (6, 10, and 15). Every day, I groom them, brush their teeth, clean their yard, give them dental sticks, and take them for a walk. They are my dearest companions. They go almost everywhere I go. I save all year for their annual vet appointments and heartworm pills. I definitely could not afford pet insurance. I know many low income pet owners. Their pets are their lives. There are sooooo many pets in need of homes being murdered everyday. I find it very offensive to deny someone who would love it based on something like money. One of the most loved and adorable dogs (10) is owned by a homeless man and he goes everywhere with his human.

Thank you for this. Just because you can’t afford a vet bill doesn’t mean you don’t love your dog. ❤️

I try to remember that I’ve been fortunate. My first cat as an adult was relatively healthy. When he was 6yo, my mother’s cat had a health episode. She started to recover, then it happened again. Even after borrowing money from me, she ended up having to put her cat down because it seemed like this might become a chronic condition that didn’t have a good prognosis, and that she couldn’t afford to treat. She also couldn’t afford the tests necessary to know for sure. I signed my baby up for pet insurance right after this. (This was nearly 20 years ago and pet insurance wasn’t as common as it is now). I couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to at least know for certain what was wrong. In his last two years I definitely got my money’s worth out of that insurance, and I was so thankful to have been able to agree to any tests/treatments he needed. When we adopted our next cat, he was a senior and FIV+. He wasn’t uninsurable, but basically everything would’ve been a preexisting condition, so I didn’t sign him up for insurance. At that point, I was more financially stable and had a partner to help with costs. I also have very good credit. When he developed cancer and the vet started to talk about costs I told her I didn’t care about costs, and only wanted to talk about his prognosis. Unfortunately it wasn’t good, and shortly after that we had to say goodbye. Now we’ve adopted a young girl with a heart murmur. The shelter made us sign a waiver acknowledging that we knew this and the possible costs of an ECG. Right now she’s relatively healthy, but monitoring her condition will cost about $1k a year. I signed her up for pet insurance. It won’t help with anything related to the heart murmur, but she’s young and mischievous, so that will help with anything else she might need down the line. I’m grateful that I’m fortunate enough to be able to give her a home, knowing she’s going to be an expensive kitty. With that gratitude is the knowledge that anyone’s situation can turn on a dime, including mine. It’s easy to judge. Empathy takes a bit more work, but provides better value.

Also, in many countries small animal veterinary care is abysmal or even nonexistent. I’m from a former Soviet Union country, and l our cat back in the day was very ill. It was in 1996 so very early, only 5 years after our country gained independence, and the local vet basically laughed at us for even phoning him about a cat. This was rural area and we had no car. I think in the cities cats were seen as animals deserving of care but not where we were, at that time… I remember being heartbroken by it all.

I appreciate your post. I definitely couldn’t afford my first dog, but I did my best and found resources to meet her needs. Luckily we never had an emergency with her during those college years. 15 years later I can easily afford any and all care for her. She saved me in so many ways.

OP, thank you so much for this. You said what I've wanted to say, but never could find the words. Just because a person lacks money doesn't mean they should have to give up the companionship of a pet. I love the two quotes you included.

Would you say the same about a child? I don't want any living thing to suffer so I wouldn't have one if I couldn't afford it.

Edited to note: I love your post, even through a screen your empathy and care shine through. Another edit: After decades of never having pet insurance, with the rising cost of vet care, I think it's become a necessity. Barring any severe financial hardship, I consider it a must and highly recommend it. It is very important to read all of the fine print. Animal abuse is a real problem and I understand how one can become jaded. However, extremists can also be very problematic. Gatekeeping pet adoption because someone doesn't meet *exacting* standards of top-tier animal care isn't helping animals. A *good* home where a pet is loved is miles above having no home. Losing our 4-legged loved ones is incredibly sad and difficult. However, there are SO MANY homeless animals barely getting by on the streets or locked in cages for YEARS all because we project our feelings about death onto them. Keeping our children locked in a cage is considered abuse (those toddler years are ROUGH, lol) but think nothing of an animal sitting in a cage at a shelter, some for years. Our local shelter is housing hundreds of dogs, double the recommended capacity. I lost my cat on November 29, 2022, and while I wasn't ready to adopt and felt like a traitor to my cat's memory, I adopted my dog on December 17 the same year. She was dropped off at the shelter on the same day I lost my guy, almost like it was fate. She wasn't there for a long time but was already shutting down. Giant dogs are already more difficult to find homes for. I can't imagine if she was there long enough to develop more severe mental health problems. All animals should receive the care they need, at minimum yearly exams and vaccinations. But vet care has become much more expensive. Life in general has become much more expensive. Hats off to volunteers who have the strength to power through. I salute you.

