Irresponsible owners!?

[ladove]

I am getting very frustrated with the number of posts of people who say, 'my chin might be hurt, I'm going to put him down b/c I can't afford vet bills'.

IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD VET BILLS DON'T GET A PET!!

People who have this attitude should be ashamed of themselves.

I feel really badly for these animals, it makes me want to cry. It actually makes me SICK! :Pukey:

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[BabyChins116]

I agree with you. I think most people get pets spur of the moment and dont think about "what am I gonna do if they get sick" or "what am I gonna do if he/she gets hurt". A lot of people need to understand that all animals, big and small need to go to the vet on a regular basis. Even if its just a check up. I am always telling people who see my chins, and they are like " Aww, I want one" and I explain to them that like dogs and cats, chins have to have vet visits too! Esp if they are sick!!
Some people just dont understand how much responsibility a pet really is, or the sad thing is they just dont care. :( We just have to try harder to educate people that owning a pet is a huge responsibility and if they cannot handle it, then they should make the wise decision and not get one.

[slodden]

Nice to see someone say this. I too agree if you cant afford it -- ALL OF IT -- then dont get it. All animals need more than just food and water. They need love & attention, cage cleanings (tank, litter box, bed, house, cage), they will get sick at some point and you need to be responsible and take care of it. My dog just tore he crutiate ligament in her knee, she ended up having surgery 2 weeks before my vacation. The surgery was around $700. She had the surgery and I just had less spending money for vacation. Bad decision??? NO!!! She is more important to me than any vacation regardless that I had been waiting and saving for it for over 2 years.

If you aren't willing to step back and take proper responsibility of your pets, then you just dont need one. If you really, really like animals though, then do this instead... Go to your local animal shelter, veterinarian, or pet store. Talk to the owner or manager and offer your services as a volunteer. You will learn valuable tips and hints on animal care and you can understand the work that goes into the care of different animals. The best part of it, you can share all your love of animals and you aren't being stuck with a sick animal you aren't prepared to care for. If you do decide you can provide the care needed, then you can look into responsible animal ownership at that time.

I personally have 23 animals. They are all cared for, have proper toys, proper housing, and clean environment. Those that need to be seen by a vet are not delayed treatment. Thats probably enough on the subject, but I feel very strongly about buying animals on a whim.

[SFuzzy]

Don't get me started!! We have this "friend of the family" who is 17 and kills a pet a week. Seriously!! Her parents are workaholics and don't want her to even have pets so they don't care (her dad even joked that he's been killing them with antifreeze!). I keep yelling at her but she doesn't care she keeps getting more and more animals.. About a month ago she killed three pet rats somehow. "they just died," she claimed. Just last week one of her pet mice died and then her short-tailed possum.. The worst part is that she's headed to college next year to be a zoo keeper.. The only positve I can think of is that hopefully she'll learn to actually care for the animals she houses.. It makes me sick and I want to cry. I keep tryin to help the animals by telling her how to care for them (I can't stop her from getting them. I've tried) but she's just neglectfull or something.. I'm not really even sure how she is so successfully 'doing away with' all her pets. Makes me sick.

[DeniMarie]

I agree with you wholeheartedly. :applause:

1. If you allow your child to get a pet, you are getting a pet. Expect that you will bear the financial burden if this animal needs anything.

2. You wouldn't adopt a child and then say "Oh, I don't have the money for a pediatrician" so don't do it with an animal.

3. Pets are NOT toys.

[tararosej]

OMG! I somehow missed these posts?? :confused: This is really sad. Don't people have ANY attachment to their animals anymore? :banghead: Mine are like family members. Wow, I guess I never heard of anyone putting an animal down for such a frivolous reason. :( I don't get it.

