Suddenly Piggies Are Disposable...

[TheCavySlave]

I've read quite a bit about people being reluctant to take their pigs to the vet, as vet bills are more than the price of a new pig. Anyone else furious about this? We don't make new children if ours get ill! And why should living creatures with feelings, emotions and personalities be priced? What is this world we live in when animals as important as us are refused proper care simply because they are seen as inferior?
Sorry about the rant! Just wondering if anyone else has seen rather a lot about people being surprised that piggies have medication, specialised vets etc.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I think some people assume because of their size, they don't matter/feel as much and/or because they are generally cheeper to keep than a cat or a dog, not to mention easier to get, people wouldn't think that vets bills could be just as high for this tiny creature, and therefore don't go into ownership with the full picture. They are also rodents and they have a bad rap historically. :-(

Unfortunately, there is always a limit to people's finances, as cold as that is, and sometimes people genuinely can't pay for ongoing high-cost medication and feed themselves/children, pay heating bills etc. Does that mean they should never own an animal on the off chance that it developes an unusual long term condition? (guinea pig insurance is shockingly expensive) I don't really think so as long as they are prepared to surrender the animal if this is the case or be prepared to make hard decisions.

 

[chesca_27]

I haven't really seen that much about guinea pigs recently, more hamsters than anything else. I do remember my old vets saying how it was ridiculous that people were now spending £500+ on guinea pig vet bills, but this was about 5 years ago. I don't understand how guinea pigs are considered cheaper as their vet bills are just as high as a cat or dog and they need hay and bedding on top of the costs for food and water.

I almost never see any guinea pigs or hamsters at the vet, although I do go to an exotic specialist now, as my mum has finally caved in and realised that our old vets had no idea what they were doing and would log onto to this forum to work out how much medication to give (no idea if they factored in weight ) my poor sick piggies.

A lot of my classmates think I'm crazy for taking Oreo to the vet and to see Simon (and his X-ray) when I could buy a new guinea pig for £20. Why would I want to replace my pet, my family? They are my responsibility and I made a commitment to care for them when I got my piggies. They rely on me for everything, so I should care for them fully.

The other thing that REALLY angers me is when pet shops sell too small cages to new and unaware owners. Fair eneough, Pets at Home, if you are selling a Ferplast 120/140 for a pair of babies to live inside, but DO NOT tell me the Ferplast 80 is huge for a rabbit. It is worse with hamsters though. Because they are often £10 or less, there are seen as even easier a starter pet for a young child. A pair of robos in a modular cage, owned by a toddler, are not going to have a good life, because that's just the standard. I remember recently hearing a story about a pet store refusing to sell a hamster because the 100cm by 50cm was too big and the hamster would get lost. Sorry for the hamster rant. It just really bugs me.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

I have seen a few posts on this and despite how I feel, I guess we do have to understand that we don't know how they live or how they are money wise. Pet shops (as we all know ) just want to sell sell sell and guinea pigs aren't always sold to people with knowledge that they do require care and are prone to illnesses like URI etc that must be treated. And that cavy savy vets can be hard to find. Breeders are the same. They are breeding to sell and many of their adverts are just - WORMED VACCINATED READY TO GO IN 2 WEEKS. £5 FOR A BOAR £10 FOR A SOW- it's hardly denting the pocket compared to a puppy. I have always felt that they should be more expensive. I can buy a ready meal at the same price as a living creature!? I think if they were sold with the facts then people would be more aware and not caught off guard by the attention and vet care they require. I myself have heard "well they're just big hamsters aren't they?" Which always frustrates me because that's why many end up in homes where the people put them in wheels or balls. I do think vets could help a little more. Possibly cut the price a little more on consultations so people aren't scared off.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I completely agree, it's horrifying. Just buy a new one? How would they like it if they were discarded when they became ill?

Poor education is the problem, humans are horrible creatures who just see other animals as a toy to be used as we please.