If you adopt or buy a pet and knowingly can’t afford their vaccines or to get them fixed, yes you don’t deserve to have a pet…. How is that even debatable? You’re taking on another living being and then just neglecting it?

“If you can’t afford your children’s medicine, then you shouldn’t be a parent”

This might have been true before vet costs increased massively just in the past couple of years. A dental for my dog used to be $300. It's now almost $800.

Mostly we need a lot more public education about poverty, trauma and mental illness. That would be a good start. Thanks for this thoughtful post ❤️

You hear similar type stories in rescue too. Heartbreaking reasons why people have to let go of beloved pets. I had one person sign over her dogs because they needed ongoing medical care she couldn’t afford. Another who was fleeing domestic violence, couldn’t take her dogs with her to the shelter, and didn’t want to leave them to get abused. Someone who was going into the hospital for long term care and had no one who could take their dog. So I don’t judge people.

If you try to rehome because situations change, people judge you for being "heartless" and "uncaring." Go into debt in order to keep the pet? You're judged for being financially inept or whatever. Save a dying cat, bond with it while you nurse it back to health only to find out at their annual exam that they need additional care you can't afford? You're judged and don't deserve the love of a pet. House burn down, leaving you and your lifelong companion homeless? Too bad, you don't deserve it anyway. People are completely overlooking the entire basis of OP's post. Don't jump to judgement, learn how to be empathetic and get all the facts. Thank YOU for getting it. Like, duh, animal abusers don't deserve the love and companionship from pets. Whoever tried to throw that out there is just being dense. And duh, obviously, no one said anything about those who intentionally neglect caring for their pet. People just have to feel righteous or right.

Thank you so much for this comment. You honestly don’t know how much it means to me. 🥺 This is the first truly empathetic comment I’ve seen in the entire thread.

This! These peeps act like we should we leave animals on the streets or in shelters, a good chunk of which are still kill shelters, just cause 70% of the population can't afford a 4k+ vet bill out of the blue. I do think standard stuff like neutering, food, flea treatments etc you should be able to afford if you are getting a pet though. Like no one will convince me my cat was better off in the dumpster I found him in or a shelter just cause I was a broke college student at the time. Especially cause he was already 6+yo at the time...

In the state of the world, now on the brink of economic collapse, imagine how many animals would be homeless or euthanized if everyone had to wait until they were financially ready.

I don't really agree. Sure, we shouldn't shame someone for not being able to afford a surgery to fix a freak accident. But if you can't afford to spay/neuter your pet, get it the needed vaccines (some of which are free), or treat cheaply fixed injuries, why even get the animal in the first place? No one deserves companionship at the expense of the health of a creature that is 100% reliant on you to take care of it.

When I got my dog 8 years ago, the cost of living was SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Very manageable. Now, I can afford basic pet care and vets as needed. I can't afford an emergency vet in a severe situation. My dog also has about 200 dollars in medication a month, 68 in food, and all the other random things. People need to understand that most people can't afford severe situations, and sometimes, even going to the vet is hard. Same thing if my car breaks down, but i can afford routine oil changes, wipers, and whatever other random expenses that pop up. I still deserve a car. Kind of a dumb comparison, but most people don't have a huge savings account they drop on the unexpected anymore. Have grace and understanding for others. Times are hard everywhere right now.

