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At the vet clinic we see all manner of different cases that need wide range of different investigative and treatment pathways. Clients come from all walks of life, from the very wealthy to those struggling to properly feed and cloth themselves.
Sometimes the most expensive treatments are affordable and sometimes those on the cheaper end of the spectrum are out of reach.
This scenario plays out in vet clinics across the world and get’s retold in staffrooms, on social media forums, and reported in media articles. And one of the most common retorts I read and hear is that “if you can’t afford their care, you shouldn’t have a pet”
But is this right? That’s what I want to explore with you today.
While having a pet in our life is a privilege and not a right, do we really want to make them a luxury item that only the very wealthy can afford?
Don’t Have a Pet if You Can’t Afford Their Care
On the face of things, there’s nothing wrong with the sentiment. It’s coming from a place of care for the animal, recognising the individual needs of an individual dog or cat, and wanting every pet to have every health option available to them.
In an ideal world, this would be the case, finances would play no role in healthcare decision-making.
But we don’t live in the real world and this is where this sentiment or belief starts to break down.
Keeping pets during tough times
I want to give you a scenario:
The Jones family includes, Mum Heather who works as a developer, Dad John - a part time Gardener, 2 primary age kids Steph and James, and 5 year old Hamish - a much loved Border Terrier. Nothing wrong here, they live within their means and can afford the top level of health insurance for the whole family, including Hamish.
Heather is then suddenly laid off unexpectedly, and while they have some savings to cushion the blow it won’t be long before they will be struggling to pay their rent if she can’t find a new job.
They tighten their belts and cut out all costs that aren’t an absolute necessity. Hamish’s insurance premium gets downgraded to accident only and they would struggle to pay any uncovered costs of more than about $5K
Is this still OK?
Should Hamish remain a part of the family of be put up for adoption?
Let’s play this out a little more and see what happens to the Jones family…
Times are now really tough, jobs are hard to come by no matter the industry. Heather can’t find a new job and dad John only manages to pick up a few extra hours here and there. The family has to move to a cheaper rental that is still barely affordable.
If it isn’t needed for day-to-day living then it is now unaffordable. Hamish’s insurance is long gone and the family could just about scrape together $200 if needed for an emergency.
What now for Hamish?
If he needs care that his family can’t afford, should they be vilified?
Their changing financial status has done nothing to change how much they love him. And thinking about the human-animal bond it is clear not only the benefit that Hamish will bring to the whole family by remaining a part of the family, but also the distress that would be caused by giving him up for adoption (to Hamish as well).
Low Budget Love
But what if our scenario changed slightly:
Mum has poor health and is unable to work. Dad works low-income jobs with no security and no ability to save for a rainy day. They do their best to give their two kids every opportunity and know that owning a pet in childhood is such a valuable experience.
They visit a shelter and instantly fall in love with Hamish, and he instantly becomes one of the family.
While they can afford Hamish’s basic routine healthcare needs, if anything serious happened to him they would really struggle.
Should they have brought Hamish into their family in the first place?
Should they forgo the benefits to their own health and well-being, and should Hamish have missed out on being part of a family that loved him very much?
Minimum Pet Care Provision
If we take the initial statement that “if you can’t afford their care, you shouldn’t have a pet”, what do you consider the minimum someone should be able to afford?
The initial set of vaccines and spay/neuter costs?
A couple of consultations and a short course of treatment?
Do a more involved investigation and hospital stay for more serious illness?
Regular dental procedures?
Surgical repair of a fractured leg?
MRI and spinal surgery for a slipped disk?
Add in the fact that the vast majority of pet dogs and cats will never need expensive surgery or develop a severe illness and the line becomes even harder to draw if we are making blanket statements.
When all too often people are struggling to pay for or access services for their own healthcare needs - like insulin in the US which is ridiculously expensive, or dental care access even when costs can be subsidized as in the UK - is it fair to demand that we can only have a pet in our life if we can provide them with better care than we can provide for ourselves?
Clearly, this human health situation is also unacceptable, but it is the reality that we live in.
Where do we draw the line with affordability?
Financial Priority
I would also say that experience tells me that just because someone can afford their pet’s care doesn’t always mean that when push comes to shove they will actually choose to spend their money on their pet in their time of need.
I have often come across people who have the funds available - or at least appear to be well off (and I know full well that appearances can be very deceptive), who decline even simple diagnostic or treatment options. Conversely, there are people who I know to be struggling that will do their utmost to afford what their pet needs regardless of the impact on their own well-being.
Money in the bank doesn’t always mean that it will go to the family pet’s care.
Essential Pet Costs
So what are my thoughts? Should you keep a pet if you can't afford their care? What level of care should you be able to afford before bringing a pet into your life?
I personally feel that everyone should be able to meet the minimum preventive healthcare requirements of vaccination, parasite control (the needs of which depends on geography), and desexing. These are known costs, and cheap options for these often exist through charity schemes and low-cost clinics to make them even more accessible for all.
Clearly, every pet parent also needs to be able to properly feed their pet (a potential issue for bigger dogs especially) and provide them with a safe, healthy environment to live in.
I also think there should be a rainy-day fund to allow a trip to the vet for a consultation and a basic course of treatment. This will again vary but let’s say this is somewhere between $200-500. Is this absolutely essential - no, but it is something every pet parent can aspire to and work towards.
An alternative would be to plan access to various credit options, but these tend to come at a high cost to access in terms of setup fees and interest charges making them more of a burden to those who can least afford them but are also the most in need.
If you are buying a dog from a breeder then I would actually set the bar higher and say that you should have a treatment fund of at least twice the purchase cost. And if you are getting a breed that is known to suffer from expensive problems frequently - the Bulldog immediately springs to mind - then either pet insurance is a must or your emergency fund needs to be significantly higher because the chance of your pet needing it is much much greater.
Are Pets a Luxury?
Finally, I want to leave you with the thought that while having a pet in our life is a privilege and not a right, do we really want to make them a luxury item that only the very wealthy can afford? Do we want to deny so many people the joy and benefits that having a furry family member brings? And do we want to deny these animals the opportunity of being adopted and living in homes where they will be truly loved?
To my mind, the answer to all these is no.
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