Like everything in the life of a pet, Hudson’s illness seemed to play out in fast forward.
One morning, he stopped eating his kibble. The next day, he lost interest in table scraps. By the second night, he couldn’t climb stairs. I gathered couch cushions and slept beside him on the living room floor.
Hudson was seven then, not old for a dog. We spared no expense to make him well, spending thousands of dollars over a year to treat and eventually cure an immune-system disorder.
He’s fine now. But our beloved family dog is approaching his 10th birthday. Eventually, he will fall ill again. We will have to decide how far we are willing to go to extend his life, and how much we are willing to spend.
In some respects, end-of-life financial decisions for a human and a pet could not be more different. And for a pet owner, they could not be more difficult.
Most of us don’t have insurance to blunt the blow of veterinary bills. A geriatric pet’s lifespan is vanishingly short: there’s precious little life to save. Pets can’t tell you what they want. You can’t tell them a frightening vet visit will make them better.
And it’s all up to you.
“You are in charge of your dog’s life, but you’re also in charge of their death,” said E.B. Bartels, author of the book “Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter.”
Pet parents can expect to spend $39,350 over the lifetime of a medium-sized dog, and $32,527 for a cat, according to Rover. Veterinary costs have risen dramatically in recent years, and the bills tend to stack up toward the end. Euthanasia and cremation alone can cost up to $1,000.
When Your Pet Is Dying, Do the Rules of Personal Finance Apply?
I write about personal finance, and part of my job is to help readers be smart consumers.
You say your aging car is acting up? Take it to a trusted mechanic. If the quote looks high, take it to a second mechanic. Go over the estimate line by line. Make the mechanic defend the diagnosis and explain the proposed repairs. Negotiate prices. Find out how long the fixes will extend the life of your car.
In theory, all of the same rules apply to any consumer transaction.
But what about a life-saving trip to the vet?
“It’s the most personal of personal finance things you could ever imagine,” said Brian Vines, marketplace equity reporter at Consumer Reports.
I want to think I would do anything for Hudson.
He’s an Aussie Husky mix. We adopted him at eight weeks. Regular readers of USA TODAY’s newsletters may recognize him as the Daily Money Dog.
After the immune disorder diagnosis, he and I did just about everything the vet advised. We endured monthly blood tests, me applying wrestling holds on a writhing, 80-pound, vet-averse dog while lab techs searched fruitlessly for veins beneath fur.
But that decision was easy. Hudson was a middle-aged dog. He had been healthy before. He could be healthy again. Years of life awaited him.
What about next time? What if the diagnosis is cancer, and the proposed treatment costs several thousand dollars? What if the treatment is painful, and would deliver Hudson only another few more months of life? What would we do?
“I do think it’s important for people to have a discussion as a family and decide, ‘How far are we willing to go?’ Whether that’s measured in funds, or whether it’s measured in invasiveness,” said Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, veterinary medical adviser for Rover.
How Far Would You Go to Extend the Life of Your Pet?
How far to go, and how much to spend, on a dying pet is a very personal choice.
Roxanne Hawn went about as far as she could go. She spent almost two years and nearly $31,000 fighting to save her dog Lilly, who suffered a severe reaction to a rabies vaccine. Lilly was seven when she fell ill, and nine when she died.
“Once you say, ‘Save my dog,’ and take on all the costs and other realities of that decision, it becomes increasingly difficult to stop doing all the things,” she said.
Lilly inspired Hawn to write the book “Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate.”
When your older pet faces a potentially terminal illness, Greenstein said, a good veterinarian will help you decide how far you should go to extend their life.
Maybe you will resolve that your family can afford to spend up to $5,000 on life-extending care. You might opt for aggressive treatment if your pet’s illness has a survival rate over 50%, or if it is likely to give them more than a few more months.
“There are a couple of things to think about,” Bartels said. “One is quality of life. Sometimes the treatment makes things even worse. And you can’t explain it to them.”
Second Thoughts on Pet Insurance
My family doesn’t have pet insurance. Only about a quarter of American pets are insured, according to a 2024 NerdWallet report. I’ve written about pet insurance, and I’ve learned that the typical policyholder more or less breaks even in the end.
As Hudson nears his 10th birthday, though, I wonder if I should have insured him when he was young.
“There’s an obvious difference between those who have their pets insured and those who don’t,” Greenstein said. When the owner has insurance, she said, “the conversation is focused on what’s best for the pet, not what’s best for your wallet.”
There are alternatives to pet insurance. One is an emergency savings account, stocked with enough cash to cover a veterinary emergency.
“You could consider putting aside $100 a month in a savings account just for your pet,” effectively building your own pet insurance fund, said Kim Clark, senior manager of personal financial planning at the American Institute of CPAs.
Diagnostic Imaging, Specialists and Mounting Vet Bills
All things considered, my family has faced relatively simple end-of-life decisions with our pets.
Before Hudson, we had a parade of cats. Some lived into their twenties. The vet always spoke candidly about treatment options, costs and survival odds, and made clear recommendations on what we should do.
Over the decades, though, I watched the final veterinary bills creep from hundreds of dollars into thousands. Blood tests and stool samples gave way to diagnostic imaging and specialist referrals.
Vines, of Consumer Reports, warns that veterinary practices are increasingly profit-driven, owned by venture capitalists and beholden to shareholders. In some cases, he said, “That treatment plan is their opening bid.”
Vines urges pet owners to go over the plan line by line with the veterinarian. What outcome does the vet expect? What is the most cost-effective way to achieve it? Is every test necessary? Can you order the same medications online for less money?
“Just because you’re dealing with the health of your pet,” he said, “doesn’t mean you’re not still a consumer.”
But a good vet, Greenstein said, will never forget that every family has a different budget and different sensibilities.
“This is, to me, the most important part of my job,” she said. “It’s not just about naming the tests that I think should be run. It’s about, do I think the family is going to be pleased with the outcome here?”
Reporting by Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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