Death and Money
I wrote last year about the death of my Siamese cat Zak from pancreatic cancer at age 15. He stopped eating toward the end, prompting me to put Gerber’s baby food on his nose so he would at least lick it off. He was obviously finished. Any country vet would have taken one look and said, “Take him home and make him comfortable, and if you want to put him to sleep towards the end, we’ll do that for you. I’m sorry, but he hasn’t long to live.”
When I took Zak to TLC Animal Hospital in West Hollywood they managed to extract $600 or $700 for observation and stabilization fees before putting him to sleep. Caring shysters like TLC know full well that pet owners want to do something (i.e., spend something) when their pet is dying, and so they step right up and show love and concern for your pet and offer consolation to the owner[s] and get that money. They’re trustworthy professionals, but they know how to vacuum your wallet.
I’m mentioning this because a couple I’m friendly with just lost their dog. He was diagnosed with cancer about two and a half months ago. They were told by a vet that the cancer couldn’t be cured but that the tumor could be removed and that this would probably buy their dog some time, perhaps as much as a year. So they dropped $10 grand on the operation and subsequent medical attention, and the poor dog stopped breathing a few hours ago, just like that.
Are you going to tell me that the vet didn’t suspect that the removal of the tumor wouldn’t really help that much? Are you going to tell me that the vet didn’t exploit the emotions of the couple?
If you were a vet and you knew the dog/cat was a goner, would you persuade the owner to pay for an expensive operation that would maybe extend the pet’s life for a couple of months but tell them it might keep the pet alive for a year, just to keep them sweet and in a spending frame of mind? If you were a pet owner and you had $10 grand to spend on a pet but you knew it would only extend the pet’s life for a couple of months, would you drop the money or just take the pet home and make him/her feel loved until the time came to put him/her to sleep?
Great question. The most important thing I ever did was spend $2000 for a transfusion my dog Sheffy needed. The vet staff was actively against it because they thought the transfusion would be effective for only two weeks. Instead, Sheffy lived another six months in reasonable comfort. He saw the spring again, and happily played in the yard with renewed energy. Finally, he began to weaken beyond hope, and he was put to sleep not long after his 10th birthday. I was so grateful to have those extra six months as an extended goodbye. I still think of him every day.
I don’t care how much false equivalence is inherent in what I’m about to say.
I do *get* why pet owners want to do these things. I really do.
But no matter the bond with a pet, to even contemplate dropping $10k like that is obscene when there are so many people suffering on this planet.
I dont care if the person can spare the cash. It’s a sign of terminal decadence to put little Fluffy or Rover’s longevity before that of fellow human beings.
I would baulk at doing it and think less of anyone who did, even if it was guaranted to add a year to an animal’s life.
And yes, I’ve wept for pets long gone and abhor cruelty to any creature which cannot speak for itself.
If a person wants to pay tribute to their bond with the animal, pay instead for the best vet with the best euthanasia methods.
I just lost my dog 2 sundays ago . He ( an American Eskimo) was almost 16yrs old. He only stated to feel his age recently. He was fine that morning but suddenly went paralyed in 3 legs that night while at my office. He went to work with me everyday. I rushed him to an overnight vet and after ex-ray one of those legs was fractured badly. Vet thought it could have been bone cancer. He was in serious pain and couldnt move 3 legs. at that age I know I did the right thing and put him down. It was hard to do and I felt horrible. even cried when it was done. The bill was $750 to boot.
I would have paid a few grand to save him but the vet said I did the right thing. If he was younger I would have tried a 2nd opinion but the fractured leg which was really bad sealed his fate. There is NO doubt vets are a money making machine and know how to milk the customer for all there worth.
Wells, you’re being too hard on vets. As long as a pet owner loves their pet unconditionally and considers them a member of the family, they’ll pay for any procedure that might extend the live of a sick pet. It’s just human nature, nothing more.
