Hard Choices
I’m Susan Allen. Is it ethical to spend a lot of money on vet bills for a horse or a dog? That was the subject of a recent New York Times Op-ed piece plus an issue I’ve struggled with personally as a horse and dog owner . Stay tuned after the break I’ll share comments from well known professionals in the animal health industry. How much is too much to spend to save a prized horse or the family dog? This was the question the New York Times asked a bevy of notables including Louise Murray, a Veterinarian for the A.S.P.C. head of Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin from Colorado State. In her practical approach Grandin said it” wasn’t about money, she would have to evaluate the effect of the procedure on the animal’s welfare, noting that people and animal differ because a person understands why they are having a painful procedure , an animal doesn’t.” What if they are not in pain, just old, like Smokey the thirty year gelding that taught our kids to ride and now requires expensive supplements and feeds. Well I appreciated Dr. Murray the A.S.P.C vet when she said “When a owner chooses to undergo costly diagnostics or treatment, others may question the ethics of “spending that much money on an animal.” And yet, few would question if an individual chose to spend that same amount on a new car, vacation or appliance. John Grogan the author of Marley and Me offered a poignant reminder when he wrote “The decision is always an easy one until it’s your animal .”
