Americans Increasingly Medicating Pets

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Americans have begun to medicate their dogs, cats and sometimes other pets much as they medicate themselves.

They routinely treat their pets for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, and soon maybe even obesity. They pick from an expanding menu of mostly human pharmaceuticals like steroids for inflammation, antibiotics for infection, anti-clotting agents for heart ailments, Prozac or Valium for anxiety, even the impotence drug Viagra for a lung condition in dogs.

Increasingly, they buy at people pharmacies or online and sometimes pay with health insurance.

Until recent decades, American veterinarians still concentrated on care that reflected the country's agrarian roots: keeping farm animals healthy to protect the human food supply. Instead of being medicated, a very sick animal was quickly sacrificed to save the herd. Pets were typically kept outside with the cows, chickens and pigs. A dog was lucky for a dry place in a crude shelter; a cat, for a warm spot in the barn.

Link to Pet Meds

What in the world is going on here? I have not had a dog in many decades. When I did, he got his shots, and that was about it. When he had a stroke at the age of 12, I had him euthanized. Now I hear stories about people spending thousands of dollars for pet surgery, and now this, about medicating pets.

I understand that pets are an important part of the family, but why do you think that people are willing to spend an inordinate amount of money on them?

Now there is health insurance. Do you have health insurance for your pet? If your pet had a chronic condition that required expensive medication, would you be willing to get it for him?

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Re: Americans Increasingly Medicating Pets
The link was extremely slow loading for me, so I lost patience and didn't read it. Maybe it would have changed my answer below.

Phoenix32890 wrote:

If your pet had a chronic condition that required expensive medication, would you be willing to get it for him?

Yes. One of my cats, now deceased, had diabetes (as do several cats of A2K posters) and yes, I bought insulin and syringes at the pharmacy, monitored his blood sugar, etc, until the day it became too much for him, and then I had him euthanized. I don't know if that is excessive or not, all I know is that it felt like the right thing to do. After all, I had imprisoned him, removed mice and birds from his diet, and removed his reproductive capabilities. It didn't seem like too much to ease his diabetic symptoms. I have no idea how much money was spent.

I now own a cat who has food allergies. I buy her a special, more expensive than normal, venison kibble. Is that excessive? She originally arrived on my doorstep with her tail literally half ripped off, and I paid to have it properly amputated and end her pain. Is that excessive?

I've never had pet insurance, because it seemed very expensive for the limited benefits, but perhaps I should look at it again.

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Tico- Strange. I clicked on the link, and it worked very quickly.

What got to me about this article, (and what I have recently heard from other people) is that people are willing to spend a lot more on their pets than they did in the past.

I am talking about thousands of dollars, spent to keep a dog or a cat alive and healthy. I suppose if a family has a lot of discretionary income, it would not be a big deal. I am thinking though, of average people, who are spending money that might be better put to other uses.

What I am perceiving is that there is a totally different attitude towards people and their pets than there was years ago. For instance, my son has a couple of cats. There is one, in particular, that he absolutely adores. The cat is getting on in years, and I know, that when he dies, it will be as traumatic to my son as if he had lost a friend. (I hesitate to use the word "child", but I really wonder about that.)

I am curious as to how people's attitudes have changed in the last few decades.

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It depends. If the condition is treatable, even if very very bad, I'd do it. Provided that I could afford it and that the treatment would allow a better quality of life for her.

If she got cancer that was inoperable but could be treated with meds, but those meds made her really sick, I might put her down instead of making her suffer every day through the vomiting and what not.

I think it also depends on the age of the pet. If the dog is really old and gets really sick and an expensive operation will extend life 4-6 months, I'd have to decide if it was worth it. Older dogs don't do as well under the knife and the outcome might not even be worth the risk. Would I try and keep her alive for a few more months but risk her dying on the table any way?

I probably spend more on my dog than a lot of people. But there is a line. I don't want my family spending boatloads on money on me if the outcome isn't worth it (example: spending money on life support as I remain in a coma).

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Bella Dea- I tend to agree with you. If I had a young, otherwise healthy pet, and the operation would give him a good quality of life, I just might do it. If the pet were old, and would have a lot of pain and suffering ahead, I don't think that I would put him through it.

Like you, I feel the same way about myself. I would not want a lot of money to be spent eking out a few more miserable weeks or months.

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We spend about $30 a month on canine pills: thyroid, heartworm and anti-dribble.

This is more than is available for health care for some third world families, perhaps more than many of the working poor in the states can afford.

Every so often this troubles me--but then letting my dog go without meds wouldn't help anyone.

Iffy is nearly 14 now and I will not spend thousands of dollars to extend her life.

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I faced my own line - which took some good heart to heart with myself - rather recently with my girl.
My girl was a cat.

I am not fond of the farm mentality. Grew up with that. "Ok, time for Fido to go to the farm".
That meant he/she was going to be shot or left to fend for themself. Short life ahead, at most.

My pets all get shots, decent food, and vet visits if they need them.

A surgery that would make life great and long for a pet, I would do if it was affordable and wouldn't put me in the shitter financially.
I won't go in debt for a pet.

In the case of my girl, they offered up options that could have possibly prolonged her life. But, when it came down to it, the doc didn't know what was wrong with her....other than she was old and dying, and whatever it was serious.