If a pet owner was told by a vet that their animal didn’t have long to live, but that an expensive procedure could help them — if that pet owner just shrugged and said “Eh, I’ll just get a new pet, thanks anyway” — you’d likely find that behavior really, really odd. On the vet’s side, if they said “You pet doesn’t have long to live, sorry about that” as they withheld information about a potential treatment, only because of the expense involved — that would be really, really odd as well.
Look at your own example re: the couple who owned the dog:
- the vet told them the cancer COULD NOT be cured
- he told them removing the tumor “PROBABLY would buy some time”
He absolutely DID NOT exploit the couple’s emotions — just like with human patients, if the doctor had just said “Your dog is a goner, just put it down and be done with it” you’d think they were psychotic. The vet didn’t hold a gun to their head. He offered them the possibility at making their beloved dog’s life as comfortable as possible in whatever time remained. They were the ones who took it, as just about all pet owners would do. Just about what anyone who had ANY sick member of the family — pet, human or otherwise — would do.
Pet owners tend to love animals, at least their own. But vets love animals as well. They did not, I can assure you, get into “the business” to scam poor, sad pet owners out of their hard-earned cash. They want to do what they can to improve the lives of animals. That is all.
This is only side-related, but I’m ALWAYS pissed when people support animal charities while neglecting those for humans. Sure, animals need some help but anyone who thinks that a dog’s life is of more vale than a human’s has their screws loose.
The thing is Mr. F, if a human goes to the emergency room even with no insurance the dr doesnt come out every 15 minutes with a price menu and say this is what it cost do you want to do it but a vet does with your pet. Its almost pathetic. Where do you have to draw the line $500, $1000, $1500 and counting. There isnt the crazy pressure with a human but its all about the price with a pet.
Doctors, including Veterinarians, have to let the responsible party know what their options are, even the less reliable options. They’re not gods or capable of 100% reliably predicting outcomes of procedures for anyone or any animal. This is a fact. That said, an animal is unable to tell you other than body language what they’re going through. I took my dog to a vet after she collapsed one morning. She’d been seen by 2 other vets one of whom charged me for tests that probably weren’t necessarily warranted at the time and cost me a couple hundred bucks. The 3rd Vet nailed it when he saw how anemic she was and did a belly tap which showed she had been having major internal bleeding which caused transitory weakness/loss of appetite over a 2 week period. He then explained that she very likely had a type of cancer of the vascular system when caused the growth of new and leaking vessels internally and was basically incurable. He explained our options, including euthanasia, and couldn’t have been more open or thoughtful in the process. We chose euthanasia which we never regretted, painful as it was. My point is that you should never assume all vets are money grubbing.
Vets have to be this way, because they don’t get paid by insurance companies- they get paid by you.
Also, the argument about medical attention to pets while there is suffering in the world is specious. The same argument could apply to that nice dinner someone just had, or the expensive bottle of wine, or driving a car instead of taking the bus, or eating instead of not eating.
I hate how our vet won’t make recommendations, they just bring out the menu. Since it is a vet hospital, the are baroque and obscene with what menu they bring out- like they bring out the VIP menu because they can do that crazy shit.
In contrast, my folks put their cat to sleep a few weeks ago and the vet came to the house to do it, and the vet assistant cried with my parents over the 17year old cat. And you know what, whatever they charged was probably worth it. Bad news for The Truth because it meant a land mine victim in Angola suffered some more.
YES! Wells is so right it hurts!
TLC is the fucking worst! I can’t tell you how many thousands I’ve dropped there over the past 2 years for various things that afflict puppies in Southern California, and they have about a 10% success rate.
Being a vet is a racket. Wells is right on, they prey upon your sympathies and rape your wallet in the process. My Boston Terrier had a little skin lesion, took her in, and 500 dollars later, she is no better! TLC says bring her in again, except this time, expect to drop 1,000.
I know they’re not perfect, but I think vets are the stupidest motherfuckers out there. Doesn’t matter what we bring the puppies in for, they give us the same antibiotic that doesn’t work. The same stupid shampoo to bathe them in.
