Owning a pet is a joyful and happy experience that, unfortunately, may come with a number of unexpected expenses and hardships.
It is best to explore all options before settling on euthanasia. When choosing to euthanize a pet, it’s important to weigh the consequences of that action, especially if being tight on the money for vet bills is the main concern. Euthanasia isn’t the only option but is the most commonly taken route.
It might seem like your only option in this circumstance is euthanasia, however, that isn’t always the case. There are other options that will help you keep your beloved pet with you.
Euthanasia
Euthanizing a pet is one of the most common answers to the problem of not having the funds to accurately care for the medical needs of a pet. Euthanasia is most often suggested when the pet’s quality of life would be greatly reduced after all had been done to give that pet a chance at returning to life with some level of normalcy.
Euthanizing a pet involves the intravenous injection of a drug that slows down a pet’s heart enough that they can peacefully pass away in their sleep with no pain and no awareness that they’ve left the mortal life. It doesn’t hurt the pet and will ease their suffering especially if the pet is in a lot of pain. This is usually only recommended if life for the pet is more painful than letting the pet finally rest would be.
The cost of euthanizing a pet may vary from vet to vet, but it will most certainly be the cheaper option than an operation for any ailment the pet has gotten. This is not the recommended route, even if it’s not within your means to pay for treatments.
Second Opinion
Getting a second opinion is often worth it when it comes to deciding whether or not to euthanize a pet. Perhaps one vet might recommend it whereas another one won’t.
Be mindful of where you get your second opinion to ensure that it is someone licensed with enough credit behind their opinion to be giving you this kind of advice and opinion. Ultimately, the decision will always fall on your shoulders and it is up to you to decide whether your pet will be happier without suffering or could do better with the chance to survive.
Home Remedies
Asking your vet if there are any home remedies for the ailment or illness that plagues your cat could also save a lot of money on your end. Sometimes there are ways to help a cat’s condition without having to go through with a pet bill of gross amounts. Most vets disapprove of these methods for a few different reasons.
The home remedies might not be safe for your pet, and you shouldn’t ever engage in activities that could potentially harm your pet, just as you wouldn’t subject a human being to the same things, you should be wary of that and the line where that is so you don’t cause more harm than good.
The pet’s condition might be life-threatening. If that is the case, then the vet is a greater judge of what is going on than you are and should be listened to. If they say the condition is life-threatening, the vet is most likely right. Quick action may mean the difference between life and death.
Financing Through a Vet
Money is a constant concern and the pressure to be able to pay for treatments that are expensive and potentially painful with a long recovery is stressful. Not having the money is no reason to refuse a pet the chance at a long and healthy life. There are many ways to come up with the money to pay for a life-saving and life quality improving treatment or operation.
You can ask if there are repayment plans from your vet. Keep in mind these will be different for each vet clinic you go to and knowing which ones work best, and the vets that you feel most comfortable going to are imperative to both yours and your pet’s comfort during the ordeal.
You can get a monthly repayment plan at most vet clinics and finish paying that out much like a loan. They’ll usually require a down payment of some portion of the full cost of the surgery or treatment they plan to do for the pet. These repayments can take up to a couple of months to finish paying out.
Pet Insurance
You can greatly decrease the likelihood that you will have to pay for unexpected illnesses or the consequences of injuries or accidents with pet insurance. You can find several places that provide pet insurance and work much like regular insurance does with ensuring that your pet’s health, operations, checkups, and even medications are paid for.
They do require a monthly fee like any other sort of insurance or health plan to continue to stay on the plan, but the long-term cost of that is not having to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills from an accident or an unanticipated illness.
This could be the difference between having to put your pet down or having the means to pay for the life-saving treatments your pet could end up needing.
Other Options
There are a few smaller options that most don’t talk about which include surrendering the pet if you’re unable to pay for vet bills. The place where you surrender the pet will then have to raise the money same as you would to pay for the pet’s treatment, and the pet could still end up being euthanized. Kill rates in shelters and rescue foundations are unfortunately high because of people being unable to care for their pets.
You can also raise money from gofundme campaigns or by asking your friends and family. The effort given to this will be rewarded and letting your pet have that chance will be the best at respecting their right to life, same as yours.
