How much would you pay to save your pet?

Would you pay a significant amount to save your pets life or help it recover from a major injury? The news article below describes just such a situation. The decision of what to do pulls at the very strings of your heart and when an event takes place where you must choose between losing your pet or helping it live many would simply pay whatever it would cost to save the animal.

We have had two experiences when we decided our family animals (one was a pet and one was a show horse) were worth saving with costly surgery. In one case our cat walked up to a Border Collie that was our daughter's pride and joy and reached out and scratched the dog's eye. Unfortunately the cat did more than just scratch the surface of the dog's eye and we ended up rushing the dog to a regional veterinary clinic almost 200 miles away. After two surgical procedures and weeks of recovery we ended up with a dog that had one good eye and one glass eye and a major bill for the services.

The second situation brought on even more trauma when our daughter's show quarter horse rolled over while in training in Florida and poked a rigid piece of grass into its eye. This really brought on a dilemma and another difficult decision about what to do to help the horse. Fortunately we had taken a step to purchase insurance on the horse since it was a significant investment but we discovered the insurance would only cover the horse if it had died. Once again we made a decision to go ahead and have a veterinarian specializing in equine eye surgery take care of the horse and after months of specialized treatment the eye healed but had only about eighty percent of normal vision. But having that care allowed the horse to continue being a show horse for a little more time.

Was it worth it? If you have animals that become part of the family you would say yes. If you are a person that thinks of animals as property then perhaps you would say no.

Having gone through two situations where we had to decide to spend big bucks to save and treat animals we would agree with the steps Jane Phipps has gone through in helping take care of her dog Tony. Looking back we would make the same decisions again to provide the help needed for our animals. And we are sure Jane would do the same again for her pet. Perhaps help will come to her from people that read her story and she can have help with the bills she is facing. Only time will tell. Read the account from the March 21 N&O...

News and Observer
March 21, 2007
Benjamin Niolet, Staff Writer

Would you pay $25,000 to save a pet?
Price is no object for some when it comes to saving their animals

About a month ago Tony, a dog, ruptured a disc and started fighting to breathe. His owner, Jane Phipps, rushed him to a veterinary hospital. He underwent surgery and spent 30 days on a ventilator.

Tony pulled through, although he still needs physical therapy.

And now Phipps needs $25,000 to cover her vet bill. So far, her only plan to pay it down is a yard sale. She's put more than $16,000 on a credit card.

"Some people think I'm a lunatic for spending that kind of money," said Phipps, 53, a nurse who reviews medical charts for an insurance company. "My priorities are my family, and he's a part of my family. Read more...