# Do people adopt dogs with health problems?



## rubystar (Mar 27, 2007)

Today we got the news we expected, but hoped not to get - our beautiful 7 month old golden has a severe hip dysplasia. Both our local vet and the specialist we traveled to see said she had the worst hips they had ever seen.

We were told total hip replacement on both hips will give Ruby the best chance for a happy and pain free life. This is going to be between $8,000 - $9,000 Canadian. I just don't know how we will ever be able to afford this. 

So do people adopt dogs under these terrible circumstances and invest the money? If not I am going to have to start selling off everything I own because I have to feed my daughters too (4 yrs old and 1 month old).


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

We have had dogs come in the rescue with bad hips and we pay to have them done and , they are adopted. Would they let you make payments???


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I found an abandoned American Eskimo and noone claimed him. So I took him to the vet and was told he was heartworm positive, blind in one eye and deaf. He had a collapsing trachea and also had some neurological damage from abuse. He walked like Tennessee Walking horse. And to top it off he had a damaged herniated disk in his back. I loved him and wouldnt even consider giving him up. I got the hearworms taken care of and he was put on meds for his trachea. He also had to take meds for his herniated disk till I could save money for his surgery. About 1 year after we got him his disk completed swelled and damaged his nerve in his spine and he couldnt walk. We had no choose but to put him down. I cried for weeks over that. I felt like I let him down not getting his disk fixed sooner but with all his other problems that had to be fixed first and having to save up for the surgery it wasnt possible. He was about 10 years old when we found him. I dont regret spending all the money on him for the time we had him. It was about $3000. Our vet said the MRI would have been about $2500 and then the surgery would have been about $5000. But if I could have saved it up and still saved him I would have. But you have to do what you feel is the best for your family and dont let anyone tell you differently. Good luck with whatever you decide.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

See if they are options for diff types of surgery- that sounds way too high?? And see if anyone will take payments. Also, to keep her in your home MAYBE somebody would help. I'd donate a small amount- really small bc I am pretty broke- but enough small donations can equal a big help!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This list was posted on CG a while back, I don't know how helpful it may be, but you might find some help. I did adopt my Golden when he had some health needs, no where near the costs of what you are facing, but I knew when I adopted him he would need to see the vet right away. So if it comes to that you probably can find a Golden rescue that will take him. I really hope you don't have to give him up though.

