Hard question - how much would you pay?

[JessicaK]

Two part question:

- How much would you expect to pay in a medical emergency?
- How much would be willing to pay to treat your bunny?


I know most people here would do everything they can to save or treat their rabbit. But the unfortunate reality is that there is a limit.

The reason I ask, is that I'm filling out the vet authorization form for while I'm gone, and it asks the maximum I'm willing to pay. And I honestly have no idea. I'm luck enough to have never had a major vet emergency with my bunnies, so I don't know what it usually costs.

(they don't need any routine care while I am gone; they would only go to the vet in an emergency(

 

[wendymac]

You have to decide for yourself how much you can reasonable afford, without your decision being detrimental to the rest of your family. Horses get colic very frequently (#1 killer). My vet told me to make a list, before anyone was sick and no emotions, of who was a candidate for surgery and who wasn't. He said many people lead with their heart, and end up spending their entire nest egg trying to save a horse that they ordinarily wouldn't have tried to save. The same should be done with all of your pets. When I made my horse list, we had 12 horses. Out of all of them, only one made the "save" list. And then it had a $5k limit. The max I'll spend on my bunnies is $300. My dog is $1000. Those are figures that won't mean my kids go hungry or the bills don't get paid. So you'll need to figure out your financial situation and go from there. As much as people hate to admit it, there ARE limitations to what one can afford when it comes to our animals. And it's best to do it BEFORE someone gets sick/injured, so you're not emotional and not thinking clearly. Hope that helps you a little. It's a tough decision, for sure!

 

[Kipcha]

Well, I spent over $7000 in vet bills last year (Thank goodness the last couple months have been good other then the routine!), but honestly, I don't have so much of a limit and I go by individual cases. For instance, the FHO for Flynn was over $1,000. But, it would prevent any further pain from her injury, she was only 1 year old and had good chances of making a wonderful recovery, so I went for it. But if it happened to, say, my 7 1/2 year old, I might have to reconsider because he probably would not handle such a drastic surgery as well.

Of course, that doesn't help in your case, but that's just how I determine. I look at the prognosis and ask the vets opinion... Although I normally wind up just doing whatever needs to be done.

Personally, I would probably put a $500 limit until I contacted (Because hopefully nothing too drastic would happen that requires more) and then when I get the call, decide from there.

It all comes down to your financial situation. The ONLY reason I had the money is because I always put some aside for emergency situations (I try to have it at least $1000 at all times).

 

[Ape337]

Honestly I base my decision more on what the problem is than on how much. There are things that I would not do to an animal that I will do to a human. For example: my rotti ended up costing over $10,000 in medical bills for his 9.5 year lifetime. This is NOT including routine medical care, or basic stuff like food, toys, and whatever else. He had 2 knee surgeries by the time he was 3, hip dysplasia in both hips, and another problem that required medication. He was fine except for some bum knees and hips, and a pinched nerve in his neck that needed pills sometimes.
We found out that he had a massive internal tumor when he was 9, and had a 50% chance of surviving the surgery to remove it. If he had survived, after $6000, then he may need cancer treatments, and it would likely return. I was not willing to put him through all of that. And it had nothing to do with cost, although at that point my father was willing to pitch in bc just the tests were costly up to that point. I just couldn't see how to try and explain to him why he would have been going through all of that misery and pain just to extend his life by maybe a year?
Freckles is up close to $1000 now since adopting him in July just for medical bills. And I'll do everything I can for him until I feel his quality of life is suffering, or I hit the $$$ limit.
There is a monetary limit everyone hits eventually, or an emotional one, or one out of compassion and kindness to our animals. I think we are kinder to our animals sometimes than our humans.

Sorry that ended up being so long. It really is up to you examining what you can do/afford/are willing to put your animal through. It doesn't make you a better person if you can afford the most expensive medical treatments out there. We all do what we can.

 

[tonyshuman]

I agree that it depends a lot on the potential for success of the medical treatment. I also think it's most appropriate to put this in terms of a percentage of income/resources. I have had two situations where this has come up.

