| Yeah to everyone else's comments.
This situation brings up a good point many people overlook when they get into multiple pet ownership: The cost of veterinary care.
Like Laurie, I've spent plenty of bucks in recent months on my dog; not even for big issues like hip replacements or knee work. I've been nibbled on by the vets to the tune of $300.00 here and $250.00 there...and that's not counting all the food [best dog kibble, human food meat, doggy snacks], toys and equipment it takes to own a dog! I'm sure I'm in the thousands by now and it's only been 8 months.
My point being simple: dogs and other pets cost money to own. They live with us on "disposable" income - not up to the level of a child, who must by all ethics come first, but certainly ahead of a visit to the hairdresser or nail salon. Often, one must make financial sacrafices, as Miabella did, and that's so the innocent life who was her responsibility could have a good quality of life.
No one, and I mean NO ONE, should own multiple pets, especially large breed dogs, unless they have a steady source of disposable income. I know this from a practical and an anecdotal point of view. Like many people who weren't born with a large trust fund, I haven't always been especially "liquid" - with things like mortgage payments, regular bills, school loans [mine, my son's] and all the other stuff including high medical insurance costs due to my disabilities, we've been stretched at times. But...when I wanted a new dog, I did so knowing we could afford to have one, pay the necessary medical expenses and pay for high quality daily life things as outlined above.
Do NOT scrimp on your dog's vet care; take that dog to a vet, humbly ask for a payment plan and then reconsider owning more than one pet if the expenses have become more than you can carry right now. Don't let pride or a misguided sense of need for multiple pets overrule your common sense. Get your boy some medical care and keep us posted on how it comes out.
We do want what's best for the dog and you.
PT  |