Here is a list of organizations who can help owners that cannot afford vet 
>care. A couple are for rescue organizations and homeless pets. Please 
>forward this list to anyone you think it might help.
>
>American Animal Hospital Association
>http://www.aahahelp ingpets.org/ home/
>"The heartbreak happens all too often ? a pet owner is unable to
>afford treatment and their sick or injured companion animal pays the
>price. If the owner is elderly, disabled or on a fixed income, the
>cost of care may be too much of a stretch for their pocketbook.
>Perhaps they have been victimized by crime, property loss or a job
>layoff and are experiencing a temporary financial hardship ? making it
>too difficult to afford pet care. And some animals, brought to clinics
>by Good Samaritans, don't have an owner to pay for treatment. Whatever
>the situation, the fact remains the same: When sick or injured animals
>are unable to receive veterinary care, they suffer. Through the AAHA
>Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured
>pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is
>experiencing financial hardship."
>
>Angels 4 Animals
>www.Angels4Animals. org
>"Angels4Animals, a non-profit organization and a program of Inner
>Voice Community Services, has a mission to serve as the guardian
>angel of animals whose caretakers find themselves in difficult
>financial situations. At Angels4Animals we believe that animal owners
>should not have to say goodbye to the animals that they love. Our
>work is accomplished in conjunction with veterinary clinics across
>the country, eager to assist as many animals, and their owners, as
>possible. Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment
>to those pets and pet owners in need."
>
>Care Credit
>www.carecredit. com
>A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care.
>"CareCredit, the leader in patient/client financing, has helped more
>than 3 million patients/clients get the treatment or procedures they
>needed and wanted. With a comprehensive range of plan options, for
>treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan
>and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every
>budget."
>
>Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP)
>http://www.fveap. org/sys-tmpl/ door/
>"The NEED &The HELP: Seniors, People with disabilities, People who
>have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any
>of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved
>companion."
>
>The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501
>(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and
>kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save
>their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.
>
>Help-A-Pet
>http://www.help- a-pet.org/ home.html
>"Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the
>working poor. For lonely seniors, physically/mentally challenged
>individuals and children of working parents, pets represent much more
>than a diversion."
>
>IMOM
>http://www.imom. org
>"Mission Statement:
>Helping people help pets. To better the lives of sick, injured and
>abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no
>companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker
>is financially challenged."
>
>The Pet Fund
>http://thepetfund. com/
>"The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that
>provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need
>urgent veterinary care. Often animals are put down or suffer
>needlessly because their owners cannot afford expensive surgery or
>emergency vet visits. Companion animal owners must often make the
>difficult decision to put an animal down or neglect urgent medical
>needs because of the costs involved. The purpose of the Pet Fund is
>to work towards a future where decisions about companion animal
>medical care need never be made on the basis of cost."
>
>United Animal Nations
>http://www.uan. org/lifeline/ index.html
>"The mission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued
>animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require
>specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. We strive to serve
>Good Samaritans and rescue groups who take in sick or injured
>animals. In certain cases, LifeLine can also assist senior citizens
>and low-income families pay for immediate emergency veterinary care."
>
>UK Assistance with Veterinary Bills
>http://www.petlover sonline.co. uk/financial. htm
>"Most of us can cope with the financial commitment involved in the
>day to day care of our pets. However, how many of us come out in a
>cold sweat when our pet is ill or injured and we know we have to take
>it to the vet? Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford
>it but, some of us who love our animals dearly cannot. Unfortunately
>we do not have a PDSA or a RSPCA Centre within our area, but there
>are a few charities who may be able to help."
>
>Other Groups Who are Breed or Injury Specific:
>
>Corgi Aid
>http://www.corgiaid .org/
>
>Dachshunds Needing IVDD surgery
>http://members. rushmore. com/~dds/ applyforhelp. htm
><http://members. rushmore. com/%7Edds/ applyforhelp. htm>
>
>HandicappedPets. com
>http://www.handicap pedpets.com/ Articles/ help/
>"From time to time, HandicappedPets. com recognizes a caretaker of
>handicapped pets that need some special attention, and a little extra
>help. There are those who are so selflessly dedicated to their animal
>families that they give up a little more than they can afford."
>
>Labrador Lifeline
>http://www.labrador lifeline. org/success/ 2005-abbey. htm
>
>LabMed: Rx For Rescued Labs
>http://www.labmed. org/aid_main. html
>
>
>
>Please Help Curb The Pet Overpopulation Crisis.
>Spay or Neuter Your Pets. Don't Shop - Adopt!
>Animal Abuse - The Ultimate Act of Cowardice.
>CHECK OUT MY RESCUED FURKIDS....
>http://www.geocitie s.com/pawsgalore /Furkids. html?99229593678 0
>
>Please Help Educate The Public About Puppy Mills.
>http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Puppy_ Mill_Fighters


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## time4goldens (Mar 13, 2006)

In my experience very few "adopts" or "buys" a dog with health problems from a family. They are more accepting of health problems in a rescue situation. However, no rescue would ever adopt a dog out with bad hips. They would fix them up first and then adopt them out. 

I don't know prices of hip replacements in Canada, however I just looked up the exchange rate and 7300 - 8200 US Dollars. That seems quite expensive. In California I think we pay more like 5400 CAD for both hips, especially on young ones. 

You don't have to come up with the money right away and you don't have to have it all at once. If your dog is only 7 months old now - they won't be able to do surgery until he is a year old I think. Then they will have to space the two hip surgeries (they don't do them both at once). There was a dog named Mele, that was saved at 6 months old by Nor Cal Golden Retriever Rescue, NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue of Northern California . I would write to them and see if you can email the foster that had Mele. She might be able to give you a lot more detail into the timing of the surgeries, Mele had both hips replaced.

I don't know how far you are from the US border - but you might want to think about pricing the surgery down here in the US or other vets near your home in Canada. 

The above posting looks like it has lots of resources to help financially. 

I wasn't very educated into breeding when I bought my first Golden - I later found out that I had bought from a puppymill. I got lucky with her health, I know many aren't as fortunate. 

This is why we have to make the public aware of things like OFA certification on the hips and elbows at 2 years of age, eye tests, cardio tests before anyone breeds a Retriever. If the breeders had been reputable you probably wouldn't end up with a puppy with two bad hips - if you breed to "excellent" or "good" adults - you aren't going to get a "poor" rating on their offspring usually.

You are the victim of bad breeding - if you have to give up your dog you are the one that gets hurt and your pup goes through the physical pain. We really need to educate people about this.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I'm guessing you didn't get the dog from a reputable breeder? If you did, the breeder should help pay for the surgery -- at least contributing the cost of whatever you paid for the dog.

-S


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

I know a lot of vets in our area will take payments....that's not to say they'd do it with our credit, but by the time Samson was 7 months old, we were pretty dang attached to him. I'd HAVE to figure out something.....


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Been there, did that, and so worth it if you can find the money to pay for the surgery...


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