[Alistair]

We've had pets PTS because at point of diagnosis of something that will cost an arm & a leg, we've weighed up the welfare of our children against keeping an asthmatic cat going.   
I do believe in the freedoms though and wouldn't treat an animal without adequate pain relief or if I wasnt' confident that I knew what I was doing!

What she said!

I have had my issues with vets in the past and even successfully got treatment fees back off one due to negligence on their part, I know that anything superficial like cleaning cuts, bandaging, cutting nails etc can be done by me or my oh, but I do rely on her for anything else though, she teaches vet nursing, so I'm lucky there, but I don't think I could condone or do anything to any animal if it needed pain relief and I was in a position to provide it I.e. Taking it to the vets

[NicandChic]

Our dogs are family pets and are treated as family, I couldn't put a value on that! Minor stuff we deal with obviously but anything more serious vets without a second thought.
Everyone has different relationships with their animals be it livestock, working animals & pets.
As owners our animals should always be cared for to the best of our ability, provided with love & compassion, free from suffering etc that's the least we owe them.

[Rosemary]

I personally have paid for the new surgery our vet practice is opening. I even offered to cut the ribbon 

Don't grudge them a penny but if faced with the prospect of a huge bill, we'd have to examine options.

My ponies aren't insured - I've told the vet if they get grass sickness or a bad colic to not even suggest taking them to the vet college.

[sabrina]

Our dogs and cats go straight to the vet when ill. The ponies only see the vet if its something I can't deal with.

[Kitchen Cottage]

In fairness Dogs rarely go to the vets,   I treat them as I would myself because they can be off colour like we can.  Stitches, stomach upsets, fevers tend to get dealt with here because I feel confident to do that.  I was going to take Misty to the vet about a year because I thought she'd dislocated her hip (she fell jumping over a wall), she had because she wriggled and I heard it pop back in!  a week of being inside and she's been perfect ever since.

I also wouldn't necessarily treat all dogs the same,  I had Fred for 17 years and he was deep in my heart, I have had Luca for 5 months.  What I would be prepared to do would be different.

[sophie_aj]

Golly! Just saw this - definitely seek advice. Livestock and dogs/cats metabolise drugs very differently as thus vets use very different drugs to treat wee smallies compared to our livestock friends. Whilst there is some overlap it is irresponsible to attempt to self treat dogs with drugs that are not prescribed for them.  Many a dog and cat have been made very poorly indeed/poisoned/overdosed from such actions.

[devonlad]

strange how in theory its all so clear. earlier this morning our little cat Fish appeared at the back door, clearly the worse for wear, bleeding from her nose and eye and with a very swollen mouth. not a second thought- wife stuck her in a box and straight to the vet. just rung me to say broken top and bottom jaw plus 3 broken teeth. being admitted straight away for wiring. vet thinks its from a fall. haven't got a clue what it will cost- don't care

[SallyintNorth]

  for Fish :hugcat:

[doganjo]

strange how in theory its all so clear. earlier this morning our little cat Fish appeared at the back door, clearly the worse for wear, bleeding from her nose and eye and with a very swollen mouth. not a second thought- wife stuck her in a box and straight to the vet. just rung me to say broken top and bottom jaw plus 3 broken teeth. being admitted straight away for wiring. vet thinks its from a fall. haven't got a clue what it will cost- don't care

cats don't fall and break things unless they have used up all their lives They have inbuilt turn over mechanism which means they land right side up - she would have had a broken sternum if she had fallen from a  height. .  She has been kicked in the face by someone or something - many cattle about? Hope she gets well soon  - I would do the same, raid the savings, use the plastic, take out a loan, extend a mortgage.

[devonlad]

she was chased off the top of the house roof by next doors cat. a neighbour saw it happen but presumed she was ok. poor old fish is so bottom of the cat league round here. out of surgery ok and wifes just gone to bring her home. £400 and counting- will have to go back for another general in a few weeks to have wire taken out.

we're laying a new patio and for weeks the OH has been banging on about expensive paving despite my protestations. Fancy paving or Fish's face ? we'll be having the cheap stuff

[in the hills]

Hope she makes a good recovery.  Poor love. 

A neighbours cat came home last year with similar sounding facial injuries. Made a complete recovery.

Neighbour assumed a car had hit puss but was told as Doganjo says that likely cause was either a human kick  or cat had been in the cattle sheds. I would have thought that a cat would have made sure it was out of harms way in a cattle shed but maybe not. 

Cross posted with you DL. Poor Fish .... that was unlucky.

[midtown]

Following on from a thread where the RSPCA have been mentioned, it isn't unusual for them to take action where an animal (in their opinion!) hasn't received what they deem to be 'appropriate' treatment.

[Mammyshaz]

[/quote]cats don't fall and break things unless they have used up all their lives They have inbuilt turn over mechanism which means they land right side up - she would have had a broken sternum if she had fallen from a  height. .  She has been kicked in the face by someone or something - many cattle about? Hope she gets well soon  - I would do the same, raid the savings, use the plastic, take out a loan, extend a mortgage.
[/quote]

I wish this was the case, unfortunately on some occasions the cat doesn't quite land perfectly and a nose dive or skull gets the impact. On occasion the two forelegs take the impact and don't quite spring correctly resulting in damagedmor broken limbs 

Hope fish  makes a good recovery 

[pgkevet]

cats don't fall and break things unless they have used up all their lives They have inbuilt turn over mechanism which means they land right side up - she would have had a broken sternum if she had fallen from a  height. .  She has been kicked in the face by someone or something - many cattle about? Hope she gets well soon  - I would do the same, raid the savings, use the plastic, take out a loan, extend a mortgage.

There was a review paper published in the US some many years ago on cat falls from high-rise buildings.
From the 1st and second floor falls generally resulted in no injury. Next highest lead to  5-point landings with fractures on the lower jaw. Higher than that it was usually pelvic injuries and from about the fifth floor and above : no statistics

To get fractures of the maxilla as well as the mandible I'd expect a severe front end blow.. so road traffic or horse kicks would be high on the expectation list. 40yrs in practice and I don't think i ever saw a cat with a fractured maxilla. mandibles all the time. Different in dogs.

[devonlad]

official medical update- I reckon that pgkevet 9 and others) knows his stuff. fractured mandible only despite initial suggestion it was both. lost 3 teeth including a canine. has gone from looking like the prettiest cat to looking like the bad lion in The Lion King, came home last night and immediately hungry. on soft meat and rice. other than snorting the occasional blood due to damage in her nose is astonishingly as normal tried to leap onto neighbours shed from the top of the roof. bit too far and face arrived first. because she ran off he assumed she was ok.