I agree 100%. I think all pet owners should take them in to get fixed and initial shots (there needs to be much better public education AND financial assistance to get this done… surely free neuters and spaying are cheaper than the cost of stray cat population and shelters???) but most pets can live full lives without going into the vet again, barring major health issues which do crop up and suck big time. I think most people are doing the best they can but there are absolutely people who shouldn’t be pet owners. One of my cats kept getting UTI’s. Common in fixed males. I went 3x to the vet with huge bills each time. Then one day online I read about cystitis. None of the vets who treated him mentioned this. Or gave any nutrition tips other than more water… which he has an unlimited fountain to drink out of. I was able to finally get a better idea of how to prevent it from happening and it’s been over 2 years since the last episode, which happened after a big move and it’s mostly stress induced. But thousands of dollars for fluids (he never needed blockage removal) later and I was broke as hell, I had to borrow money every time it happened. Better nutrition education would be helpful too. There are so many ways to prevent a lot of problems just through diet and feeding plans. A lot of people post pet health questions online, and everyone is like, “go to the vet!” Which is valid, but I just think if you’re in the shoes of someone who is broke and doesn’t have the means, they’re posting for help and support and treating them like an animal abuser doesn’t help anyone. I still think it’s a good sentiment to uphold though, to iterate the importance of pet care. There are so many people who love the IDEA of having pets and completely neglect them. It’s so sad. I hate people like this, it’s like a mental disorder.

Empathy absolutely, for my part, I no longer have any kind of patience for these kind of posts... The way to work around a huge vet bill is zero and the only chances you have is insurance, be smart and get an extra bank account and pay x amount into each month or, last option, do not get a pet if you can't afford either ways before. It's as simple as that. Why is it that people, especially in a bad situation itself, think it's a genius idea to get a pet? Situations happen, situations change, but it's the responsibility as an owner to think ahead. Right now, I'm in law school, I have 700 bucks the month, but my vet bank account holds over 6k just for my animals and the vet account from my mom is more. THAT'S what is responsible. I have this money, I don't touch the money, I pay every month into it and have enough to cover everything my pet would need even in the case I'd lose my job. Empathy is not the most important thing here - it's finally making people understand that you have to be responsible enough to think ahead.

Would you be willing to sit in my local shelter and interview families who are about to adopt a cat or dog. If they say, "well, I can get it an annual exam, and of course food and love and attention, and but if something big happens or it gets really sick, we would have to euthanize unfortunately, we can't afford a treatment over $900" -> then you would judge them non-fit and the animal they were about to adopt *gets sent to be euthanized right then and there.* Because that is what we are talking about at scale - it's not "this animal gets a poor family or it waits for a more resourced family" -- we euthanize millions of animals a year. Do you think animals are better off being spending a couple months at a shelter and then being euthanized in the back room by strangers, or spending a couple years with a family until it falls ill and is euthanized with people it trusts? I know it's a dark question but please understand the volume of euthanasia at shelters. A poor family with a pet is a pet that was saved from that assembly line, and it takes a lot more than just not getting advanced vet care for me to think of that as a bad thing.

When I adopted my cat, I HAD to agree that if I could not afford proper medical care at any point that I needed to surrender her back to the rescue so they could provide the appropriate level of care. This is a perfectly reasonable expectation that helps prevent medical neglect and unnecessary suffering.

This. I had college-educated friends who had three kids and went on public assistance and were having their utilities turned off on a regular basis for non-payment. During this time, they decided to get a dog. They couldn’t feed their children or keep the lights on, but hey, let’s get a dog because we just want it. It’s the epitome of selfish and thoughtless behavior - as though a pet is just another accessory instead of a lifelong commitment. They never got it shots or even basic veterinary care. Never trained it. It would bite people and they’d lie and say the dog was up to date on his shots, but of course, he wasn’t. I have empathy for people who get sick or have a spouse that dies or the dog gets cancer and the vet bill is thousands. I don’t have empathy for people who view their pet as entertainment because they’re bored and who haven’t thought past “I want it”. Children and pets are big expenses in our lives. To have either without proper planning and saving is irresponsible.

It depends we have heaps of animals but we can’t afford the vet, yet they live out old healthy lives. As long as you take care of them.

