After vowing to never spend more than $1,000 on a pet, a friend of mine recently spent more than $8,000 to treat cancer in his dog. When I saw him afterwards, he sheepishly said, “I know I said I would never spend near this much for a dog, but our family loves him, how could I not? “
I often hear pet owners say they wouldn’t make financial sacrifices if a pet needed expensive vet care. Yet, over the years, I’ve seen that they often do the opposite. It seems the reality of their pet being ill or injured quickly becomes a high priority – and everything else takes a back seat.
Emergencies Open Our Eyes - And Hearts
When faced with costly pet care in an emergency or life-threatening situation, all the good times with their pet quickly surface. They’re reminded of the unconditional love and emotional support their pet provides. Abruptly, the pet’s needs will not be sacrificed due to financial constraints. A way will be found to treat their pet.
This about-face has a sound and rational reason. The crisis has focused their attention on just how much value they place in their pet. The good feeling we receive when we are with our pets, the passion we feel when we greet our pets, how they overcome our loneliness and how they are steadfast in their loyalty, builds a reciprocal loyalty that we must repay. Otherwise, we feel guilty for not returning all they give to us. And of course we want to preserve that bond and maintain the relationship.
Beg, Borrow or Insure
If the pet is insured, the decisions are easy, since the pet insurance is paying the vast majority of the cost. If not insured, we max out our credit cards, tap savings or borrow the funds. Either way, we feel good knowing it was the right thing to do, but the financial aftermath can be difficult without insurance.
My friend justified going beyond his $1,000 limit by smiling and saying, “Besides, I had insurance and I only paid $1,280… just $280 more than my limit! Seriously,” he added, “thank you for talking me into getting Max Pets Best Insurance. There is no way we would not have done it, but having Pets Best pet insurance sure made it easy.”
Affording Cutting-Edge Treatment
One example of a costly, yet very effective treatment is a new cutting-edge radiation treatment called Tomo Therapy. This happens to be the therapy that saved my friend’s dog’s life. Once inoperable tumors can now be treated with great precision, sparing healthy surrounding tissues. However, the cost averages more than $6,000. The machines that can perform such precision cost $3 million each and there are only two in the country. Before you dismiss this costly treatment and say “never for me”, hundreds of pet owners have already traveled great distances and gladly accepted the cost because it can make such a difference for their pet. These pet owners are not wealthy. They simply cherish their pets and want to preserve their bond and extend their lives.
So, never say “never” when it comes to protecting your pet. No matter how sure you are that your veterinary care budget won’t exceed a certain amount, perspective can change when you find yourself having to make the decision. And besides, pets give so much to our health and well being, it may just be a good investment for our future health as well.