It’s no secret that animal shelters across America are full to bursting point. In Los Angeles the situation is being mainly blamed on the fires which have rendered so many families homeless.
But we realized there is another, more universal reason when our ten-year-old dog Charlie had an abscess on his leg for which our vet recommended surgery. First there is bloodwork to be done at a cost of $469.64. Uh-oh. It seems Charlie has liver problems and needs an ultra-sound.
In the meantime, we are prescribed medication for his liver enzymes: $85.09. Then more blood work which shows the medication is unsuccessful. The ultra-sound is performed for $1,108 but at a $250 consultation we are told that all it shows is that Charlie needs a biopsy to see if he has cancer. Another $5,584.63. Fortunately, no cancer is detected but he has copper in the liver and needs a lifelong low copper diet which involves six months of medication ($303 for a month’s supply) and special kibble for $106 a bag.
Factor in that two years ago Charlie developed anterior cruciate ligament tears in both his back legs which were repaired at a cost of $6,000 a leg, plus countless other vet visits for a foxtail in his paw, an ear infection, vaccinations, a Sunday afternoon visit to the emergency hospital for acute vomiting ($918.79) etc. etc. and we have spent far more on him than we have on our own health problems.
Fortunately, we have been able to afford it and we don’t regret anything we have spent. He has paid us back many times over with his love and companionship.
But so many people, faced with large vet bills they are unable to pay, have had to return their dogs to the shelters.
The issue is sometimes blamed on owners abandoning “pandemic puppies” acquired during the COVID-19 lockdowns. But advocates and operators say the evidence actually points to economic factors such as higher pet care costs and housing insecurity.
“It’s a perfect storm,” says Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. “There is a shortage of vets and because they are in such demand the prices have gone up and so have the prices of pet foods, drugs and vaccines.”
Pet insurance is available but at a high price. “Pet insurance is very expensive, and the insurance companies won’t cover certain breeds and will disallow claims for various reasons, sometimes blaming what they say is a pre-existing condition,” she says.
Some pet owners have been reduced to practicing “do-it-yourself” medicine, she says. “People try to treat their pets themselves and buy drugs, but they don’t know what they’re doing.”
One solution which would help alleviate the problem would be for vets’ assistants to be able to do more to treat pets and also for assistants in animal shelters to be trained to deal with pet problems which vets would normally handle, she says.
Charlie, meanwhile, seems happy enough on his low copper diet. And the abscess we were told required surgery? It went away on its own. No charge.
John Hiscock is a Santa Monica resident