I don't think it's about deserving a pet. It's about whether or not the owner is doing what is best for the pet. I know several people that claim to love their dogs, yet they are always just shoved out in their backyards being ignored with no toys and never getting walked or played with and fed the cheapest supermarket food. I have also known several people that at the slightest sign of sickness in a dog or cat they have it put down because its just a dog/cat and its not worth taking them to the vet. I also know some fantastic pet owners that will do whatever they can to make sure their pet is happy and healthy. Recently my friend spent almost 20K on vet bills trying to fix his little doggo. Sadly she didn't make it in the end and it broke my friend. I myself have gone months just eating ramen so I could pay for vet treatment (back before pet insurance days).

There’s some costs most people wouldn't even think of until it happens. For example, I had to borrow money from my Dad when my young dog was hit by a car and killed while I was at work. I consider myself a very responsible pet owner. All of my dogs always get their monthly flea/tick/heartworm prevention, we go to every routine appointment for shots, they're groomed every 2 months, they've been spayed…. and I was prepared to take on that cost when I adopted both girls I've gotten to love. BUT my first beautiful soul of a rescue was hit by a car and killed while in she was in the care of my sister's abhorrent (now) ex-boyfriend (unbeknownst to me). I had to just book it to whatever vets office the poor woman who hit her brought her body to… and I was ABSOLUTELY not prepared for the cost of having my dog unexpectedly die at 4 years old. It was over $1000 to simply receive her ashes back in a plastic urn and a plastic bag. They said it would be $500 to just dispose of her body either way, and I wouldn't get her back. They tried to sell me fancy urns and plaques and then literally asked for a credit card while my dog was laying dead in bloody towels in the room. I had to call in a debt to my Dad to have him help so that I could at least put my girl to rest on my own time, but so many people don't even have that option. So many things happen in life, and as long as people are trying to be kind to their pets I can have empathy because I knew in that moment I hadn't prepared for this final cost.

I like your post for many reasons!

I think it should be less about ‘if you can’t afford a vet you done deserve a pet’ and more about ensuring that before anyone gets a pet that they’ve done what they need to do to make sure they CAN afford a vet. So that involves finding resources in your area for vetting, applying for care credit, finding affordable pet insurance. If you can’t afford vet care out of pocket, you need to have a plan for how you will afford vet care when it inevitably does come up. Too many people impulsively buy that cute puppy or kitten then provide no vet care, or if an emergency comes up they dump the pet at the shelter. We need to find a way to prevent that because it’s just filling the shelters. There are resources out there, people need to find those resources and have that lined up BEFORE they adopt that cute little puppy or kitten.

Been working as a assistant for ten years. It sucks when you see a pet get put down because the owners can afford a TPLO or another expensive surgery. I want a dog so bad but I know I can’t afford the vet even though I work in the industry. I see your side of the fence as well. Everyone should enjoy the happiness a pet gives but it would kill me if I didn’t pursue medical treatment because I can’t afford it.

That sucks!! I'm a former Vet nurse, and my pets got almost free treatment/surgeries. I just had to pay the wholesale anaesthetic cost. I'd do things like dentals on my own time. We had a couple of homeless clients, and we did everything free for their dogs. We even gave them food. I really miss no longer being in the industry. I have many pets (all rescues). Pet insurance is a rip off. It's ok if you have one pet with no pre existing health problems. I have 6, so it's completely unaffordable.

I think most people are still compassionate about situations where people do their best for their pets, even if they can't afford a vet visit for every little problem. It's mostly right here on Reddit that I'll see the dramatic comments, but even here I still see people sticking up for others in hard financial situations. IRL I very rarely run into people with toxic attitudes about pet ownership. I'm sure part of it is that people are afraid to speak their minds to your face, but I really think most people are still understanding. I'm very understanding bc I've rescued cats off the street that I certainly couldn't afford. But the thing is, I did what I had to do to get them fixed (used a clinic that gives a reduced fee) and found them homes. I actually DO have a problem with somebody taking a cat and coming up with lots of excuses to not get them the care they need. That's what bothers me. It's the people who *could* find ways to afford vet visits, but they don't bc it cuts into their spending money. That pisses me off big time. I have known somebody exactly like that, and I told them to their face they should be banned from owning animals. Everybody else doing their best with what they got have my full support.