Only reason I go there is cause the other vets rape you EVEN more than TLC!
Best is when you bring your dog in for one procedure, then they do extra shit without your permission, then expect you to pay.
My Cavalier had a cyst in his paw that needed to be removed. Was gonna cost 400. Okay. Go to pick him up and the tab is 900! They said since he was under, they went ahead and did his teeth, and he needed some pulled, so they did that, and oh yeah, because of that he needed more anasthesia, so 900 bucks please!
I myself would never own a pet, too much hassle for someone as self-absorbed as I am, but they’re my wife’s and I love them all the same.
But vets are the biggest thieves out there. Total fucking criminals.
Mr. F, gimme a break, they may “love” animals, but they’re running a business. If I take my sick dog in and say I have no money, they throw my ass out. Where’s their “love” for suffering animals then?
The key words in your piece are “West Hollywood”. Other that Laurel Pet Hospital, I would stay WAY clear of animal care facilities anywhere near WeHo. Why? Because the majority of their clients / patients are wealthy, (or somewhat well-to-do), gay pet owners who don’t have kids, (and their attached expenses), and are madly, freakishly, over-the-top in love with their pets. A couple I know seem to take their two relatively healthy middle-aged dogs into the doc nearly once a week. (one time, I swear, it was because Hailey looked “sad”). Well, instead of telling them that the dogs are really okay, the vet nearly always tells them “it might be something, we can not be sure…better safe than sorry” and they come home with a big vet bill, yet another new prescription and yet ANOTHER brand of ultra high end dog food, (available at the vet’s office).
Best bets? Find a vet in the valley. Or Laurel Pet Hospital.
All I can say, Poseidon, is that you must have had some really shitty vets in your day…
I’ve had a lot of pets pass away over the years. Not once have I *ever* had any vet (or their staff, for that matter) give me “pricing options” “every 15 minutes” on a dying pet. If you’ve actually experienced that, then I imagine that that particular vet will go out of business soon since he’ll turn away his customers.
And the fact of the matter is: if the uninsured get ER treatment, they end up repaying over time; if they don’t, they get chased by debt collectors and tend to lose property in order to pay the hospital; and failing that, those of us who have health insurance pay higher premiums and the hospital ends up charging more each year to account for some of that lost payment — you have been following the health care reform efforts, yes? Hospitals don’t just give out free ER care for whoever comes in — if the patients don’t end up repaying over the years following, we end up footing the bill.)
And for everyone complaining about human charities vs. pet charities and human care vs. pet care — apple and oranges, people. The bottom line is, we care about WHAT WE’RE CLOSE TO. If someone wants to pay thousands of dollars for the loyal dog who’s been by their side for ten years, instead of contributing that money to Doctors Without Borders — what the hell is wrong with that? And more to the point: why is it an Either/Or proposition? You can spend the money on charity, but you can’t try to save a sick pet? You can give money to the vet, but you can never give to charity?
Look, we’re also speaking from our own experiences here. Pet ownership has brought me a lot of joy over the years — and yes, some pain. It’s hard not to think of many of the anti-vet folks as being people who don’t own pets, though. Wells excepted, as always…
Mr. F, how the hell would someone be anti-vet without having a pet? Before I had a pet, I NEVER thought about vets or pet care, why would I?
Nothing specious about it, pinko – I knew someone would challenge with that. But my stance?
There are fucking limits.
Yes. Everyone’s gotta eat, drink, indulge in little pleasures – there ARE advantages to living in an affluent society and I would never begrudge anyone the right to live a comfortable life.
(Some people do make sacrifices in those areas for their version of the greater good and more power to them, but I don’t see it as mandatory)
But dropping that sort of cash on surgery to extend the life of a teminally ill pet is a disgrace. I refuse to accept any justification. Here’s a spurious anecdote to bolster my point:
http://rt.com/usa/news/bank-health-care-verone/
What vets get away with is criminal. They have you over the barrel & they know it. Every Spanish-speaking pet owner I know in the LA area drives across the border for vet care in Mexico and spends about 1/8 what it would cost here.
