Postponing vet care because of the economy? Tell that to my wallet which just shelled out a chunk of change on a cat that turned out to have really bad food poisoning or a very nasty stomach flu, but was acting like he had a bowel obstruction. But if you take on the responsibility of an animal, you take on the responsibility for its health too. IMO, if you can't afford a couple hundred bucks at the vet for x-rays if the animal gets hurt or sick, then maybe you should rethink having it.

I take my grandma's approach to sick pets - if it needs a shot then shoot it.  Seriously, I was appalled she "put down" her cat of so many years because it had a mild ear infection.  Different generation I guess!  But people spending money on pet insurance, spending money on bottled water (or "softened" water for the showers!) just shows how truly affluent we are as a society.  It boggles my mind to hear of ordinary citizens having "trainers" and "dieticians" or personal therapists.  To me we've put all of our problems in the hands of others - the government, doctors, the courts, etc. and in the process have disavowed all personal resonsibility.  The nice thing about doing this though is that when it fails we can simply blame someone else (besides the Devil, he's been the scapeGOAT for too long!)

Well, one in five people postpone health care nowadays due to the high costs and the miserable economic conditions according to a recent MSNBC report. It stands to reason the furry or feathered members of the family would also be getting those check-ups and treatments a lot less frequently these days.

Although from the questions you pose at the end of your post, you seem to have a small issue with people making some financial sacrifices for their pets. Pets play a much more significant role today than they did in the 1930s. Check out the Tarzan movies of the period. Do we treat wildlife the same today as we did in the 1930s? Of course, we don't have much wildlife left thanks to a lot of those old practices. Just because historically we treated things one way does not mean it was the right way.

Your premise with the Joad family is really flawed. After losing everything and with Tom just out of prison, the Joads were just trying to survive. They had nothing. The family migrated to California and were treated by the locals as though they were a pack of animals. The whole sad story of the Grapes of Wrath is about how people treat some people as though they were not people. To compare what this family would do regarding some sacrifice for their pet is bogus.

You might ask a different question. Is your pet's health worth more than than a monthly cable bill?  Or would you rather spend money text messaging to American Idol or have a real friend?

I don't know.  The issue of the economy slowing down preventive pet care just seems unimportant to me considering there might be  Joad-esque family situations happening around the nation.

If you take an animal into your care..You "CARE FOR IT"...if you DON'T??? theres a special place in HELL for you...

My dad's family DID "drive to California from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in the heart of the Great Depression." No such thing as a "pet" for them. Working animals only.

But, yeah, my pet's health is worth SO much more than a monthly cable bill. I like my dogs better than I like some people, and WAY better than I like having cable.

Some people take pets and just look at them as animals....and some people take pets and treat them as one of the family....a living creature that shows complete and total love and devotion--at least thats the way ours is raised...

Too bad that many of us out here think the same way as I do...and as far as the health and care of our pets---well, that's just plain old common sense....

It's too bad that our pets are raised with better manners than some people raise their own kids.....

This is just an opinion from a pet lover....

Sioux

You and I agree.  If a person can't afford to take an animal to the vet, they shouldn't  get one.   

 Here's a piece I wrote for my cat, Sammy, who died a month ago.  It still hurts to think of him.  We took him to the emergency hospital behind Mervyn's one weekend when he became apathetic.  He was diagnosed with renal cancer and there was little hope for him.  My husband was too distraught to make the decision so I told the doctor to give him the most gentle "exit" he could.   It cost a bundle, but what the hell.  It was for Sammy.

Sam

Your death was unexpected; it came before I could brace myself.

I brushed my hand across your eyes as Mercy took your last breath.  A bit of moisture clung beneath your nose.

We dug a hole at the base of the blue blossomed tree and marked it with a large stone.

I held a flower picked from my garden to give to you as a symbol of our friendship.

A flower to keep you company and soothe my sad heart.

Each day I searched the garden for it's finest flower to replace the spent blossom on your stone.

Then one day, other duties kept me from my garden and it was dark before I remembered the flower.

The next day I put two of the nicest flowers I could find on the stone.

The discarded flowers were creating a soft bed beneath the blue blossomed tree.

Yesterday I forgot the flower again, so this morning I hurried outside in the faint light to look for a rose.

But the sun has taken the beauty from my garden and all the flowers are small and faded.

I couldn't find one worthy of you.

Then I saw a brightness, a hint of color in the cool shade of the blue blossomed tree where you lie.

