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Fr_Chuck · Mar 8, 2008, 02:33 PM

I know how you feel, one of my jobs that I had with one small town police was to help with Animal control. We put down in a town of about 4000 people about 400 animals a year. That is one animal for every 10 people every year We used an injection, but it was sad, I would set petting them till they passed.

peggyhill · Mar 8, 2008, 02:33 PM

I understand that sometimes it has to happen when the animals are in pain and sick. I had to have my poodle put down a few years back, and I still cry when I think about it. But, she was blind and had cancer and she was in pain. So, it was the kindest thing I could do for her, but it still was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

One of my friends (former friend really) broke up with her boyfriend and took both her dogs to the shelter when she left. The only reason she didn't keep them (she could have animals at her new house) was that she quote "didn't want to pay for all the food myself". Why in the world did you get the animals in the first place then? I really doubt that they were adopted from the shelter because they were aggressive and untrained, which was also her fault. She had them for three years, kept them in her basement during the day, and at night when she was at home she kept them out in the yard. No socializing with people, and then she wonders why they act the way they do when she never ever trained them or even tried. I tried to tell her to put an add out or something, not just drop them off. I called a friend who said he would take them, at least until someone else was willing to, but she had already dumped them off at the shelter when I called her. I have a big dog and 3 cats I adopted from the shelter, or I would have taken the dogs myself. When I asked her, "How would you feel if they put them down because you dumped them off" , she said "I could care less, I hate the **** things". Things. Like they were an old shoe or something. I just made me so mad! The highlight of those dogs day was when she got home from work, and she never even cared enough to go and pet them.

froggy7 · Mar 8, 2008, 05:11 PM

[QUOTE=LifeIsTooShort}
Froggy: While I understand that technology is expensive, I will never understand why it would cost people 10 dollars for one ibuprofen in the hospital or ER, when you can purchase over 500 of them at most drug stores for around 10.00. [/QUOTE]

That's an easy one.. you aren't paying for just the ibuprofen. You are paying for the hospital administration costs, the salaries of the staff (down to the janitor), the record keeping, the people who don't pay their bills that the hospital has to eat, etc. It's the same reason that the steak dinner you get at the restaurant is $25 when you could make it at home for $8.

And the costs that you pay at the vet are actually closer to what medical costs should be. And even then, most vets don't charge what they really should in order to make reasonable money at their job. As the vet put it... we don't like to feel that we are turning people away because they can't pay, but we need to make enough to stay open.

And I have gotten to see a very interesting panel meeting where a bunch of doctors carefully skirted around the question of what's a reasonable price to pay to keep someone alive for a year. If you can put something on the market that can do that, but it's going to cost roughly $300,000 for that year, should you put it on the market, or is that too much cost for too little gain? Never have I seen doctors duck a question as much as they did that one.

Mrs M · Mar 8, 2008, 07:05 PM

I had my 21 yr old dog put 2 sleep on Wednesday due to old age and loss of back legs and not because I did not want or love her even now I crying as I type this. The vet called me today because he wanted me 2 no how much it saddened him 2 put her 2sleep. I could not be there as I wanted to rememebr her they way she was and not the sick dog she became and what made me calmer was the fact he told me that she lay there not struggling and that she went peacefully and quickly. I felt guilty as if I had signed her death certificate and up until today believe she still had years left. I think that keeping a dog here on earth in pain is selfish to the owner and all I have done is taken on my dogs pain after death.

LifeIsTooShort · Mar 8, 2008, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by froggy7

That's an easy one.. you aren't paying for just the ibuprofen. You are paying for the hospital administration costs, the salaries of the staff (down to the janitor), the record keeping, the people who don't pay their bills that the hospital has to eat, etc. It's the same reason that the steak dinner you get at the restaurant is $25 when you could make it at home for $8.

And the costs that you pay at the vet are actually closer to what medical costs should be. And even then, most vets don't charge what they really should in order to make reasonable money at their job. As the vet put it... we don't like to feel that we are turning people away because they can't pay, but we need to make enough to stay open.

And I have gotten to see a very interesting panel meeting where a bunch of doctors carefully skirted around the question of what's a reasonable price to pay to keep someone alive for a year. If you can put something on the market that can do that, but it's going to cost roughly $300,000 for that year, should you put it on the market, or is that too much cost for too little gain? Never have I seen doctors duck a question as much as they did that one.

Hi'ya again, Froggy: Do I even dare ask what the rest of the bill is for? :D I'm a medical transcriptionist and my job certainly isn't the reason doctor fees are so high, but like you said, administration is part of it. I think a lot of it has to do with bogus lawsuits, as well...

KISS · Mar 8, 2008, 08:58 PM

It's just mind boggleing that it OK and humane to be able to put down a dog for "suffering" that can't even be communicated, yet society won't allow putting down a human who is in the final stages of life and wants to die. Why?

LifeIsTooShort · Mar 8, 2008, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

It's just mind boggleing that it OK and humane to be able to put down a dog for "suffering" that can't even be communicated, yet society won't allow putting down a human who is in the final stages of life and wants to die. Why?

I agree, too!

Alty · Mar 9, 2008, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Mrs M

I had my 21 yr old dog put 2 sleep on wednesday due to old age and loss of back legs and not because i did not want or love her even now I cryin as i type this. The vet called me 2day because he wanted me 2 no how much it saddened him 2 put her 2sleep. I could not be there as i wanted to rememebr her they way she was and not the sick dog she became and wat made me calmer was the fact he told me that she lay there not struggling and that she went peacefully and quickly. I felt guilty as if I had signed her death certificate and up until 2day believe she still had years left. I think that keeping a dog here on earth in pain is selfish to the owner and all i have done is taken on my dogs pain after death.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Wow, 21 years, your dog had a long wonderful life, it makes me optimistic that my 13 year old lab still has some good years left.

What you did was an act of love, nothing less. It is the kindest thing, we as humans, can do for the animals in our care and in our hearts.

You have 21 years of wonderful memories, may time heal your heart and once again make you smile.

carolbcac · Mar 10, 2008, 07:58 PM

[QUOTE=Altenweg]
What you did was an act of love, nothing less. It is the kindest thing, we as humans, can do for the animals in our care and in our hearts.

I absolutely agree! The bravest and most humane thing we can do, after giving our pets the best life we could, is to give them the easiest possible death.