For most people pets are a part of their family.  Some people actually treat them as their children.  However in some cultures or lifestyles animals aren't kept as pets but as working animals with a purpose.  For instance a farmer; his horses, cows and chickens are all there to perform a function.  Even the cats in the barn are there to perform a function.  Once they outlive their usefulness, then farmers usually don't have an issue putting their animals down.  A poor family in a third world country likely doesn't have pets as they can barely feed themselves.  They may feed or befriend the stray animals in their community but to them animals are not pets.

However, in first world countries pet culture is a multi billion dollar a year industry.  What wouldn't we do for our pets?  But how much is too much? 

I have a gorgeous 3 year old cat named Lulu (Professor Lulabelle McGonagall Chow is her full name), Sunday we noticed Lulu wasn't herself.  At one point we thought she was dead, so I rushed her to pet emerg.  $1000 later we find out she has a very enlarged heart and a pericardial something diaphragm hernia.  The enlarged heart could be dealt with for another $2000 (top end), a lifetime of meds and check ups but the hernia has been quoted to us at 8K.  If she were an older cat we'd say 'she's lived a good life and provided us lots of love and happiness' and ultimately make her comfortable and let her go, but she's only 3 so we want to give her the best chance possible.  However, 8K is a big chunk to swallow for anything. 

What are your thoughts on pets and realistically how much would you be willing to pay to fix your pet?

pwcom.proboards.com/thread/2546/peta

Interesting way of putting it: pets are a first world luxury.

My household (talking parents) were never a pet family since I had a disabled sister. Towards the end of her time at home (she's in an assisted care facility now) my parents decided to try out a pet. They got a doberman named Zeus. He had to be put down around 2 years old. For several weeks they had him in and out of a few clinics, totaling around 11k before the decision was made. My Dad grew up with dogs, but not so much my Mom. This was her first, so I have a feeling that contributed a lot to them continuing to try. And I'm sure more than a few vets saw dollar signs. Perhaps that's cold of me to say, but I just have this feeling they knew there was no saving him.

Had it been possible to keep him alive I'm sure they would've kept the tab going. They decided to get another one from the same breeder. The story they've told me that she was part of the final litter of Zeus' father, born shortly after he was put to sleep. Sure Mom. Like I said I'm a cynical bastard. Around the same time my sister was put in a home so I feel like Juno is sort of a surrogate for the loss of my sister. Not that she's dead or not being seen, my parents visit her every other day, but I find myself doing things with her that I used to do with my sister. Just little sayings and once when visiting I accidentally called my sister Juno. LOL.

As someone who never wants kid I always hate when parents say things like "oh it's different when they're your own" and I begrudgingly have to give merit there. Zeus and Juno are not "my" dogs so much as they are family ones, but before they came into my life and after are completely different. Before them I didn't give much credit to pet culture, but now I get it. It's different now.

I get legitimately angry (or if we were on reddit I think the term is blood boiling lmao) when people dismiss a pet's death as somehow less than that of a human's or even just no big deal. I went with my Dad to the vet when he was put down and it was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Juno is nearing 4 years old (whatever the dog year conversion is) so probably half-way through her life. I don't know what the range is, but while it will suck when she goes by comparison at least she had more of a real life. I'm sure as young as he was it was worth it to be with a loving family. Getting a little teary eyed typing this, but yeah while I will never own one on my own I fully support pet culture.