Anonymous wrote: >Unfortunately, this very sad time for us was made even more difficult >by the $120 vet fee charged to us for the euthanasia. I think this >amount is outrageous. One of my pet peeves is how much some vets (mine included) charge to euthanize, especially an animal who has been their patient through an extended illness. However, that's part of pet ownership. If you know it will cost that, you need to set that aside for future use. I can't imagine needing to euthanize an animal and feeling I couldn't afford it, and allowing the animal to suffer, or rigging up some homemade contraption that I couldn't guarantee would work. I don't think I could ever forgive myself for that. My pets seem to choose the middle of the night or major holidays to need euthanization. While my regular vet clinic becomes an ER clinic after hours, the prices definitely go up. I mentioned in a previous post that I had to have a pet rat euthanized on Christmas Day. As you can imagine, the ER costs don't get any higher than that. My petsitter called to tell me that the rat was in distress so I sent her to my vet clinic. I had to handle it all over the phone, which made it even more difficult because I wasn't there to make my own assessment. The fee just to walk in the door was $119!! The euthanization costs were over and above that. Was I happy about it? No. Did I make a stink? No. Did I decide to let her lie there and suffer until the next day when it would be cheaper? No. I just sucked it up. It costs what it costs. I've made many trips in the middle of the night. I deal with the emergency and worry about how much it costs afterward. Luckily, I have a wonderful relationship with my vet clinic and they collect the next time I am in. If you have a good relationship with your vet, you should be able to work something out beforehand, perhaps to pay the fee over a few weeks. To do that requires that you have been a good client and paid your bills on time. Of course, the best thing is to set the money aside before you need it. Don't let that final cost ruin the whole experience for you. Katharine Florida [Posted in FML 6338]