Ah, Duluoz — it never fails…
“If I take my sick dog in and say I have no money, they throw my ass out. Where’s their “love” for suffering animals then?”
Believe it or not, there was a time I couldn’t pay for expensive treatment for a cat. So what happened?
- I took the cat to the vet
- they did an exam
- we talked about options after that, and what could be done on limited expense
- I did that and the cat lasted as long as possible
Vets don’t throw ANYONE’S ass out. They aren’t going to remove your pet’s tumor if you tell them you can’t pay them; on the other hand, they will sit with you and tell you how to make your pet more comfortable in their end of life, whether it’s change of diet, anything holistic, whatever it is that might help the pet and the owner’s piece of mind. Because you know what? If it looks like they aren’t being sympathetic… THEY LOSE YOUR BUSINESS when you get a new pet. Duluoz, you of ALL people should understand the importance of those market forces…
Vets do NOT equal “big business.” This is not some crazy racket where they’re trying to take all your money. Though I can’t speak for West Hollywood.
Again, we’re all speaking from experience here — I’ve never felt pushed into needless treatment over many decades of pet care by any vet, and I’ve been to a bunch. I’m sorry that seems to be the minority experience around here…
“But dropping that sort of cash on surgery to extend the life of a teminally ill pet is a disgrace. I refuse to accept any justification.”
Good for you, man. You’re changing minds, and changing minds means changing lives. Right fucking on with your refusal to accept any justification, man.
Mr. F, normally I’d agree with you when it comes to the market forces, but if every vet acts the same way, it is a de facto monopoly. I’ve only had pets a few years, and they haven’t died or been super sick yet, so I can’t speak to that. But to me, they’re like a skin doctor. They make you come back four times until they give you the shit you need.
Vets got the biggest racket going. All you parents out there should make your kid become a vet. He’ll always be rich.
Then let me elaborate Glenn, since my lack of clarity drives you to snark.
Add inverted commas to my use of the word justification.
Feel free to educate me if you see any morally defensible argument for such indulgence.
Duluoz: get pet insurance. Or don’t. There actually is affordable pet insurance you can get if so inclined, though it can be hard to get the coverage.
And vets are not at ALL a racket — hack vets are a racket, sure. Maybe WeHo vets to the stars are a racket. But most of the vets I’ve known, are — surprise! — not wealthy. (I do know someone whose daughter became a vet — why? Because she loves animals. Though maybe she was lying and waiting to earn millions bilking the people in her small town out of their savings)
We lost the DtG family dog last year to cancer, so this is painfully familiar. Came back from going to Hollywood Bowl and she was dead on the kitchen floor.
We decided because of her age and iffiness of the operation, to let her succumb to the disease naturally. The vet had let us know that she wouldn’t be in any pain if we went that route.
@Jeff – it seems your friends got another 2 1/2 months out of possible (but not guaranteed) 6. Are they immature idiots? If not, then they were given an option and acted on it.
It’s clear that many in this thread don’t understand the comfort having a pet can afford. A person only gets one ride on this merry go round of life, so they better enjoy it. Fuck you and your obvious envy at their economic stratus that makes you want to deny them that comfort. I’m sure I can find lots of shit on your shelves that could have been donations to relief organizations.
On the other hand, when it reaches obscene levels like with Leona Helmsley’s $12M pouch, the state should step in use those funds for charity. Living in this society gave her the opportunity to amass that wealth and her estate is morally obligated to return it minus any human heirs.
I have a cat (14 yrs old). The following two stories are 100% true:
1. My cat some sort of growth on the bottom of his paw. I took him to my local vet and they determined they wanted to amputate a digit (the one where the growth rested on). This vet was youngish, but she also consulted with their senior vet, who advise the same action. They wanted 1.5 K for the operation.
