How well do u treat/care for your pets. On a scale of 1-10 (1=not enough, 10=Very much)?
Two points of interest:
1…After a New York City taxi struck Jessica Malionek’s dog, Mojo, flinging him 30 feet in the air, she spent $4,000 for veterinarians to perform emergency treatment and then life-saving surgeries on her beloved dog. “It was like they were treating a person,” Malionek says.
These days veterinary medicine can be every bit as sophisticated as human health care — and the costs reflect it. Animal lovers spent $19 billion on veterinary care in 2001, the most recent figure available, up from $7.2 billion a decade earlier, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. And per-visit costs are skyrocketing: Between 1991 and 2001, the average cost of a veterinary visit for a dog nearly doubled, from $50 to $99. For cats, costs rose even more precipitously, jumping by 107%.
2…NEW YORK (Aug. 29) - Leona Helmsley’s dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley’s grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire’s estate.
Helmsley left nothing to two of Jay Panzirer’s other children - Craig and Meegan Panzirer - for “reasons that are known to them,” she wrote.
But no one made out better than Trouble, who once appeared in ads for the Helmsley Hotels, and lived up to its name by biting a housekeeper.
“I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum,” Helmsley wrote in her will.
Jeff
Tags: American Veterinary Medical Association, Craig And Meegan Panzirer, Helmsley Hotels
July 24th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Cathy
9.5 only cuz one of my horses is boarded with full care service and my dog lives with my grandparents cuz she likes my grandpa more than me cuz he gives her table food, takes her on long car rides to california, … i know it’s sad!
July 25th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Ronnie
7
July 27th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Evelyn
9.5 My animals are very spoiled.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Walter
I’m absolutely a 10. My cats are my children and to be honest, I like them a whole lot more than my human family!
I’ve spent thousands of dollars at a time on sick cats. I don’t mind. To me, it is a precious, innocent life that I am responsible for. I would be cruel if I didn’t help them!
My cats are also pampered when they die. I hate the thought of their beautiful little bodies being mistreated or cremated, so I spend the money to bury them in a pet cemetery with a nice, lined box and a headstone.
I don’t splurge on outrageous things–they are using normal priced beds, toys, etc., but when it comes to their health, I pay whatever it takes, just like I would with my own health.
For the record, I am not wealthy, this is just something that is important to me.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Kelly
For me it would be 9.5 I tell my 2 boys that our dog is the best son I ever had. He never talks back and he listens well and he is always home by curfew. He is a great friend.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Steve
I would honestly have to say 9. I don’t always have the money to get my little cocker spaniel all dolled up at the groomers, but all 3 of my dogs sit on the couch and watch tv, get special treats, and more love than I give most people.
I’m not wealthy or well off, but my dogs are part of my family. I love them so much and I think about them all day when I’m at work. Some say I obsess over them, but to me it’s all love.
August 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Brad
8 - I had to dip into my emergency vet fund to cover some bills. Now my cat has to wait to get his teeth pulled because I can’t afford the cost. I feel horrible about this.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Carlos
10