It makes me so angry when people don't take their animals to the vets, I don't care what money they do or don't have. Pets are our responsibility and if you don't have the money then don't have pets. I've never had a great deal of money but every penny I have would go on my furbabies. And if I didn't have enough I would beg, borrow and steal to make sure that they got everything they need. I wouldn't expect anything less from anyone else, regardless of their situation. Can't or won't pay? Take them to a rescue, don't let them suffer because of human ignorance.

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

I get this all the time from my family. My girl recently went in to have some stones flushed from her urethra. It cost me £244, all of which I payed myself. (I'm 20, have a job, but still live at home). All parents could say to me was "That's crazy! You can't spend that much on a guinea pig again!" My brother actually said "I wouldn't mind if it was a dog or a cat but a guinea pig?" And my step dads solution when one of them in ill is to just leave it cause it'll probably get better by itself

Why is it the small animals (including other rodents like hamsters and mice) are not entitled to vet care? I don't go on yahoo answers anymore because I get so fed up of seeing people asking for help about their pet that obviously needs to see a vet but they womt take them.

 

[Lady Kelly]

My dad used to have this view, you could see he was miffed everytime I went to the vets but then it was my money not his. It is hard and the bluntness of the reasoning seems horrendous but I suppose we don't know individual circumstances. I work in the voluntary sector and poverty has certainly shifted with the low paid workers being the worst off and these are the ones who just don't meet the criteria for any support by a pound or two a week and therefore wouldn't be able to use the PDSA etc. It's easy to say don't get a pet if you can't manage the bills but peoples circumstances and lives can change drastically in a matter of weeks. We were only talking last night about an experienced lawyer who was having to work in a toothpaste factory at minimum wage because at 62 no law firms wanted to take him on.

 

[Freela]

This is something that bothers me a lot... where I live, the prevailing attitude about guinea pigs seems to be that they are a disposable pet for children and not a pet that you will be investing vet care in, the way you would with a dog or cat. I think a lot of this is lack of education (most people I talk to are surprised that a guinea pig has the potential to live to be 6 or 7 or 8 years old- they believe that the natural lifespan is 2 or 3 years, so they are not surprised when the animal gets sick and dies at 2 and view this as its natural life cycle and not a preventable and treatable illness.) Most people I talk to are surprised that there are guinea pig vets, meds, surgeries, etc. I think a lot of times small animals are seen as pets 'for the kids' and not for family pets, and they end up sitting in a small cage in a child's room for most of their lives and the adult in the household who holds the purse strings never really gets attached to them or forms a bond with them or appreciates the unique animal that they actually are. It makes them less likely to notice issues in the first place and less likely to spend money on issues that they do notice, especially if they don't realize the potential true lifespan of the animal and think an early death is 'natural.'

I've had small animals all my life and have always loved them... fortunately, the rest of my family (my mom especially) was always invested in them too and never saw them as disposable. My mom was just as upset as I was when pets passed away or were sick and would certainly never have denied them vet care. This is the norm for me, and it's the norm for my kids. My youngest especially is a big guinea pig advocate (that they should live with a friend, that they need a large area to live in, that they have vets that treat their issues, etc.) And since I have my guinea pigs/hamster pics all over Facebook, I think I have gotten a reputation as the rodent person, and every now and then I get an instant message from someone who is concerned about a problem with their gerbil/hamster/rat/guinea pig and wants advice, and the vast majority of them do end up getting the little critter vet treatment and most of those stories have had a happy ending. So I am heartened that a lot of people out there do want to do a good job, but may not know enough about the animal to know where to take them, or what problems require a vet, but they do care about the animal and want to do their best. So that's encouraging. There are always going to be bad owners who neglect animals and I'm not sure what we can do about them, but I think there are more people who just don't know enough about the pets they own who are willing to learn and grow as pet owners, and that's the good thing.

