Question:
What is the answer to this situation (I am not talking about me, but it could easily be me, this is a hypothetical situation):
someone poor as hell has a pet they love to death & take great care of;
that pet develops a serious illness/injury suddenly;
what should the poor person do?
The poor person does not have recourse to the things rich people do, like bank loans, credit cards, overdraft, etc.
The clock is ticking on the health of the animal.
Is euthanasia the only option? Exploring home remedies? Finding the animal a new home (-although that would seem difficult, esp. in cases of pets like cats & dogs, where potential adoptive people would seek a healthy animal, not one about to incur a huge medical bill)?
What else can be done in this situation?


Answer:
Advertise. Advertise the need for the animal and hope that someone (or many someones) would opt to help pay some of the bills.
Perhaps talk to the vet so that the animal gets treatment (assuming it's not EXCEPTIONALLY COSTLY) and then arrange a pay-back deal (if possible-- ie. perhaps exchange of hours working for animal clinic or something).
Just a little while ago, a cat fell of a 10 storey balcony and had two broken legs (and miracuously no internal injuries), and the woman who owned her had to pay upwards of $5,000 dollars just to get the surgeries done and the bandages and diet started (and that's after the vet did some pro bono work).
There was an article in the paper where she was asking for people to help out with the other funds (another $5 000 or so).
I know that it seems that there aren't many "nice" people out there (well, sometimes it seems like that), but it's worth a shot! I'm sure that there will be at least ONE person respond to that lady with the offer of support, even if it is only minimal.
And if that lady could get that support, then why not anyone else?
It saddens me to think of animals in situations like this (and I'm also saddened at the truth of the situation, even though you didn't bring up a specific situation, Neuro). I know of homeless people in vancouver who have pets that eat before they do, and they value their friends so much, but are unable to hold down a job for various reasons, or just choose not to succomb to the madness of society.
If I had any money at all, I would gladly support someone's pet in this situation.


Answer:
I'd say the owner would just have to make the best decision based on their situation. If they don't have the money to keep their pet comfortable in ill health (through extensive surgery, or special diet, or therapy etc) then their next best option might be making their pet's passing as comfortable and pain free as possible. You can tell when an animal is in pain and so tired that they just give up as opposed to an animal fighting for it's life.
I'd say my first option is to appeal for funds (thru newspaper, rescue organization, humane society, vet etc), if that doesn't help then I'd try to rehome them (you'd be surprised at the people who would adopt, Keesha & Ally's new mom & dad previously rescued a bulldog that was kept in a kennel and used for breeding that HATED other dogs and had a lot of digestive trouble). If all else fails, then I'd consider euthanasia if they were in a lot of pain and were suffering badly.


Answer:
Yeah, I've always wondered about that too. We would go up to the Art Museum & see people on the street & one had his old Shepard mix with him. I was always wondering how the dog got food, water, etc. I mean I worried about his master too; both were nice. That was a good question though.


Answer:
I would make sure that I had a vet that took payment plans before I got the pet. You never know what is going to come up...it's always better to plan ahead. This is just MHO, but sometimes I feel that love is not enough reason to have/keep a pet. You have to love the pet enough to do whatever is in the pet's best interest...not being able to provide proper vet care is not thinking of the pet first. I know that many people think they are just "animals" but would you try to rehome or euthanize your child if they required extensive surgery?


Answer:
I brought up this issue because there are many people who take in animals that would otherwise be homeless, abused or dead, & do the best they can for the, but have very limited resources.
I remember in Toronto when I watched a cat (I don't know who owned him) get hit by a taxi, which sped away. I rescued the cat & spent over $1000 cash, which I luckily could afford @ the time (exotic dancing), to save his life.
Now, if any of my pets became seriously ill, I am not sure what I could do.
Do any other relatively poor people on here have plans for if something serious & extremely expensive happens to their pets?
BTW as much as I believe that people who don't have a good income shouldn't have pets, that would mean the majority of animals would be homeless or destroyed, because not very many people have unlimited cash or credit to spend on a seriously ill animal/s.
I can only hope that I reach better earnings before my animals encounter anything terrible, but Hank has a slightly gimpy leg & she's only 4, & Cub has already cost me hundreds borrowed from understanding friend/bf, & seems to cost more every year (she's only 2).