I took my cat to another vet for a second opinion. He took a biopsy of the growth, called me the next, and told me not to worry, just give him a medication. I gave him the meds, the growth left in days.
2. Same cat gets an eye infection. It’s a serious one, brought on by a less serious one in the months prior. The vet (an eye specialist) gives me two options. Operate without a guarantee that the cat will regain any vision. Or treat with drops for the rest of his life. The operation was 2k. When suggesting the operation I was told “if we don’t do this in the next upcoming days, the window to potentially save his vision will be closed.” I decide to proceed with drops instead.
2 weeks later I’m in for a checkup and the vet says “well, if you still want to operate, we can.” Keep in mind he proclaimed that we must do it now to save his vision. To test him I ask “can we still maybe save his vision if we operate.” His reply is “I believe so”. I didn’t bring it up but I wanted to point out the very same words he proclaimed two weeks prior.
My cat has been on drops every since and is (knock on wood) doing just fine with his vision. The point is, be EXTREMELY wary of what a vet proclaims to be the proper next step for care. If you ever have any doubts or simply want a second opinion, tell them you will give it a couple days, and then seek out another vet.
On a related note, I do believe 100% that vets take advantage of pet owners and call for tests daily that are unnecessary however they are trying to squeeze dollars out of you. And you, the pet owner, are in a super vulnerable position because they know you care so much for your animals.
I swear, it is IMPOSSIBLE for someone to bring up animal/pet care on the internet without some paragon of humanitarian righteousness chiming in about awful it is that people spend money on their pets when there are people starving in Outermost Whogivesafuckistan.
That bullshit can fuck right off.
I spend money to keep family pets healthy in lieu of dumping it into the charity bucket for the EXACT same reason I help out my friends and family in lieu of the same – because they matter more to me and because, frankly, I know it’s not a waste of money and effort. If my dog were drowning at the same moment as a human stranger, I’d save my dog – every time – and I’d sleep well afterwards.
You can dump all the money you want into “saving the precious starving children,” but on the off chance that any of it even MAKES IT to them after being filtered through the pipeline of the worldwide charity racket – guess what? You’ll have barely made a dent. There’ll still be starving people all over the world, along with a million other tragedies, and all that donation has done is give YOU a brief hit of moral superiority.
Vets aren’t trying to burn you. The vet Wells is talking about said that the operation can extend the life of the pet up to another year. Not guaranteeing another year, but living up to another year, maybe less. It’s the same as a doctor saying “your father has an 80% chance of survival”, and finding him dead a week later. And the whole “observation and stabilization fees” you had to pay is bullshit. I’ve had pets put to sleep before, and it’s a same day procedure. Hell, same hour procedure. You walk in with your pet, they bring him or her in the back, inject the chemicals, make sure that it’s dead, then hand it back.
If I was a vet, I’d give them the option of a $10k surgery. Not because I want the money – but because the only other option is to do nothing and allow the pet to die. It’s an option to be considered by the owners, not something they have to do. Maybe in areas where millionaires lived, the vets push harder for expensive procedures. But I don’t think a vet in a middle-class town gets in it for the money.
And if I was in this situation, I wouldn’t do it. I love my dog dearly, probably more than anyone in my family or any one of my friends, but I just could not afford to pay for the surgery. I’d enjoy the time I had left with my dog, and try to make him as comfortable as possible. But I’d do it if I could spare $10,000 on the surgery. To me, like many other people, my dog is more than just a pet; it’s like a child or (ignoring the bestiality of it) a spouse. You want to do whatever you can to keep them alive for however long you can.
This is only side-related, but I’m ALWAYS pissed when people support animal charities while neglecting those for humans.
Fuck people. They can take care of themselves.
More support for the vet: My dog was terrified of going to the vet. I couldn’t even take her for rides in the car because she associated that action with a doctor. She was 13 years old, arthritic, and had small tumors all over. Yet I made her stay longer than she should have because I just couldn’t let her go. When the time finally came – the vet came to my home – yes, he made a housecall. He knew how frightened she would be if I had brought her to his office in the car.
