# Please don't buy an animal if....



## Mrs G (Mar 29, 2008)

1. You're not willing to pay for vets fees! Unfortunately, this may be something that's needed at some point in keeping any animal. If people aren't willing to pay for their care, in every aspect, they shouldn't keep the animal in the first place! I've seen and heard of this happening numerous times, and it's so frustrating!!! 

2. You're not willing to prioritise! The animals health is so much more important than material goods!! Grr!

3. You're not willing to spend time getting it right! It doesn't take much to do a bit of research, and spend time adjusting, aiding and cleaning! Even if expert help is needed, there are simple things that can be done in the meantime to help! 

4. It's a fad or a gift for some one who may not be able to care for the animal properly! 

That's my rant! hopefully it's more constructive than confrontational! 
Please feel free to add/discuss what you've seen!! 

Thankooo!
Mrs G.xxx


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## smith86king (Oct 12, 2008)

i agree at some point in a animals life it may need to see a vet! It part of taken on the responsibltily!


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## guypettigrew (Mar 10, 2007)

You could always buy insurance for any vet's fees for your reptile.

Can't remember which company does it, but it certainly exists.

Guy


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## elliot ness (Oct 5, 2008)

what happened to my reply??????


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

spit051261 said:


> what happened to my reply??????


There were 2 threads on it, I deleted the other Also no swearing like that is allowed please. Young eyes are watching also.


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## gingerpony (May 31, 2008)

guypettigrew said:


> You could always buy insurance for any vet's fees for your reptile.
> 
> Can't remember which company does it, but it certainly exists.
> 
> Guy


PetPlan do (says an 'appointed representative') :blush:


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## Sarah-Jayne (Jul 4, 2007)

I agree, people should think about these things before they buy

Insurance is a waste of time, very costly, you may as well get a nice big jar and put some money in it every month


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## Mitch_Moshi (Apr 18, 2008)

Exotic Direct - Insurance for Birds, Mammals and Reptiles

They do rep insurance.


As for vet bills etc..., as with any pet, Snakes are for life, not just for Xmas!


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## Amyboo (Nov 11, 2007)

yep I agree with everything. 

All of that needs to definately be considered!


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

Sarah-Jayne said:


> I agree, people should think about these things before they buy
> 
> Insurance is a waste of time, very costly, you may as well get a nice big jar and put some money in it every month


Thats the same way I feel about pet insurance.


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## GlasgowGecko (Feb 23, 2008)

Mrs G said:


> 2. You're not willing to prioritise! The animals health is so much more important than material goods!! Grr!


Everyone who owns an animal will prioritise. But not everyones priorities will be the same as yours. 

Andy


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## bosc888 (Jun 3, 2007)

i will probably get slated for this but if you have a pet that cost £50 & it needs vets treatment that is going to cost a few hundred pounds then your priorities may have to be different, rep insurance as stated previously is very expensive especially if you have several reps.
i have not had this dilemma myself as yet but i am sure plenty of people have. just another point of view as the original post is very good advice but unfortunately vets fees are extortionate to say the least.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

100% agree

I had a HUGE debate on this earlier in the year on forum

If you cant afford vet bills for 5 animals KEEP ONE>>

stop buying more..

drives me nuts

people saying they never have cahs for vet bills and then they go to shows and buy 3 or 4 more reps.. whats that al about !!!!!!!!!!

frankly if you arent able to afford reptile vet fees for simple treatment.. which can cost anyhting from 50 pounds to a few hundred i dont feel its fair to make a reptile suffer because of cash flow issues.

I am on benefits and before i buy myself a single thing i put money away every month.. i always have £150 in the vet bill pot. and I dont even se eit as my money to be honest ..

IN the last 2 years ive spent possibly around 800 quid on vet fees .. for 4 different animals.. for various treatments.. 2 were rescues

I havent went on holiday once.. i dont buy myself new clothes or go out clubbing or really even to the pub..

my animals come first and i save every single penny i have for them.. there are excellent ways to save cash on every day life.. most people wont give up their luxuries though..

Whereas to me my animals are not a right.. they are a privelage


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## mike h (Sep 15, 2007)

If you have a £10 anole and you take it to the vet and he's say's it will be about £100 to sort it (chance it may not respond and die anyhow) 
what do you do?

Or if you have a £25 beardie and the vet fees are going to be about £140, again no guarantees. What do you do?

Lets put it anohter way, you have a pet mouse and the vet says it is going to be £70 to treat.
what do you do?

mike


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

mike h said:


> If you have a £10 anole and you take it to the vet and he's say's it will be about £100 to sort it (chance it may not respond and die anyhow)
> what do you do?
> 
> Or if you have a £25 beardie and the vet fees are going to be about £140, again no guarantees. What do you do?
> ...


Me personally treat it

other people...

let it die and replace it.. thats how little animal life means to some keepers


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## Maureen Collinson (Oct 6, 2006)

mike h said:


> If you have a £10 anole and you take it to the vet and he's say's it will be about £100 to sort it (chance it may not respond and die anyhow)
> what do you do?
> 
> Or if you have a £25 beardie and the vet fees are going to be about £140, again no guarantees. What do you do?
> ...