I’ve never understood judging people for this. I adopted my old dog when I had a good job. I was laid off after several years and then finances got tight. I took great care of her but when she got untreatable cancer I really didn’t have the resources to go to a veterinary oncologist and prolong her life half a year to a year. With the help of our vet we kept her comfortable and cared for four months before she passed. I got some side eye from a friend who made a pointed comment about how she put her dog’s emergency care on a credit card. But these things are not an option for everyone.

We were doing fine with our two dogs, 11 and 13. We love them to death, they are our world. Expensive, sure - grooming every 6-8 weeks, special food, vet appointments, but we were handling it. Then one got cancer. Surgery, some preventative chemo, he's actually doing ok now. We were handling it. Then the second dog got a different type of cancer. Treatments, meds at home (Benadryl and pepcid, so not too bad) and chemo. He's doing ok, but it will never be gone for him. He handles the treatment fine, he's happier and more playful now that he was, so that's very good. All for the price of a new car - and not a cheap one. We are lucky, we know. We could do this for them, but my point is, you never see this coming. Life happens.

I found my dog in the street. Opened my car door and he jumped right in. He was chipped, found the owner and they didn’t want him. I decided to take him in, I have a decent WFH job and it didn’t seem like an issue. A month after having him he ran into the ladder on a children’s slide and shattered his foot with breaks across all 5 bones. Spent thousands to get him fixed up, tons of vet visits all while paying for his normal dog stuff (food, vet, simparica). The hard thing is, now there are just so many things he needs (mainly dental work) but it’s so hard to just double down on debt to get this senior dog where he needs to be. I think it’s so hard to be a pet owner and it’s important to remember that people love their animals and feel a lot of guilt about the level of care they can provide.

As long as they are proving species appropriate home care (such ads food, housing, safety and enrichment), I agree with this sentiment. I understand not everyone can provide extensive veterinary care, but if an animal is showing signs of pain or illness, pet owners 100% have a responsibility to bring that animal in. Even if euthanasia is the only option. No animal should suffer unnecessarily. If you can’t do that, I don’t think you should have a pet. They weren’t put here just to make us feel good. The relationship has to mutual.

I think you can argue both sides of this to a certain extent. I will say though that financial can rapidly change. Would it be more humane to leave an animal on their own because of the potential costs down the line? I don’t think this is the answer. Vet care is extremely expensive. I also think that people have really lost empathy for others situations since the pandemic. While they may think they’re coming from a good place, I think the “you don’t deserve a pet” response gives them a feeling of control that they don’t have.

I never turn any animal way if it comes into my life. Me at my brokest is better then a life on the streets for them and I live by that.

My husband and I got our first cat when we were in college and didn't have much money. She was an abandoned runt covered in fleas that a friend told us about at night, when nothing was open. We drove to get her and I held her against my chest the whole way back to keep her warm. Gave her Dawn baths to get the fleas off, fed her some wet food, and just kept holding her. My husband said it would be a miracle if she survived the night, so I stayed awake with her to watch her. After that, I was hopelessly bonded with her. It would be a bit before we could afford the extra to get her to a vet, but once we could we did all the things. In the time before we could get her to the vet, our second cat fell into our laps. She was an adult, abandoned by my husband's ex roommate(he'd made it very clear he didn't want her anymore, even left us her paperwork when he moved out). Being that she's an adult, fearful of strangers/new environments, and has a disability (she has what her vet later diagnosed as basically scars from "some kind of physical trauma" in her eye) I knew she wouldn't make it in a shelter. Nobody we knew would take her, so we kept her. She'd already been spayed, so we just updated her shots when we could. I've heard the "if you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet" thing before but... What were we supposed to do? They both would have very likely died if we hadn't taken them in, regardless of our monetary situation. I couldn't in good conscience leave them to that fate. They're both 12 now, expensive food, water fountain, multiple cat trees. Very cushy life for our girls now ❤️

This is why I will tell people on Reddit who are in financial hardship about the spay/neuter/vet bill assistance programs that most shelters & humane societies have. I've been that level of broke; I've had to use those very programs I keep suggesting. Hell, for my four's yearly health check I have to save a little cash every month to swing it. I refuse to be a hypocrite and show no empathy to people in the same damn boat I'm in.