I really haven’t had an encounter with a vet that made me feel they were in it for the money.
Animals aren’t humans. Spending 10K on anything pet related is stupid, and I’m not even referring to giving the money to charity or whatever. It’s just dumb on a personal level. There are other dogs. Kill that one and move on, and get therapy for the emotional hole that forces you to cling to unaware animals.
This happens with humans, too, of course. The majority of the money you spend on healthcare will happen within the last 3-6 months of your life. At a certain point, is full-on chemo with terrible side effects worth an extra four weeks, or would you rather go gently at home and skip that last month of life? Neither choice is “right”; you have to decide what is the right choice for you (or your pet).
Hey, we’re having an end of life discussion… or what some people call Death Panels.
I wonder if this argument has ever been had on the internet before?
Heh, white people…
Let me just say, that if I had the choice of spending 10K on my dog or Parris Mitchell, I would choose my dog everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. My dog makes my life BETTER. I really don’t have any time for those that would disagree. Typically, I find domestic animals to be absolutely superior–in pretty much all things–to assholes.
Now, to Jeff’s question. I would make them comfortable. 10K for a likely ill-fated surgery, a difficult recovery, and no long term prospects does not seem like a good decision for anyone. Including the animal in question.
My wife and I had that very decision in front of us once before. My Shar-Pei/Beagle mix had melanoma. We were offered the opportunity to try chemo and some experimental shit that besides being incredibly expensive, would also add no more than one year of life and make the dog sick. Our vet put it to us in almost exactly those terms. We decided to manage her comfort and she lived another year anyway (all but the last 2 weeks was high quality). That guy is still our vet and will be to either he or we drop over dead.
Great post, Jeffrey.
We’ve had some interesting experiences with our cats.
One cat, at age 3, developed a tumor high on his right rear leg. Only hope of survival was amputation of the leg, and they made no promises about his survival, though they were optimistic. So we dropped $800 on that operation and it’s a year and half later and he’s doing fine, bouncing around the house and running the joint.
Also, and I suspect this is the benefit of living in “the country” and not Hollywood, but when another cat needed to be euthanized a few years back, the bill for the trip to the vet and handling the body totaled less than $100.
@THE MovieBob
Spoken like a true American. Brings a tear to m’eye.
Blowing 10 grand on a pet is an affront to humanity, but toiling away, wasting hundreds/thousands of hours a year commenting on message boards, telling people what to think and how to feel instead of spending that time working on charitable causes, that’s ok? Money isn’t the only way to help your fellow man … hell, even the IRS will tell you that.
When money is spent on life, love, joy–who is anyone to judge another’s actions?
Every vet I’ve ever dealt with has been VERY fair explaining that there are options, but the options are expensive and only will probably prolong life briefly.
I don’t know who you’ve dealt with but to presume that most vets are shysters exploiting distraught pet owners really isn’t fair. Medical treatment for ANY creature, human or not, is expensive and the new treatments available for animals aren’t any cheaper than the ones for humans.
You’re sounding a bit cheap and petty…whether that’s your attention or not.
Or, you’re trolling for comments.
Life, love, joy = pets
it is none of your business what other people spend their money on. Fine – you wouldn’t do it. But none of your fucking business if someone wants to spend $10k on a pet, or a porno collection, or a piece of jewelry, or donating to Michelle Bachman for President, or anything else…
I live in Sweden now, so maybe it’s different in the States, but couldn’t you have bought pet health insurance? We have 3 cats and all are insured. It covers 80% of expenses up to a limit. Really saved us when Mozart nearly lost his leg a few years ago.
Trollywood: with everything that’s happened in the U.S. over the last two years regarding Health Care Reform… do you honestly think we have PET INSURANCE figured out??!!
All kidding aside: we Americans actually do have pet insurance, though from my limited experience with it, the premiums aren’t cheap and it’s hard to get coverage (due to age, preexisting conditions, etc.).
You know — just like our health insurance for people!
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