 

[Maddy]

If people actually acted in an amount that they put away every week for a vet phoned by the end of the year they could have quite a substantial amount saved up that's what I do in case there's a problem
So I know there is a chunk of money I can get access to if my pigs need to go to the vet for whatever reason

 

[Pawz]

A lot of my classmates think I'm crazy for taking Oreo to the vet and to see Simon (and his X-ray) when I could buy a new guinea pig for £20.

Where I live pet stores sell Guinea pigs for €99 for a boar (already neautered, don't sell unneutered) and €69 for an intact sow. And you MUST buy a pair of some combo unless you already have some at home....showing pictures is enough.

Rescues sell them on average for €35 per neutered boar and €25 for an intact sow.

Breeders probably less and unneutered, in fact if you want a intact boar you'll only find one via a breeder.

The pet stores price them the highest and that's where most purchase their pets, despite the high price they are still very popular. Rats sell for €15-20 in pet stores and hamsters around €15. Despite the low price of smaller rodents it's the larger ones that have a higher turnover in stock.

Oh and Rabbits are €120 for a neautered male and €100 for an intact female. In the largest store they keep 40-50 rabbits at a time! All animals are in tanks far too small but I suppose they justify this by the animal not living in it long due to sales. Unfortunately such small living quarters can give new owners some misconceptions about cage sizes.


I agree with some others on here that most new owners do not realize a vet bill is based on treatment and not the size of the animal. It can be a nasty shock especially to those who have never had any pets before. This is why it's so important to put a little aside each month for a vet fund.

 

[DM030819]

I'd just like to add that it's not "suddenly", pigs have been known as disposable pets for many years, definitely for as long as I've been around (since the 1980's) and much longer.

I know a lot of people who had a pig when they were a kid. It lived in a hutch at the end of the garden and was lucky to reach 2 years old. It cost a couple of pounds to buy and it never needed to see a vet.

That's their experience of pigs and they grow up thinking that, and they pass thay experience down through the family.

All we can do as responsible piggy owners is share our experiences with those around us, and teach people the right way.

My boyfriend was one of those people who had a pig when he was young. He has no idea what happened to it, but they didn't have it long.

From interacting with my pigs he has learned to see them differently. They're not a tiny animal that does nothing but sit around, they have huge personalities and move around a lot.

So, it's the bond you have with your pet which determines how much you're willing to go to a vet. You can't bond with a pig that lives in a tiny hutch at the bottom of the garden like you can with the pigs we have.

It does infuriate me though when people say they won't take a pig to the vet as it only cost £20. That's just nonsense, completely illogical. How much does a child cost? Nothing, so why bother spending anything on a kid then!

But yeah, we can just share our experiences with others and try to show them a different point of view.

People get stuck in their ways, and pigs (and rabbits and other small critters) being disposable has been the way since... probably forever. So it's not going to change on the whole soon.

 

[Pawz]

It's a sadly outdated social norm that sees all rodents as "cheap, replacable pets that sit in cages or hutches and do nothing all day".

It's only in the last decade or so would be my guess that people have started to realize cage sizes were too small and that these creatures offer a wealth of love and bonding if people just take the time to interact with them on a daily basis.

I cringe when I think back to how friends pets and even my own lived when we were younger. In fact I had a cousin who had a rabbit that lived in a teeny tiny hutch all alone in their garden.. even in winter. Back then it was "normal", now as adults we see it for what it really was.. outrageous. That poor bunny must have been SO LONELY nevermind cramped and cold. Did it ever see a vet? no, did it live long? not that I can recall.

Another family member had a hamster in that horrible overpriced rotastak circular cage (The one that was THE CAGE TO HAVE at the time). So so so cramped. They never played with it as it was a biter and only ever took it out to clean the cage.

When I look back at my very first rats years ago I honestly shudder at the tank they were in, not only was it too small but no hammocks (they just didn't exist then!) and very very few toys. It was basically "Here is your bed, your horrible muesli food and your water..oh and you have to share with your friends." That does not mean I was a bad owner, I was just doing things the way almost everyone else was back then.
Does it mean the family and friends who did the same were bad? no.. it's just what we all knew at the time.

