Sorry to hijack your thread Tang, but I agree Julie, never again would I put a dog through major surgery....it's a personal decision for everyone to make but that's mine.....

It's crossed my mind too but I think it's a toughie for vets when confronted with tearful owners wanting to prolong their dogs life at any cost. I'm a realist and while I wanted Syd to live, I wanted all of him and above all I wanted him to have quality of life, I didn't want him to suffer and failing that then i wanted quality of death.

The £10k Bailey cost me was in part due to having 2x foreign object removal operations I would have paid for them out of my pocket if I had too.

My first dog Tara who was a real Heinz 57 lived for 19 yrs without a trip to the vets for any ailments (vacs etc excluded) this was before pet insurance was widely available, she had a stroke and the vet said he could give her tablets to keep her going, I didn't even ask the cost, I said No. She'd had a brill, loved life and she was just done I had her pts a few days later and as much as it broke my heart I couldn't keep her alive just because I couldn't bear to be without her, the cost to her was just too high.

Having her pts and cremated cost more than the bloody tablets too

I don't think people take this end of life cost into account either and some keep them alive in terrible states as they 'can't afford' to do the right thing.

My vets are great and they have a good feel for what I will and will not put my dogs through. When I lost Bob it was to a ruptured splenic tumour. The vet took an abdominal tap that showed blood, looked me in the eye and said "I know what you're going to say", he helped me carry him to the back room and there we ended it. Five days later the same vet put Binky to sleep due to a tumour in his lungs. I could have tried to have both removed but for what gain. My boys were 12 and 11 years old. I would not put them through major surgery for the chance at a few months.

I have just cancelled Scooby's insurance because I will not put him through anything major. It would not be fair on him at 15 years old especially considering he hates vets. Anything else I can pay for out of my own pocket.

I can afford my dogs but only because I make allowances in my own life for them (I don't go out much) they are fed raw so currently cost me little on food. The youngsters are insured but once I've got a decent amount in my dog account I will be cancelling that to.

Hi Pat - you have every right to post topics that you feel are fit for discussion. Your thread does not break any rules, is not aimed at anyone in particular, and is a worthy and interesting discussion.

I do not think it is right for anyone to question your right to post a discussion - if it is within rules. If anyone has a problem with a thread they should flag it up with a moderator and let them decide whether it breaks any rules or not.

I think this was a good post Pat, especially for could be new dog owners.

As I've mentioned before, until getting Tangle in May this year we didn't have a dog and to be honest when we got her I actually did only really think in my head of expenses along the lines of the initial purchase cost, food and vets fees - I didn't consider the costs of bowls, cage, travel basket, puppy classes, pet visits/jabs/worming, toys and probably countless other things. Then when we lost Tangle it didn't seem that the insurance were going to pay which would have cost us nearly £4,000.

Since we got Marco we've also added trips to groomers and a dog walker for the days when we are all at work. There is also the cost of time, I'd much rather get home toMarco than go and do other things as I love and value my time with him.

And through all of this I've not mentioned the cost of repairing/replacing things that dogs may destroy....thankfully for me he only destroys his poo bags and an occasional plant pot(!!!!!).

Knowing what I know now I would still have chosen to get my dogs but it's definitely more costly than I initially thought.

I don't, and never have, insured my dogs.

When we had dogs when we worked, we both had jobs so affording vet bills wasn't a problem. Since we've retired, we're fairly lucky in having a little put aside and a good family to call on should we need to cover a very excessive bill.

I've got to say that we've been fairly lucky in that, although my dogs have had some health problems, the costs so far, bearing in mind the number of years I've had dogs, have been far less than insurance would have cost.

I do think this should be a major consideration for any prospective dog owner. We all like to think our dogs will live healthy lives and not have to see the vet for more than boosters, but, of course, this isn't the case.

We can't predict what's round the corner, but if we start off knowing just how much vets and medications can cost, at least it's one of the bases covered as much as possible

Maybe the question shouldn't be 'Can you afford a dog?' but 'are you willing to shape your life around a dog?'.
It's not just money that affects your life with a dog. It's where you live, who you see, what you do etc.
For example, I'd like to move to a different flat. But because I have Ella, 90% of the flats that I can afford and that I like are out of question because they don't allow pets. Another 9% maybe have no garden and are far away from a park or any green.
What I mean is that having a dog, because dogs are so involved in our lives unlike other pets, makes you have to live your life with the dog. Most dogs that end up in shelters aren't there because the owners realised they didn't have enough money, it's because they realised they have less freedom than before. Can't go see gramma she hates dogs, can't live there it doesn't allow pets, can't go on holiday the dog hates the kennel, can't go to a restaurant the dog eats shoes when alone, can't stay out tonight the dog needs to pee etc.
Clearly, everybody here loves their dog/s so much they'd do anything for them (sell their soul if need be) but that's because we've all already made that decision, that we want to have a doggie companion in our lives. So money really is secondary thought to us.
Other people don't want that and when they realise they can't just have a dog 'a little bit' (like have a goldfish) they will get rid of them in exchange for the previous freedom they had.

Don't you dare have it removed, it's a good topic for debate, why someone has taken it as a personal attack is baffling

I think maybe due to the difficult time she is going through with her dog at this minute may have hit a nerve and has made her feel this thread is against her

I think the question is the same as when we ask can we afford children, finances are never right, but I do think we need to ask ourselves apart from the fee to buy said dog, can we afford the everyday costs...along with the unexpected..?I am sure if thought it through to much we could convince ourselves, it's never the right time.

Life throws curve balls our way all the time, we an afford A,B,C at that time, but not this time, I guess if we want to own a dog, we have to go with it and hope we are never in a position where we can't afford.

You raise an interesting point there Julie. Probably worthy of another discussion. Much as I've loved all my dogs I could not put them through anything that meant they would be in pain for any length of time.