Dachshund Left at Shelter with Heartbreaking Note Will Reunite with Owners

Pet 360 via Yahoo ^ | 3/13/14

[Kartographer]

The heartbreaking note reads, "Our dog is 13 1/2 years old he is sick starting yesterday with bloody stools, vomiting. Had a skin disease for a few years. We are both seniors, sick with no money. We cannot pay for vet bills, or to put him to sleep. He has never been away from us in all those years, he cannot function without us, please put him to sleep."

[berdie]

In today’s world...vet’s testing is enormously high. $200 probably wouldn’t even touch it.

It’s sad that most of the modern day vets are pricing a lot of pet owners out of existence. Just a “visit” can be over $100.

I have an old country vet that operates in the old fashioned way. I don’t know what I’ll do when he retires. I feel for the elderly, cash strapped pet owners in the story.

[Grumpybutt]

We are in this same situation right now. Our little EM had the bloody vomiting and stools Friday. Took her to the vet - pancreatitis, and long story short, we had to surrender her so that she can get the care she needs to recover. She’s always been a sickly little thing off and on with lots of sensitivities and we’ve always managed somehow to pay for her care, but this time, we just flat out couldn’t afford it. We were going to put her down but the vet gave us the option to surrender her instead and they would get her well and in a good home. I’m absolutely devastated.

[9YearLurker]

It shouldn’t cost what it does to put an ill animal down. Shelters and animal control should offer the service at cost.

And there’s an opportunity for, I don’t know, a chain or something, to come in with more competitive veterinary pricing than what prices are getting jacked up to in many parts of the country.

But there is reasonable pet health insurance that can be purchased when your pet is still reasonably young that can at least size those $5,000 bills down to, say, a more manageable $500.