Nothing personal here Mike, but when people in general, like you, talk in terms of money as you just have then perhaps that is the time to re-think why you would have the animal in the first place? 

For many of us we take on an animal and no matter what it's cost, even if free, and no matter what it's temperament, it still becomes apart of our family, and as such no *money* value is placed on it's life, as it is a *truly* *valuable member* of the family, a *pet* that *deserves* *the best* we can give it, in fact *what* we would *expect* for ourselves.

Now, if you and others are talking from a breeding point of view where the animal is just a commodity, or breeding machine then I hear you, and will go along with what you say, but agree to differ, as would many breeders due to the fact that they still treat their breeders in what I personally deem as a correct way.

I don't usually hear these types of comments said when it comes down to a family cat for example, that may well have been taken on for free. The vets are full of people doing their best for the general moggy, and the mongrel dog that don't have a cash value. Okay, yes, many do also end up in RSPCA pounds and such like, some due to genuine hardship, but others for reasons that should not have been, and we are quick to condemn people then, so *why* is the *little anole* so different? Is *not* all life precious? or is it the way of today to judge only by the value and size of the poor creature just as you seem to be doing here?

If you really feel this way about the lower forms of life, as seen in some eyes, but by no means all, Mike, could I suggest as a keeper that you set your personal choices higher up the scale so that the animal stands a choice of getting some treatment if required, that can come below the cost of the animal to buy, thus giving it a chance to get the treatment it deserves in life.

Again Mike, I stress that although I am opposing what you have written, and am totally against it, this is in no way a personal attack, just the other side of the coin that I prefer to be on.

Mo.


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## bosc888 (Jun 3, 2007)

mike h said:


> If you have a £10 anole and you take it to the vet and he's say's it will be about £100 to sort it (chance it may not respond and die anyhow)
> what do you do?
> 
> Or if you have a £25 beardie and the vet fees are going to be about £140, again no guarantees. What do you do?
> ...


precisely my point differentpriorities for different people & just to point something else out i work very hard & didnt have a holiday this year & also dont get to go clubbing or down the pub much so i'm very sorry to hear that benefits wont run to all of this, such a shame:bash:


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

bosc888 said:


> precisely my point differentpriorities for different people & just to point something else out i work very hard & didnt have a holiday this year & also dont get to go clubbing or down the pub much so i'm very sorry to hear that benefits wont run to all of this, such a shame:bash:


 


im on benefits due to a neurological condition so i dont even think people on benefits have an excuse

BUT


once i have put food on my kids table every penny goes to my animals

i dont have holidays.. dont smoke.. dont drink much either .. an odd bottle of wine once a month..

the bottom line is I buy my clothes on ebay.. shop carefully and prioritise.. it seems you think a similar way and understand to keep animals properly we need to give up simple things in life others may not want to ...

as i said i would pay 70 pounds to save my mouse.. thats how i am..

We should feel privilaged to keep any animal captive, and if we wish for that privaledge then with it comes great responsibility

nature does not BELONG to us.. we are PART of it..


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## fatratsandcheesekk (May 18, 2008)

i agree with all of that

i have once not been able to pay for a vet as i called the PDSA (at 5 am) as it was the only vet it was going to be £25 for the taxi and £90 consultation then any treetment on to it was for one of my rats that had been in a fight and had a lump on his back luckly it was an absess i felt so bad at not going to the night vet but got straight into my normal vet when it opened at 8

all my aniomals live better than me the heatings put on for them not me they have food even if all i have is beans on toast

and i was a victim to the 4th one with my 1st rat but loved him and the snake was almost an impulse buy but went home resurched here and now hes a member of our family


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## Maureen Collinson (Oct 6, 2006)

Got to go with Sparkle here. :notworthy:
I'm on a very basic pension, and what's a holiday? (Something is clicking in my distant memory however  ) and I don't drink, smoke or have weekly sessions in a beauty /hair saloon, (yes I know it shows),and I have to count every money, and it's a worry at times, but I still believe that my animals deserve the best I can give them, and I would not be adverse to begging my Vet if necessary to be able to pay weekly for any animal treatment, I could not afford to pay for outright. 

I will say that I feed rodents to my snakes as they need them to survive, and I know how to humanly kill them, having been taught years back by a Vet, but I still paid out for my pet rat to have daily injections (much to Hubby's surprise with this one) in order for it to stand a chance of recovering, and that was £25.00 per time, and it died, but that's just me.

People on benefit do manage to get the bits as they go along. It's what keeps them going, I know and understand this, as my youngest Son, wife and 2 Children are on benefit until my Son has his back operation, but even they would go without their few luxuries in order to see to a sick animal in most cases, or if not, and say 2 were ill, 1 worth a small fortune and the other nothing, I am full of confidence that money value of the animal would not enter their heads, only which one has the best chance of a full recovery.