A columbine.  You have grown a flower for me.

One thing people may be doing a bit more with regards to pets is putting the reins on expensive vet procedures. When my cat was ill, the x-ray was clear for a bowel obstruction, but the vet wanted to do a $250 ultrasound to rule out the small number (<10%) of cases that have a bowel obstruction that doesn't appear on the x-ray. I said no to that because the x-ray was clear. The x-ray was a reasonable cost to me, but the ultrasound was not. I'm sure more people who in the past would have okayed the ultrasound are starting to think more like I was, which was essentially "does the benefit of the procedure justify the cost?".

Wow! I'm impressed by every one of your comments. Some are passionate, others purely logical, but not one was mean spirited, holier-than-thou or devolved into ad hominum attacks.

You guys rock!

Early last year we did not renew our pet health insurance. Now instead of sending the insurance company almost $600 each year we set aside those funds just in case the girls get sick.  Our cats are supposed to be indoor critters and hopefully they will not need too much health care.  They have all been altered and are current on their shots. Could we afford to keep paying for their insurance? Yes, however we just decided to set aside that money and use it as needed instead of letting VPI keep it until we might file a claim.  None of the cats have been ill since October of 2006.   Like Shwaine we have also declined extra health procedures during vet visits.  In January when our puppy was spayed we did not chose to have a catheter inserted.  This is an  optional procedure the vet offers. It is inserted just in case a problem occurs during surgery that requires immediate drug intervention. In the past we always chose to incur this optional expense. Our other dogs were older and more medically fragile. I wanted the catheters in place and ready for use if any problems cropped up during surgery.

Great topic, Steve. There isn't much I can add to the above discussion, except to agree with so many of the others who shared their views. I chose to bring my pets into my home, and in making that choice, I chose to see to their needs for the whole of their life. That's the deal I make when I choose to bring a living, breathing, feeling, thinking creature into my life.

As to the Joads, while I can't speak for them, I can tell you a number of people made sure their dogs were properly licensed, even during the depression. I collect (although I haven't collected lately) vintage dog license tags. I have several from the 30's --- and lost several others in bidding wars on eBay. I find it oddly romantic that, as you rightly mention, even during really, really hard times people took the time to take care of their pets.

Some years back I sought out a companion for the lab Allie.  I found Fanny, a border collie at the country shelter  and she seemed perfect.  Playful, loved playing ball, could jump ten feet in the air to catch one or a frisbee.

After four months I came home one day to find her crawling out of the doghouse dragging her back half.  I took her to the emergency clinic where they x rayed her and put in an IV.  They kept her overnight and sent me to my vet the next morning where he told me she had pinched her spinal cord in her spine.  He said I could take her to UCLA where the surgery would cost around 5 thousand dollars with no guarantee it would help.

I was in no financial position to spend that much money on a dog so I made the decision to have her put to sleep.  The tech asked if I wanted to stay and I said of course.  I didn't want her to be alone.  He told me she would just go to sleep but he was wrong.  When he injected the chemical into her IV she jumped straight up terrified and then collapsed in my arms.  I was horrified and asked him what happened.  He said sometimes when they feel the med they react that way.  No, no.  That can't be.

That was at least five years ago and I'm having the same reaction I had that day. 

All together is cost me about $600 between the ER and the regular vet.  Could I afford that?  No.  Could I afford NOT to do it?    No.  I'm a firm believer that if you take on a pet you owe that pet food, shelter, safety and medical care.  If you can't provide that then don't get a pet.  I'm not overly fond of my little hairball, he gets in the trash if I don't barricade it.  He drags loaves of bread off the counter if he manages to get a tail of the wrapper, this morning he dragged an entire back of cookies off the sideboard while I was at the store and ate them all.  He barks at whatever EVERY time I try to nap.  When I have the baby I have to lock him up someplace while the little guy is taking a nap  because sure as shooting he'll spot something outside that needs barking at and wakes the baby.  If I leave the back bedroom door open he will poop in there even if I've just brought him in for his run.  All in all, he's just a pain in the butt.  BUT, he provides me with 24 hour alarmed security and the baby with endless giggles.  (he and the baby play tug of war with toys)

What can you do?  You make a commitment and you honor it....THAT's what you can and should do.

Thanks ~Steve~...you've opened up a door in my heart and made me walk down memory lane one more time of pets that we've had for years..and has since been long gone--but not their memories--or their love...

Two thumbs up from me and once again--Thank You.....