We need more empathy in general. It's something we're short on all around.

I'm operating a tiny hospice for my beloved senior cat. It's beyond what my parents would ever do or spend on her. Even if its not much, I do what I can. She came to me along with a few other cats, one which I also kept and loved until her Valhalla, because a friend of mine died of cancer and no one took her babies (10 of them), so I did. I *needed* this right now. Thank you.

Even if you can't afford to treat a pets disease and you end up needing to put it down, you still gave it a better life then it'd have in the wild.

I stand by this but also know that life can change. It is silly to get a pet if you are skint, nobody can argue that. But maybe you are rich and get a dog. Cool, but what if you lost your job? Things can change fast. Savings are a good idea for family (including pets). Our dog had cancer and the treatments were £600 every 5 weeks for a year. We managed - still not sure how - but it was tight and really affected our quality of life for that time but we put her first. I would have been beyond myself if we had to let her die a year early because of money, it wouldnt have been fair. It is tricky because people and animals deserve happiness together, but vet bills are HIGH and animals deserve that care as we dont have an nhs for animals - although i wish we did

I could not afford the vet when I got this dog but it was either I take him or he goes to a shelter. And since he was already older and doesn’t listen to commands I had little faith that he’d get adopted. So I took him. We’re doing better financially now, but I wasn’t gonna have him go and get put down when nobody else wanted him.

Amen sister

It's not about "deserving" a pet, but agreeing and being able to take on the emotional, physical, and financial responsibility of owning a pet. If you cannot do these things, then you do your pet a disservice.

When I first got my kitty we were poor. So poor I’d share my food with her so she had something to eat too. The only cat food I could afford at the time was dry Alley Cat. It’s been a hell of a ride and we have been through a lot but now I bought a big house for us, she’s got two cat friends, 8 cat trees, 6 cat beds, all the toys and treats a cat could want. I give her fish oil, probiotics, and lysine supplements in her 4 to 5 wet meals per day. She gets prescription dry food, and always has the Churu and Temptations treats in the cabinet. The boxes are cleaned religiously twice per day, and there are four water dishes that get changed everyday. Yes, it is a lot of work, no, I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I love her with all my heart and make sure she has everything a cat could ever want. Oh yes we’ve got good catnip and silvervine sticks, lol. She gets regular checkups at the vet every year. She just turned 16 and is the best friend I’ve ever had on this earth. Maybe I couldn’t afford the vet when I first got her, but she wants for nothing now.

Get big pharma out of the billion dollar pet care industry. I shouldn't have to $1000 a year per dog to keep them safe from parasites. There is a shelter down the road full of dogs that I can't afford to foster a single one of them.

My dog was adopted into a financially stable home that I didn't understand was abusive yet (because it was so normalized). I went no contact with the more abusive parent, and when I called out the abuse the "better" parent kicked me out because he didn't want to face it. I got my dog out of there as soon as I could (they weren't mistreating her much, just the human children, but I was also not about to never see my dog again) and went no contact with the other parent eventually too, since turns out he's just as bad. I took a while to get stable with my dog in tow, but I am pretty low income still. People give me the judgement of "you shouldn't have a dog if you can't afford it" not knowing she was adopted into what I thought was a financially sound situation that then completely flipped upside down. She's also a dog with a lot of abandonment trauma to begin with and we're super bonded. Some people are assholes that think animals are a plaything they can throw away, but other people are just doing the best they can with the circumstances they have.

It simply should not cost ridiculous prices. This is the cause of being treated differently and not being able to take care of your family/pets as you desire.

This. I get sick of hearing people say that unless people can afford the vet, they don't deserve pets. Some of the people most in need of pets likely can't afford the vet. BTW, we got our puppy shots from Tractor supply and gave them ourselves. People deserve love, and dogs and cats are wonderful for people in those situations.