It would have cost me a mint to put her through a long series of tests just to find the cause. And even then...of all it could be...all the possibilities were horrible and non-treatable except by painful, long drawn out 'maybe' surgeries and pokings and proddings.

And in the end she wouldn't have long anyways. Just more pain. So I chose euthanasia when her quality of life was getting bad.

I will do much for a pet - especially considering they are the only 'kids' I got right now.

It is a very tough line for me. On the one hand, I am a huge animal lover.
On the other, I sometimes find myself having to keep down laughs at some of the garbage vets have tried to feed me. (the ones that want the moolah above all else, mostly).

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Oh my my. I am sooooo guilty I don't even know where to start.

My dog Bakker died last summer after a long life made happy only with injections costing more than $100 a month. She had Addison's disease - very treatable for the right price.

My other dog, Bird, has a seizure a few months ago. A trip to the emergency vet set me back $700. She's not a young dog but has always been very healthy so it was a "must". I am really glad that she hasn't had another one.

Probably the biggest deal was surgery on my 13 year old cat's hips. They wired them back together with teflon and she was walking in a few days, never had another problem, and lived another 9 years. It was the best $3,000 I ever spent. She was the Boomerang whose name I stole for myself.

I am willing to go without luxury in order to have animal friends.

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Aww, Boomer, you're a kind person...that was a very touching post. Crying or Very sad

Put me down as one who'd absolutely spend the money, even if it meant a loan or anything-- that is, if it was the best thing for my animal friend. I would always make the decision based on what was in their best interests. Whatever would give them the best life, considering both length of life and quality.

We just spent a good $250 on our guinea pig, which I know is a kind of animal that many people consider "disposable," but it was well worth it to us. I don't even think "worth it" is the right phrase, actually-- it's not a matter of worth, it just seems to me that if you choose to have a pet you ought to know you're signing on for whatever comes down the pike, money, time, whatever.

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Well, it's not always the pet owners fault either. I just switched veterinarians because the old ones (a group of women vets) became increasingly money hungry and insisted that most dogs need a yearly
professional teeth cleaning. Prior to that there would have to be a blood
panel done, and when all is done and over with, the cost would have
been around $ 700.

Once they talked me into it, but then I toughened up and declined
which didn't stop them. They give you the spiel about all the health problems that the poor animal could face resulting from tar on the
teeth. Then a yearly blood panel is also recommended as a preventitive
measure.

They make you downright feel guilty if you don't give in to their pitch,
and these particular veterinarian group is not an isolated case either.
Veterinarians are very much part in it to make the pet owner feel
guilty if they don't comply with their suggestions - and guilty we feel,
don't we?

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Aw geez. I could have marked several options on your poll. But, most here already know how nutty I am.

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boomerang wrote:

Oh my my. I am sooooo guilty I don't even know where to start.

My dog Bakker died last summer after a long life made happy only with injections costing more than $100 a month. She had Addison's disease - very treatable for the right price.

My other dog, Bird, has a seizure a few months ago. A trip to the emergency vet set me back $700. She's not a young dog but has always been very healthy so it was a "must". I am really glad that she hasn't had another one.

Probably the biggest deal was surgery on my 13 year old cat's hips. They wired them back together with teflon and she was walking in a few days, never had another problem, and lived another 9 years. It was the best $3,000 I ever spent. She was the Boomerang whose name I stole for myself.

I am willing to go without luxury in order to have animal friends.

I'd have done the same. The quality of life is what counts, IMO. Sometimes, extending life doesn't mean you extend a good life. But obviously, you made the right choices.

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cyphercat wrote:

We just spent a good $250 on our guinea pig, which I know is a kind of animal that many people consider "disposable," but it was well worth it to us. I don't even think "worth it" is the right phrase, actually-- it's not a matter of worth, it just seems to me that if you choose to have a pet you ought to know you're signing on for whatever comes down the pike, money, time, whatever.

I spent a lot on my pig too....and she still died of an upper respiratory infection. Crying or Very sad

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I was watching E-Vet Interns on tv last night (I am a sucker for animals) and there was a story about a family who's dog's stomach got twisted, bloated up like a balloon and the only way to fix is surgery. It's deadly and the dog had like 2 hours before his stomach exploded and he died. But the family couldn't afford to pay for the surgery and the only other option was put him down. Well, the vet starts calling all these rescue groups and non-profit animal groups to see if anyone could help...and they found two groups willing to tackle the cost of the surgery so the dog could live. Very Happy

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Bella Dea wrote:

cyphercat wrote:

We just spent a good $250 on our guinea pig, which I know is a kind of animal that many people consider "disposable," but it was well worth it to us. I don't even think "worth it" is the right phrase, actually-- it's not a matter of worth, it just seems to me that if you choose to have a pet you ought to know you're signing on for whatever comes down the pike, money, time, whatever.

I spent a lot on my pig too....and she still died of an upper respiratory infection.

Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. Sad

It's hard with small pets like that, because they just won't have a particularly long life span no matter what you do, and it seems like piggies are susceptible to a lot of things, too. *sigh* But they are such fun little guys!

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Americans Increasingly Medicating Pets

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