Michael "Dog3" wrote:
>
> I had 2 diabetic Scotties and I know what your friend is going through. My
> current dog, Missy, is 19 years old. Her prescriptions run $102 per month.
> It's about $60 more a month than the copays for my own medications. The
> veterinary bills for the horse are astronomical. Then there are the cats.
> There is heartworm and flea medications for the 4 cats and dog. It's
> expensive to have multiple pets. Oh... I forgot the cat litter which ain't
> so cheap anymore. Then of course, there is the food for them all. We are
> lucky. There is enough money to go around for us and believe me, we thank
> our lucky stars every day for it. We are grateful.
>
My brother used to dog sit a friend's poodle for months at a time when
the friend (Bob) and his wife went to Costa Rica for the winter. The dog
developed a medical problem that could be treated with medication that
would cost about $80 per month. Rather than pay $80 per month to keep
their pet in good health, they had it put down.

That might be understandable if they were poor, but Bob was earning over
$200,000 per year. He was a **** tank and spent more than that each
weekend on booze, along with a lot of cocaine and pot. Being drunk and
stoned most of the time, Bob's conscience went down the tubes. He was
one of the most intolerant people I ever knew and never had any sympathy
for anyone in an unfortunate position. The day my mother died he showed
up at my brothers and was so rude and obnoxious that my brother kicked
him out and told him never to come back.

Last year on vacation Bob overdid the drinking and drugs while at his
vacation home, fell on the tile floor and cracked his head open. He was
just recovering from that when he suddenly started losing weigh. It
turned out that he had cancer of the esophagus, a tumor so big that
nothing could pass into his stomach. He died a within a month.

Normally, I would feel sorry for the guy. But when I think about having
his pet put down rather than pay for medication which was quite
affordable for him, I have a heard time feeling sorry for him. Last
week I was at my brother's when his widow showed up. I suppose I should
have said something in the way of consolation, but I just couldn't think
of anything nice to say about him. Since she was so busy talking about
the pool she is ordering and the big trip she is going on, I didn't see
the point.