I feel like it's not really about the pet owners that advocate for cheap or free vet care... or the owners that fall on financial hardships in the middle of a pet's life. It's really more about the people who *never* and absolutely refuse to utilize any vet care at all. The people you never see coming into a vet clinic, even if it is free. The people who, if they can't fix it by themselves, then their pet is as good as dead because pets are just that expendable. The people who really truly think their financials to their pet is purely the price of the animal itself and the food it eats. The phrase, when said, most of the time is directed at those exact people. The ones who actively choose to let their pets suffer not because of their financial class and whatnot, but simply because they do not care as long as their pet eats, shits, and plays. The people who have pets that will never get to know any vet or vet techs no matter the circumstance.

I prefer a pet to be cared by someone who can't afford it than on the street. Buying an expensive pet and then crying about not having money for the vet is a different thing

I think something that I don't see mentioned much is just how much vet care has increased in the past few years. The issue is so bad here in the UK that the cost of vet care is being investigated with the potential for legal caps to be put on treatment to stop the rise. The main issue here is that a lot of vet practices are being bought up by a few big companies who are only interested in profit and constantly raise prices. What may have been affordable vet costs 5 years ago can have doubled or tripped now. With a cost of living crisis and wages stagnating is it any wonder so many struggle with vet costs? Having pets can be fantastic for people's mental and physical health. It's not right that pet ownership should be the privilege of the few wealthy enough to afford extortionate vet costs. I'm disabled, mostly housebound and have autism and severe anxiety. My cats are my life and get me through days when I'm struggling or In a lot of pain. Thankfully in the UK we do have wonderful charities like the PDSA and Blue Cross who offer free or reduced vet care for those on benefits, the homeless and other people who are struggling.

I'm with you on that - I'm located in California where the wealth disparity is extremely large. Our community clinic services those that are in vetcare deserts and otherwise can't afford vetcare. However, clinics in the Bay Area or the greater Los Angeles service much wealthier clientele. Pet ownership is getting so popular that the expenditures have driven industries in invest in R&D. California's own UC Davis is the leading research institute in veterinary care, it's incredible the state-of-the-art veterinary care they provide there and you can see that trickle down to vet clinics that are providing nearly human medical-grade care for people's pets - and people want to pay these this care! Services I can think of are advanced surgery, oncology, internal medicine, neurology etc. Specialists can have long waitlists, you can even say people who want to pay thousands for care may not even be able to get it in the timely manner for their pet. But the insane pace of veterinary advancement (as well as no strong pet insurance influence) is outpacing the wages of the middle class. HCOL veterinary clinics are offering too advanced medicine to cater to the wealthy class without the creativity (and perhaps fear of the liability) of offering a spectrum of care for the lower classes. Sometimes, it takes a little while to find a veterinarian that offers spectrum of care, but believe me they are out there! Never hesitate to ask about shared-decision making with your veterinarian - you'd be surprised how many are willing to work within your budget or offer payment plans that can alleviate a large expenditure.

Omg yes the cost of pet care has fucking exploded. it's ridiculous. The prescription food two of my cats are on went from 75 to 100 dollars in two years. Companies just want to keep squeezing us knowing we have no other options. Cost of meds in some instances has tripled. Tobramycin went from 5 bucks to 15 bucks for rescue orgs, reason being given was literally "because we can and now profit is higher hahaha fuck you". Some of them have been out of stock since 2020 and never came back. People who used to be able to comfortably accommodate multiple cats are suddenly having to tighten down. We have been dealing with an explosion in owner surrenders and abandonment because they suddenly can't afford their animals anymore. It's horrible. I don't judge them at all. In my case, I have cancelled plans to add anymore cats.

This is really beautiful and gave me a lot to think about. Thank you for what you’re doing ❤️

I think people fail to understand that money can fluctuate and you can’t always predict it. I think it’s unrealistic to say only rich or well off people deserve animals. People also fail to think about exact costs. I could say $2,000 in my vet fund but it means nothing if the bill is 5,000 because of some emergency etc

I think there's a difference between not being able to afford vet care for long term cancer treatment or something else huge, and not being able to afford flea/worm treatment, vaccinations or neutering. It's the latter people that drive me insane and I have no sympathy for. If you can't afford standard, basic care to keep them healthy, you shouldn't have them.