One was a bunny with a cancerous tumor. They wanted to do radiation therapy, which would require full anesthesia. Benjamin wasn't at the time a very good candidate for anesthesia due to the tumor causing a bit of pneumonia. The radiation therapy also didn't have a good success rate at the time; a lot of bunnies that had it would have to go through it multiple times, or would get the treatment and the tumor would grow back quickly. In the time since, some new information has come out that puts the success rate much higher. At the time it seemed like it might give us 3-6months more, at a very high expense, high risk due to him not being a good anesthesia candidate, and high discomfort for the bunny since radiation treatment is not fun and would be very stressful. The alternative was "benign neglect", for us to offer supportive care and let the cancer take its course. He wasn't acting like a sick bunny at all and was doing binkies up until the day he died. We didn't want to put him through the treatment because the cost/benefit ratio wasn't on our side. It was about the quality of his last months with us rather than the quantity.

Another situation happened when I gave my Dutch bunny Tony ivermectin for potential ear mites. I didn't know at the time that Dutches and some other bunnies can have a toxic reaction to ivermectin like many herding dogs. Ivermectin has a broad safety range in non-sensitive animals (ie you can give a much larger dose than is needed), so I also gave him too much for his weight. I totally screwed up and now know that you should never give your bunny meds unless it's been pre-approved by a vet. He was in emergency care for several days. In that situation, there was no alternative to treatment other than euthanasia. Also, the treatment was mostly supportive to keep him ok until he eliminated the drug from his system. It was a horrible few days for him but once he recovered, it was a complete recovery. I spent about a month's pay on that gladly, and I continue to make sure I have at least a month's pay, preferably two, in savings at all times in case another emergency like that happens (or other types of emergencies). I know not everyone can afford to do that.

Sometimes you can try too hard to keep an animal alive and it's not right to put the animal through very uncomfortable treatments for only a marginal benefit. For Benjamin, I think it was kinder to let him have several happy months instead of a few more months that would be full of painful procedures. For Tony, it was a terrible few days for him to endure, but he recovered completely. Those are the decisions that primarily guide me when deciding how far to go in terms of treatment.

 

[MILU]

I gave more than $1000 for my MILU when he had dental issues and I don't regret. I'd pay as much as I could for animals, because I LOVE them just like (or more than) people.

 

[houghj3]

Hi JessicaK, I side on the lower side, it may seem callous but I am around $200 for pets. That's what I could possibly afford. Any question like this is kind of loaded for criticism, in the end if you are loving, provide a food, shelter, homes, etc. That bun has probably benefitted.

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Honestly, given my current student situation- I am also on the lower side. I am in enough debt because of these loans (student loans pays 100% of my schooling and living). I love my bunny but realisitcally, and I made this decision before with Akina, going back and forth to the vet runs up too much of a bill and in all honestly, sometimes it's just easier to forego all the stress on them and just PTS. I did this with Akina because it was getting too much and it ended up compromising her health. If I kept going back and forth, eventually I wouldn't have been able to afford the PTS. Turned out with her, she had mammory tumor on her sexual glands anyway- we found that out when the vet was looking for her heart beat.

 

[wendymac]

I'd pay as much as I could for animals

The key is here. Everyone has differing amount of disposable income.

 

[BinkyBunny]

I think making the decision about how much you are willing to spend before anything happens and you are making emotional decisions is key. I did not do that and when my dog became very ill I took a loan out that I could not afford to only lengthen what was probably an uncomfortable last couple months for him that ultimately culminated in an untimely death.

As far as bunnies, I know this is going to sound callous, but there are many great buns that need homes so I am much more likely to put more money in the budget for a well behaved enjoyable bun than a nasty cranky nipper. I also need to weigh their health and if they were a show animal, a pet, or if they had a job (we had a sheepdog who got a little more...he earned his keep )

 

[Nancy McClelland]

With both of us now retired, we do have to watch expenditures, so it depends on how much--cost and success.

 

[Big Boy Wallace]

While I know that everyone (myself included) has cost limits, as a pet owner, it is our responsibility to care for our pets in the best possible ways. I agree with other statements, where there is always the success rate vs comfort of your pet to consider rather than expenses when making these decisions.

I would do anything in my power to get the money to pay for a procedure where the pet had an excellent chance of recovery. If I had to eat lentils and rice for months, so be it. I would rather have happy, healthy animals than say, a cell phone, cable tv, or new clothes.

