The vet pronounced him cured. So happy

My nephew just had to start a GoFundMe too for his 6 year old dog. She was diagnosed with lymphoma. The chemo will be going on for about 6 months and it costs about $500 to $600 a session (once a week). The vet estimated the entire cost from $10,000 to $13,000. There is like a 90% chance of remission. If he would have chosen the cheaper option, it would have only been about a 50% chance of remission.

I can offer no advice, just my sympathy and understanding. I've been through this twice. The first cat I opted to save at any cost, despite a terminal and costly medical condition—a decision that I would not make again today and, having learned from that experience, did not make the second time around. I don't know the exact circumstances of your pet's illness (is this a one-off or will it be on-going?), except to say that whatever you decide to do is your own personal decision.

Well you can purchase health insurance for your pets and you should also look to see if there’s any vets near you that provide services for a reduced cost like these people here in Richmond Va.

Luna, my cat, has cancer. Prednisone seems to help. But it is only a matter of time. On that day, I will grieve.

Maybe you should use the mafia definition of "take care of him"...then you can save your money, and won't be going back on your words. Like Obi Wan said, "So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view."

What every pet owner needs to remember, is that similar any other dependent; you are responsible for its life. That includes its health and its quality of life. That may seem like a, "No duh!" moment and you move on with your life, but there really is more to it.

If your pet contracts some minor condition, illness, or injury that is easily and cheaply treated, with minimal discomfort to the animal; than it is a no brainer that you just take care of it. If however, something more serious is contracted, or it is a lifelong condition, illness, or injury... what if the treatment for this ailment is prohibitively expensive, or even more importantly the treatment causes major discomfort to the animal? Then the answers become a lot more complex.

The thing to remember about all of this is that despite our "magical thinking" or animistic tendencies, the animal really does not understand why they don't feel good or why their human does something to them that causes more discomfort. The causes and effect are beyond their understanding. To the extent that a prolonged treatment like this (even though it is to make them better) can become equivalent to torture.

The unemotional broad view needs to be maintained. At some point it needs to be questioned, has this animal's quality of life declined to the point that keeping them alive is not doing them any favors? At this point the third and often not talked about responsibility for the pet's life must be observed... you can be responsible for the animal's end of life. They can not make the decision for themselves, this is entirely up to you! Evasion of this important responsibility just leads to my previous paragraph.

If a pet owner can't accept this responsibility, than maybe owning a pet is not for them. Sure they could get lucky and never have to face this decision due to natural causes. However, that is not always what you end up with.

OP, this wasn't necessarily aimed at you, just food for thought.

I feel for you but put the cat down. It’s actually best for the cat.
We had a similar situation but it was either a horse.

It's in my will that my sister gets my cats. And enough money to take care of them for life. Vet bills are painful. My recent one for both cats was $1,300 (checkups, shots, flea meds and surgery to remove a mast cell). Ouch.

Years ago a male tabby kitten showed up at our door. We already had one cat but my then partner wanted to keep him so guess who won? Unfortunately the cat came from a wooded area where there were a lot of feral cats and Feline Leukemia. Poor Spike had this and after 2 years he started to have broken bones. Our vet mended them and the poor cat was often clumping around with a cast on one leg. About the 3rd year the disease spread to his lungs and the vet recommended putting him down. My partner couldn't handle this so the job went to me. I can still see (after 25+ years) the cat looking up at me while the vet gave him the shot. It also fell to me to bury him (it is illegal in Seattle to bury a pet in ones yard but the vet said that is up to him and Feline Leukemia dies with the host so it was okay only to bury him deep to avoid other animals digging him up. I also made a small coffin for him. Money is one thing and emotions are another.

what is wrong with him?

I totally get that. We rescue random critters and end up spending tons of money on health problems, special diets, tests, etc. Have you looked into pet insurance? It doesn't work for everyone but may be worth looking into.

Fact is, pets, like humans, can often run into money - especially if they are prone to certain conditions. And yes - veterinarians actually go through more training than many human health professionals, thus their fees reflect that.
Only you can decide what you're able to handle. Good luck.