For some they still live in that old reality passed down from parents, for others like myself we evolved into a more humane way of pet husbandry.

It does infuriate me though when people say they won't take a pig to the vet as it only cost £20. That's just nonsense, completely illogical. How much does a child cost? Nothing, so why bother spending anything on a kid then!

Oh and @Jaycey to create a child might cost nothing, but once it's little heart starts to beat it will cost you more than anything else in your world But I do get what you are saying and agree that animals should not be denied medical treatment just because they are animals regardless of size.

 

[Flutterby]

I remember once one of my colleagues at work asked why I was taking a piggy to the vet when I could just buy a new one. Needless to say I railroaded him.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I don't mind your rant about disposable pets Chesca, I hate people who dump them. I would say how do they sleep at night, but being so callous they probably don't care. People would think I'm stupid. I paid £47 last week as my hamster had a bad eye, even though he hasn't got To long to go.
Talking about low life's & callous people, someone no I won't even class them as humans, is dismembering cats. & leaving them on the vets doorstep. I really feel for these owners that know that is how there beloved pet ended. It will probably be teenagers & you think at some point these scumbags are going to become parents. I so hope they get these persons or person.

 

[ChloeCee98]

For the past 3 months I've been unemployed and was worried about vet bills but that's the only time I've ever thought about them being bad. They scare me tbh but even then when I had no job I would make sure that I would get my pigs the best care possible if anything happened.

Like I wouldn't have a disposable £1000 or even £100 now. Never mind back when I didn't work, but there's payment plans etc that the vets can set up and I have taken out insurance. So they would never be without care or anything like that. I think sometimes people are a lot like me when they get their pets but I'd never say they were disposable my god there my babies!

But some people just don't have the disposable income that others have. & if everyone was put off by the thought of vet bills we would have countless animals in rescues even more than there is now.

 

[Pawz]

I remember once one of my colleagues at work asked why I was taking a piggy to the vet when I could just buy a new one. Needless to say I railroaded him.

I'd have done the same, good for you! It's your pet and your loved one, what he thinks does not even factor into it.

I don't mind your rant about disposable pets Chesca, I hate people who dump them. I would say how do they sleep at night, but being so callous they probably don't care. People would think I'm stupid. I paid £47 last week as my hamster had a bad eye, even though he hasn't got To long to go.
Talking about low life's & callous people, someone no I won't even class them as humans, is dismembering cats. & leaving them on the vets doorstep. I really feel for these owners that know that is how there beloved pet ended. It will probably be teenagers & you think at some point these scumbags are going to become parents. I so hope they get these persons or person.

That's HORRIBLE about the cats, what Member of modern society walks about and does that sort of twisted thing...it's sick.
I don't think you are stupid for spending that on your hamster. Not at all.

For the past 3 months I've been unemployed and was worried about vet bills but that's the only time I've ever thought about them being bad. They scare me tbh but even then when I had no job I would make sure that I would get my pigs the best care possible if anything happened.

Like I wouldn't have a disposable £1000 or even £100 now. Never mind back when I didn't work, but there's payment plans etc that the vets can set up and I have taken out insurance. So they would never be without care or anything like that. I think sometimes people are a lot like me when they get their pets but I'd never say they were disposable my god there my babies!

But some people just don't have the disposable income that others have. & if everyone was put off by the thought of vet bills we would have countless animals in rescues even more than there is now.

I think giant vet fees are something everyone fears. We all have to draw a line somewhere. My dad had his ageing dog pts last week as it had been suffering and the options were either pts or pay over 5k for an operation which might not even work. Needless to say the 5k was far outside his budget but what factored into it more than anything was the fact the dog was elderly and it wasn't a definite cure, he drew the line in the sand and chose to let his canine pal go peacefully without any further suffering.

 

[ChloeCee98]

I'd have done the same, good for you! It's your pet and your loved one, what he thinks does not even factor into it.


That's HORRIBLE about the cats, what Member of modern society walks about and does that sort of twisted thing...it's sick.
I don't think you are stupid for spending that on your hamster. Not at all.