And I am saying all this as a student with a LOAD of debt! If you take in an animal, you should be able to cover its expenses, including emergencies!
Just my two cents.

 

[wendymac]

As a student, you can make those sacrifices. When you have a family of 5, it's a bit of a different story. I'm certainly not going to lose the farm, of go without electricity, or have my kids go hungry because I spent $5k on a rabbit.

 

[missyscove]

The way I described this on my recent adoption application was that I was willing to authorize $500 for treatment and my decision to treat beyond that depended on the prognosis and the situation. My situation is rather unique because as a vet student I can get my physical exams for free and can get deep discounts on other procedures. It really does come down to how much disposable income you have and I do recommend that folks set aside money specifically as an emergency fund for their pets. Should you never have to use it, great, but I hate to see situations where people feel they don't even have the money for a physical exam and some pain meds or even a humane euthanasia.
An example from one of the "based on a true story" vet school cases we had was a 5 year old golden retriever that presented with a progressive front limb lameness. After an orthopedic and neurologic exam, electromyography, several radiographs and an MRI, she was diagnosed with a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. The owner in the case opted to amputate the arm to relieve her pain there but not to go with the hemi-laminectomy that would have relieved the pressure on her spinal cord. We students were surprised that the owner would do all those diagnostics (an MRI can cost upwards of $2,000) but wouldn't go all the way with the surgery.
I'm guessing that you will be a bit harder to contact which means that the folks caring for your rabbits will have to make the decision on what to do if the prognosis isn't so great.

 

[Chrisdoc]

I agree that it all depends on the prognosis and on their chances of recovery and their quality of life. I had a small dog who was diagnosed with gallstones when she was 7 and I operated. She did have a really bad reaction to the anaestetic and nearly died but pulled through. I then had to put her on a strict diet which cost me more as they were specialised pellets. A couple of years later, she was ill with piometria and as they had to operate on her for that as it was life threatening, they took out some smaller gallstones that she had developed. When she was around 15, she came down with distemper...yes, believe or not I´d had her vaccinated every year but someone she contracted it. I paid for treatment and medication until I felt that the cost was too much and there was really no benefit for her and decided to let her go. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make but it was the right one. I don´t regret spending one cent on her as she was a wonderful little girl but sometimes you just have to draw the line.

 

[JessicaK]

Thanks for all your input.

I'm guessing that you will be a bit harder to contact which means that the folks caring for your rabbits will have to make the decision on what to do if the prognosis isn't so great.

I think that's what makes it really hard. I have a limit, but depending on the prognosis I may go above that, or might not go that far. But I'll be pretty much out of the loop should something come up.

 

[fuzz16]

With Murphy...i spent over 500$ over her meds and amputation and id only had her for a month.

But it would depend on the surgery, like others said, and quality of life afterwards on top of the % chance to survive the surgery.

We live off one income with two adults and two kids, so as much as i love my pets, i have to have enough money to pay mortgage and buy food ect before animals. I could never justify a 500+ on a surgery though.

 

[indianavex]

As Cassie is my only pet, I'm willing to pay as much as I have expendable cash to pay. Her GI Stasis went really bad the other night and I had to rush her to an emergency clinic after hours and admit her to the hospital. I think I threw down maybe $650? Though part I had to put on credit.

Easily enough to buy a nice new cage and 5 more rabbits, but she's my one and my baby. The one thing that would stop me is if I were paying through my nose just to keep her alive. When HER quality of life diminishes, that's when I'm willing to throw the towel in.

 

[Lani]

We just had to let our Lilly go this morning... She has hypothermia, not eating and drinking, no longer responding but breathing still.. The vet told us she may or may not recover from this considering her state... Hospital bill was quoted as $1000... That's staying at the hospital for 1 to 3 days max and all tests will be done.. If it's just me with no kids but with stable job, i'll go all the way.. She's part of my family... We put her first in almost everything.. We love her... But my daughter is entering college in afew months.... I don't know...

 

[slavetoabunny]

When my Sparky first had her dental/abscess issue in 12/09 I spent almost $3,000 over 3 months to get her healthy again. Until she passed in 1/2013 I spent around $100 every 6 weeks to have her teeth trimmed. I know that not everyone can afford this, but is was totally worth it to give her 3 more happy years.