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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How much are you willing to spend on pets when you have kids?
Is a life-saving surgery for your pet worth three months of your child’s private school tuition? How much time are you willing to take away from your kids to care for your pets?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How much money (and energy) are you willing to spend on a pet that could in theory be spent on your child? Is $1,500 too much for a life-saving procedure? Is it reasonable to spend more on antibiotics for a dog with allergies than you do on medicine for your children each month?
I’m sure pet owners who have no children or who have grown children will be offended by this topic, but when you have children I think most people would have to at least consider: How else could this money be spent?
Three examples from recent weeks to share:
One of our friend’s dogs needed a life-saving surgery that essentially added up to three months worth of private-school tuition for their child. It was not guaranteed that the dog would live and the condition could re-occur. The mother was not pleased but the father said “Of course we’re going to pay it.” The father kept trying to hide the vet bills. The mother works part time to cover the school tuition.
Another friend was told her dog either had pneumonia or cancer. The vet suggested a more than $500 internal scan and blood tests to find out which it was. The friend suggested they continue with antibiotics to see if the dog got better. Then they would know without the expensive scan.
I was forwarded an email from a friend of a friend looking for a new owner for their dog. The dog was extremely allergic and the mother was spending a ton of time and money each month taking care of the dog. She was very honest about his conditions and said it was just taking too much away from the kids and they needed to give the dog away.
How much are you willing to spend on your pet that might take away resources from your kids? How much time are you willing to devote beyond just the basic care of a pet?
For the pets lovers, check out our full pets coverage.
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