I think giant vet fees are something everyone fears. We all have to draw a line somewhere. My dad had his ageing dog pts last week as it had been suffering and the options were either pts or pay over 5k for an operation which might not even work. Needless to say the 5k was far outside his budget but what factored into it more than anything was the fact the dog was elderly and it wasn't a definite cure, he drew the line in the sand and chose to let his canine pal go peacefully without any further suffering.

Aww bless you and your dad! RIP ❤ I think that's the case at the moment I'm only young I've had my own house since 16 and I'm still trying to get everything sorted in it and how I want it and I also don't have the pigs cages how I want them the last thing I want is £1000 or up in vet bills! You just can't possible plan for bills like that. Also little kids who have them it's their parents responsibility not the child. I've noticed there are some young people on her so maybe they've just worded things wrong or in their eyes they don't have the money for vet bills. There's lots of different circumstances that we all need to think about before flipping out saying people don't care etc. X

 

[Pawz]

Aww bless you and your dad! RIP ❤ I think that's the case at the moment I'm only young I've had my own house since 16 and I'm still trying to get everything sorted in it and how I want it and I also don't have the pigs cages how I want them the last thing I want is £1000 or up in vet bills! You just can't possible plan for bills like that. Also little kids who have them it's their parents responsibility not the child. I've noticed there are some young people on her so maybe they've just worded things wrong or in their eyes they don't have the money for vet bills. There's lots of different circumstances that we all need to think about before flipping out saying people don't care etc. X

There has been quite a few cases on the forum of people still living and supported by their parents, parents who have not wanted to foot the vets bill. It must be horrible to have to rely on someone else's funds who don't value your pets the same way you do.

 

[flowerfairy]

I had guinea pigs as a child (1970s). They lived in a large chicken coop in the garden. We got bales of hay and straw for them that were kept in the near by shed.

I dont remember any of them going to the vet but one of my hamsters did (her eye fell out, she was fine).

I also had two bucks that we had castrated (much to the delight of the local vet who was intrigued and keen to carry out this unusual procedure).

Sadly there were many people who saw small pets as disposable and I dont remember rescues being a thing then.

 

[chesca_27]

I think there are some other members on here that are close to my age (14) and care for their pets, but not enough. I do try and take as much responsibility for my pets as possible, but I cannot take them to the vet by myself and I cannot afford their vet bills (I have a savings account, but I am not allowed to use that until I am 21 or something). I know I don't pay the general living costs for my pets (hay, bedding, food, veggies), but I pay for all the extra enrichment like toys and treats. It's small but it's a start. I do also contribute towards my hamster's toys and treats (and sometimes bedding) because now I have all the expensive stuff, he is quite cheap. I do clean out the cages and feed my pets and the other general things like cuddling them, health checks etc though.

I do remember how I used to care for the guineas though, I was always attentive and did take them to the vet (albeit not a great one), but their cage was too small, I didn't really monitor nuggets or veggies and they didn't really have unlimited hay. Everyone does make mistakes and I have certainly learnt from that experience and hopefully I am a much better owner now. Thankfully, I had the sense to do a lot more research first, before getting my hamster, so I have always cared for him correctly. The guinea pigs were an impulse buy as a birthday present for me (I really wanted my own pet, and my friend had got guinea pigs recently and I thought they would be cute and cuddly and easy, oh how wrong I was) and I did try to research, just in all the wrong places. I certainly don't regret the guinea pigs as I love my pets more than anything.

 

[TheCavySlave]

The thought of something terrible happening makes me think about rehoming. But then I realise- no. I'm not going to give up two furry sweethearts I adore just because of my anxiety. The world is not changing fast enough in the right ways...but often when I get upset thinking about suffering animals, I think of this forum. Lots of beloved piggies with enviable homes and loving humans

 

[Rochester Piggy]

Yeah, my mum said her piggy stayed in the garage in a pet store cage when she was a kid!