So if you were going through rough times and one of your human kids was sick would you just say that you couldn't afford to take them to the doctor? Of course not you'd get a credit card, ask for financial assistance, SOMETHING to take your kid to the doctor.
I would call around to different vets in the area, ask what they charge for office visits, my vet in a major city charges $42 my vet in a podunk small down of 2,000 people charged $20, my vet in southern California charged $35 and these were/are all good vets. You can also CALL the vet and let them know it isn't working, given you were JUST there they may RX something over the phone.
Also, like I said start putting $30 a month or so into a savings account for your pet(s) so the money is there when you need it. go to
www.carecredit.com it's an interest free for 12 months credit card that is ONLY for medical, dental, or veterinary expenses so you have 12 months to pay it off without incurring any additional fees. Yes, I lost my job last year, yes we were only going on 1 income, yes I have a human child, and my dog had cancer and liver problems, needed an ultrasound and a few other things, yes it was over $1,000 and no I didn't want to part with that money right then when we only had one income so what did I do? I opened up a care credit card and put it on that and paid it off over 4 months or so. I have a dog that is severely ill with multiple problems so what do I do? I put $100 a month into a savings account (more if we have more) so that it's there if there is a large expense, if I work any overtime that's where that extra money goes into, I only do vaccinations once every 3 years and do clinics when I do, I do a clinic for heartworm tests, and then a once a year physical at the vet (still ends up being cheaper thang etting everything done at the vet) and just pay the office visit fee and go through discount clinics for the rest, to keep costs down. We aren't rich, we make a normal income for a family of 3 and I still manage to come up with the $1,500 a year for my girl's care with all of her problems and to get puppy all of his shots, neutered, and a premium food. It simply drives me crazy when people say they can't afford something when so many people eat out a lot, buy things they don't need, smoke, drink, go out to the movies, bars, strip clubs, out to dinner, whatever the case may be.
Again if your child was sick would you just say you couldn't take them to the doctor? I know I wouldn't, I'd find a way.
There's Care Credit, there's calling the vet back and seeing if they'll help without seeing you again, there's putting it on a credit card to pay off, there's borrowing from a family member, there's putting $30 away for the next 2 weeks and then going, there's a whole lot of things other than "I can't afford it".
And no, you don't have to get rid of them but you shouldn't take on the responsibility in the first place if you cannot afford it and plan ahead in case something happens and you have a loss of income for a little bit (ie a savings account for the dog, pet health insurance, care credit, etc).
And I fail to see how telling the truth is a put down. Saying "I can't afford it" is an excuse, no you don't WANT to afford it there is a difference. It isn't a put down, it's the simple truth, if you cannot take care of a pet and be responsible, save money for their medical care, take the time to apply for Care Credit, get pet insurance, have a credit card just for them, etc then you shouldn't take on the responsibility of the pet. They don't just "pop up" (neither do kids), it is a CHOICE to take on the responsibility of them and you find a way to get them the medical care they need, same as you find a way to get your children the medical care they need.