[melvtech19]

ladove, you are not the only one!! i work as a vet tech at an animal hospital, and i cannot tell you HOW MANY times an animal comes in that needs treatment that the owners cannot pay for and they opt to put the animal down. its one thing when, ie they are old and dying and though treatment could prolong their life, it will not cure them...i can understand euthanasia from that perspective, BUT i cannot STAND the people who have a fixable animal with a broken leg, or a blockage, or a puppy with parvo, or some other affliction that could potentially be life threatening but definitely curable that still decide to opt for euthanizing...it MAKES ME SICK to see it. in many cases, the vets i work for will do everything in their power to save the animal...either through payment plans...held checks, carecredit, or they take in the animal, fix it, and then find a better home. also it is very often that a tech or receptionist will save an animal. inevitably, some of these animals do get put down. but back to the topic...i wish people wouldn't get an animal if they can't afford its vet care, in an emergency or not. don't even get me started on the people who don't routinely bring their pets in for vaccines etc that then get upset when their pet contracts something they could have prevented!!! ergggghhh!!! :banghead: lol ill stop now but i could go on for hours about stories that have come into my work...lol

tararosej: i feel the same way. my animals are like family members and personally, if one of mine ever got sick, i'd go to any lengths to save the animal if it could be saved. if i needed money, i'd borrow it from friends/family, i'd sell anything i could to make money, etc. i wish more people in the world felt like we did... *sigh* :|

[chinemo]

We spent $425 on our hamster to save her. She was going to die with out it. Do I think it was worth it? Every cent. What did I do, I sold personal items that I didn't want to sell, but knew I had too. People really should understand what they are EXPECTED to do! How is it different because they are not the same life form, they are still living things with hearts and emotions too.

[tararosej]

ladove, you are not the only one!! i work as a vet tech at an animal hospital, and i cannot tell you HOW MANY times an animal comes in that needs treatment that the owners cannot pay for and they opt to put the animal down. its one thing when, ie they are old and dying and though treatment could prolong their life, it will not cure them...i can understand euthanasia from that perspective, BUT i cannot STAND the people who have a fixable animal with a broken leg, or a blockage, or a puppy with parvo, or some other affliction that could potentially be life threatening but definitely curable that still decide to opt for euthanizing...it MAKES ME SICK to see it. in many cases, the vets i work for will do everything in their power to save the animal...either through payment plans...held checks, carecredit, or they take in the animal, fix it, and then find a better home. also it is very often that a tech or receptionist will save an animal. inevitably, some of these animals do get put down. but back to the topic...i wish people wouldn't get an animal if they can't afford its vet care, in an emergency or not. don't even get me started on the people who don't routinely bring their pets in for vaccines etc that then get upset when their pet contracts something they could have prevented!!! ergggghhh!!! :banghead: lol ill stop now but i could go on for hours about stories that have come into my work...lol

tararosej: i feel the same way. my animals are like family members and personally, if one of mine ever got sick, i'd go to any lengths to save the animal if it could be saved. if i needed money, i'd borrow it from friends/family, i'd sell anything i could to make money, etc. i wish more people in the world felt like we did... *sigh* :|


Exactly! The thing that ticks me off is that some people do not even make AN ATTEMPT to get the money or ask about payment plans. What about credit cards or savings accounts? How can someone stand there and seriously let their best friend die for NO GOOD REASON EXCEPT LAZINESS AND STUPIDITY!!!!! :angry: Life is not a throwaway thing!

Sorry for the rant, can't help it. I know many of you agree.I did just see the thread by the way...chins arent horses, duh! :rolleyes:

[ladove]

melvtech19,
My vet routinely takes in animals that are strays, or the owners don't want to pay for the bills. Everytime I go in he's asking me to take home a different animal! He's had 1 cat there for the past 5 years who is perfectly healthy, but the owner didn't want to give it an insulin shot everyday and told him to put it down. They also adopted a stray cat recently.


SFUZZY,
Don't worry about the friend. After killing all the animals in the lab or zoo (however they train zookeepers) she will be booted out of that program. Let me know when it happens so that I can CHEER!!!


I think a solution to this is for breeders to be more selective about who they sell their animals to. A local dog breeder in my area REQUIRES the name of your vet before they will approve your application. They actually phone up the vet and get your pet history. Anyone can lie in an application, but this gets closer to the truth.

I guess people would just go to the crappy pet stores and buy pets.