It's the whole it's only worth this much that is impossible to deal with from my standing. That's the sting in the tail. Banging of heads smilies is quite aggressive used in the context here, and shows another not so nice side, so please be careful not to outweigh the good points which I am sure you do have. 

Mo.


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## Javeo (May 4, 2008)

I agree 100% with Maureen, most mammals are given priority over reps. Maybe because they are more like us. I recently spent £700 on my cat, which was indeed a freebie. I dont even like cats, but as I have it I will take full responsibility for its welfare. Same goes for all my pets, barring fish which usually die before you know theres a problem.


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## SisterMoonbeam (Jan 28, 2008)

It depends on the situation really....

My friend's hamster got wet tail recently (last one of a whole litter- was pretty much doomed), anyway she took it to the vet and they said there wasn't much they could do except give him two injections (not sure what they did)..... anyway, i advised her to have him euthanised (either by the vet or CO2) before the disease took a turn for the worse (which inevitably it would) but she took him to the vets instead and paid £75 for injections which imo just stressed him out and made him worse and led him to a more uncomfortable death. In her words 'he seemed fine, eating and drinking and a bit more spritely until he got back from the vets and he was shaking and refused to eat or drink and just died in the night'

My advice was based on both the animal's welfare and the vet's costs she would endure.

Some situations are difficult to judge!


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## Maureen Collinson (Oct 6, 2006)

SisterMoonbeam said:


> It depends on the situation really....
> 
> My friend's hamster got wet tail recently (last one of a whole litter- was pretty much doomed), anyway she took it to the vet and they said there wasn't much they could do except give him two injections (not sure what they did)..... anyway, i advised her to have him euthanised (either by the vet or CO2) before the disease took a turn for the worse (which inevitably it would) but she took him to the vets instead and paid £75 for injections which imo just stressed him out and made him worse and led him to a more uncomfortable death. In her words 'he seemed fine, eating and drinking and a bit more spritely until he got back from the vets and he was shaking and refused to eat or drink and just died in the night'
> 
> ...


I hear and agree with you here, but this is in the animals interest in the long run, and nothing to do with how much it cost.  I think the real issue here is that it cost little, thus an easy to dispose of pet, because the Vet bill is higher than it's worth in money. 

Mo.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

mike h said:


> If you have a £10 anole and you take it to the vet and he's say's it will be about £100 to sort it (chance it may not respond and die anyhow)
> what do you do?


Depends. In terms of what I consider for any animal, in order from least important to most:

Is the animal a pet or is it livestock/breeding stock/feeder breeding stock?
What chance does the animal have of surviving the treatment?
How much stress, pain and fear am I willing to put the animal through for the sake of ME keeping it alive whether that's the best choice for the ANIMAL?

The latter is what I actually consider. How much pain is "too much pain" to ask the animal to endure while I try to make it better - and how likely is it to get better and have quality of life again? Yeah, I might jump to "euthanise" sooner than some... because I never want to have another animal cringing every time I touch it, gaping and trembling because everything hurts and *I* am the reason it's alive and miserable, with no chance of recovery.


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## Maureen Collinson (Oct 6, 2006)

Ssthisto said:


> Depends. In terms of what I consider for any animal, in order from least important to most:
> 
> Is the animal a pet or is it livestock/breeding stock/feeder breeding stock?
> What chance does the animal have of surviving the treatment?
> ...


Again, I hear you loud and clear, but what you are talking about is what is best for the animal and *not in pound notes, *so entirely different to Mike.

There is a huge difference. 

Mo.


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

sparkle said:


> 100% agree
> 
> I had a HUGE debate on this earlier in the year on forum
> 
> ...


 OK, technically I can't afford vet fees (insolvent) but that has NEVER stopped me taking an animals to a vet when I've felt it's needed to see one. My last 5 vet bills have totalled £28 though which helps. Basically the first 4 times the animals were healthy and he didn't have to do anything (one of them wasn't mine), there were reasons for them needing to go see the vet though. The last was a mouth infection caused by a piece of substrate jabbing into the mouth, which was quickly dealt with.

My vet knows my financial situation and has said to me not to worry about it, and that we'll always find a way. Personally though I'd sell everything I owned if I had to to get one of mine treatment. Trust me I'd find a way!

Thankfully I've been keeping long enough and treated various animals over the years, to know enough to self-medicate to an extent, which helps also.



> Whereas to me my animals are not a right.. they are a privelage


Totally agree with that.


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

i am on benefits and any of my pets or reptiles will have vet treatment no matter what it is ....i have paid vets weekly for a huge bill on one of my dogs ....i also bered rats for food yet a few weeks ago one of the babies was pushed out by mum...yes i could of culled it as thats what was going to happen but yet i didnt i went to the vets and got the things i needed to hand rear it .....so £45 on a baby rat that should of been food ...was it worth it ....yes it was and i would do it again


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## mike h (Sep 15, 2007)

Reported to admin


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