A Clarifying Question

[BG and Gavin]

WARNING:  IF YOU ARE THE OBSESSIVE TYPE, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

 

Nearly a year ago now, we left Gavin overnight at a boarding kennel.  The owner asked me a question that day which continues to haunt me from time to time.  The question was this:

 

If there is some kind of freak accident and I an unable to get a hold of you or your designate, how much money will you authorize me to spend on your dog in an emergency? 

 

This was before DK so I really had no idea how much things costs so I said what I thought was an outrageous amount: “2,000 dollars.”  At the same time my DH said “500 dollars.”  After fighting with him for 10 minutes after we drove away that he could be so callous and cheap and think our dear puppy was only worth $500, I really started to consider the question.  About an hour into our trip I called the kennel and said “make it 5,000 dollars.”

 

Fast forward 6 months and we were off to the kennel again for a three-night stay.  DH dropped Gavin off with my instruction to “make it $10,000.”  Then I started thinking my car is worth more than that!  Is he worth more than my car?  Of course!  Is he worth more than my house?  Not really, because if I was homeless neither of us would have a place to live.  But I now tend to look at everything in between is he worth more than this or that? 

 

What would you have answered the kennel owner?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Wow. Is this Kibble for Thought? I have no idea how I would have answered the question at the time but I will be forever thinking about it now.

P.S.I know this is not funny, but the go back and forth with the DH made me laugh out loud. I guess, funny things, are things you can relate with :)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is why I just bought pet insurance. I hope I don't have to answer that....hard question.
BTW my boarding/daycare place has never asked me to provide a cap. I gave our vet name, number and authorized them to go to the emergency vet down the road. Interesting...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is an easy answer for me.
"As much as it takes."

[Laura Deutsch]

I say, get pet insurance. we only insured up to 8000 this year, but have spent so much on Molly so far, that is not covered, I'm thinking it's worth the money to up it to 12, 000, although that seems crazy.

[Holly St Pierre]

I’m with Karen. The night we lost our beloved maltese the emergency vet told me she had him in an oxygen tank to help regulate his breathing, I immediately started thinking “I wonder if I will need to re-finance my house to buy one of those for him to have at home" which I would have done in a minute.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

WOW So I had to test the waters and ask my DH what his answer would have been in the same circumstance..... Of course he said "its a dog Denise!!" OH NO ITS NOT!! He know's this to he is just a bit to grough to admit it out loud. After awhile he says, well we have 3 credit cards with nothing on them and our savings so whatever that would be I guess I would say. Sweet logic considering his general personality. Personally, I am thinking 2nd mortgage!!

[Donna K & Quincy]

BQ, before Quincy, I would have thought this was an easy question, I thought people who spent thousands of dollars on their pets were, well, nuts. Now the answer would be the same as Karen, whatever it takes. I think it's time to invest in some pet insurance. I'm calling my insurance company tomorrow to see if they offer pet insurance, if not I will look into the one DKers have been recommending. This is certainly a question that gives us "paws" for thought.

[Suzanne & Jack]

Difficult question for some, but not for most of us on DK. Several years ago we had a dog with cancer, there was no hesitancy from my DH when it came to any treatment. He had 28 radiation treatments at Purdue. My DH's response when I would ask how much it was costing, "You don't want to know."

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I just asked my DH the same question. His response: "Whatever it takes"! :) And that reflects my feelings too!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow, so my answer to this may be a little different, and potentially controversial. It wouldn't be a question just about the money for me...it would also be a question about suffering and ultimate quality of life. If my Dood incurred a traumatic injury or a devastating illness, and it would cost $20,000 to save him with no intolerable suffering...and if he would be "normal" afterward, I would find a way to do it. I describe "normal" as having the ability to live a comfortable and pain free "Doodle life". We have pet insurance, so it's much less of a financial decision for us. However, if he was going to have to undergo painful, repetitive treatments with a questionable outcome, I would not. So, rather than leaving a dollar threshold for the kennel owner, I'd leave more of a "living will" directive.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with your thinking entirely when it comes to catastrophic illnesses that have dismal prognoses. But in this case, the question involves an emergency situation. I think of emergencies as car accidents, bloat, obstructions, drowning, poisoning, attacks by other animals, etc., and not something like cancer. In an emergency, I would want anything and everything done to treat him until I could get there to make an informed decision about subsequent treatment, and I know you would, too.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Yes, but there are some emergency situations that could also fall into the category I was referring to also.