Woman Leaves Dog With Friend, Returns To A $1,400 Vet Bill, Completely Loses It
Interview With ExpertOne of the joys of being human is that we get to share our planet with pets. If you’re lucky enough to own one, you’ll know how much they can brighten your day. But you’ll also be aware they don’t come cheap. The average cost of owning a dog can range anywhere from $1,000 to $5,225 a year—and that’s just for essentials. When it comes to emergency vet visits, you could find yourself needing to sell a kidney.
A guy has shared how he was pet-sitting his friend’s dog when it suddenly became violently ill. When he couldn’t get hold of the owner, he panicked and rushed the dog to the vet. When his friend returned to a bill of $1,400, she completely lost it. She’s accusing him of forcing her into debt, and he’s now wondering if he did the right thing. Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, the Veterinary Medical Advisor for online pet-sitting platform Rover. And she was kind enough to give her expert opinion on the matter.
Just like humans, dogs might need medical care now and again
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
When one guy rushed his friend’s dog to the vet for emergency surgery, he wasn’t expecting her to react as angrily as she did
Image credits: Yan Krukau / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: BlackDynamite_7
Image credits: Alex P / Pexels (not the actual photo)
“The pet’s health and well-being is always the most important outcome”: An expert weighs in
Dr. Rebecca Greenstein is the Veterinary Medical Advisor for Rover, an online pet-sitting and services platform that pairs pet owners with a nationwide network of pet sitters, daycare providers, and dog walkers in the United States. We asked the expert what advice she had for the pet sitter.
“It’s an extremely unfortunate situation for the pet sitter,” said Greenstein, adding that the pet sitter acted in the interest of the dog. “The pet’s health and well-being is always the most important outcome in situations like this one. If the pet parent can’t be reached and the vet recommends the dog be admitted, the sitter isn’t left with many alternatives.”
“Moving forward, I would recommend pet-sitting only if you have the support of a company like Rover behind you,” advised Greenstein. “If you are going to sit for a friend, at least ensure they have a robust insurance policy in place and out of an abundance of caution put a plan in place for an emergency situation.”
So what should someone do if the animal they are pet-sitting suddenly becomes very sick? According to Greenstein, it’s super important to act quickly and effectively to ensure the pet’s health and well-being.
“Contact the pet parent immediately to inform them of the situation. The owner may have important information about the dog’s health history, medications, or allergies that could be relevant,” Greenstein told Bored Panda.
“If a pet parent can’t be reached, contact the pet’s vet immediately and listen to their advice and instructions,” she added. “If you are unsure of the pet’s normal vet, call a nearby emergency clinic.”
The vet will advise whether the pet needs to be brought in or whether the pet sitter should monitor its condition at home. “If needed, they should take the dog to the clinic promptly,” advised Greenstein.
The expert’s advice to pet owners is to err on the side of caution. “To avoid such an unfortunate situation, I would recommend two added layers of protection for next time: book a sitter through a pet-sitting service, like Rover; and, get pet insurance,” she said.
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Being a dog parent doesn’t come cheap and potential pet owners aren’t always prepared
A dog can start dipping deep into your bank account before you even bring it home for the first time. You’ll need to have their food, bowls, toys, bedding, leash, and more ready. Then, of course, you’ll need to pay the adoption fee, or breeder’s price.
According to Prudent Pet, the world’s most expensive dog comes with a hefty price tag of around $14,000. The rare Samoyed breed originates from Siberia, and they are known for their “kind, loving, and eager-to-please attitude,” along with their smiling faces.
However, the site warns that the breed racks up vet bills like no other dog. “They’re prone to expensive health issues, such as corneal dystrophy, autoimmune conditions, and cardiac disorders that can mount to around $5,000.”
Regardless of what breed you choose or whether you adopt or shop, there are also vaccinations, tick and flea treatments, and deworming costs to consider. If Fido needs grooming, you’ll be forking out for that too. Training costs a pretty penny, as does doggy daycare, should you choose to go that route.
According to Rover’s Cost of Dog Parenthood in 2024 report, the total cost of getting a new doggo ranges from $870 to $4,565. And that’s just for the first year. Annually, you’re looking at spending around $1,000 on the low end to $5,225 on the high end. Throw in the optional extras and your furkid’s expenses can reach around $6,235 per year.
Rover’s research shows the average dog owner “may spend anywhere from $80-$440 per month on their dog.” It’s a 55% increase since 2023.
Just like humans, doggies need their teeth cleaned and checked. Owners that do opt for some doggo dentist trips pay anywhere from $630-$1,145, depending on what needs to be done.
“Hopefully you’ll never need to make a trip to the emergency vet,” notes the report. “But if you do, the typical visit can cost up to almost $3,000.” Pet insurance will increase your monthly costs by a bit, but you’ll be glad you went that route should you ever have to rush your best friend in for emergency surgery.
“With the exponential rise in veterinary costs over the past few years (especially in the emergency department), pet insurance buffers pet owners from financial crisis and can be literally life-saving for some pets,” Greenstein told us.
It goes without saying that being a dog parent doesn’t come cheap. But we at Bored Panda really do feel it’s worth it. After all, you can’t put a price on unconditional love…
“She shouldn’t be a pet owner”: Netizens praised the man for saving the dog’s life
“You owe the owner for your mistakes”: Some felt the man might be to blame for the blockage
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Some remarks here show a remarkable ignorance of dog health. Let's try to explain how these things work: an intestinal blockage is often a life or death situation. Blockages occur for multiple reasons and are often NOT the result of negligence on the part of the human. When it occurs and torsion is present, the dog is in terrible pain and death can occur quickly. This is why the OP's actions of taking the dog immediately to the vet was a right choice. That the owner was unavailable is just too bad. Waiting longer for the owner might have meant the death of the dog - a very painful death. Ideally, before leaving your dog in the care of someone else, you provide instructions including the contacts for your own vet, including emergency contacts. But if these instructions do not include how to respond in an emergency, the fault is yours.
You don't wait with blockage.PERIOD. If she wanted a certain vet it should be told to the sitter before. My MIL knows where to take mine when she dog sits. Insurance could have minimzed the bill. She is a s****y dog owner if money was her first thought and not thankfullness the sitter went to the vet.
Most people need to consider $ b4 anything else. B happy u don't. I lost a dog bc of this. Moved across country & this happened to my dog. Sadly he died. Some places want $ upfront
Load More Replies...I had a dog that died of blockage. Deep chested dog breeds are prone to them. If they eat a full meal and then are playing and rolling around the undigested food can cause their intestines to twist (think like a balloon animal). I took her to the vet, who did the best he could, but she didn't make it. I still blame myself for not noticing earlier. This woman did exactly the right thing and saved that dog's life.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet under any circumstances is difficult, but when it's an unexpected medical crisis it's even worse. Many years ago, my 4 year old Italian Greyhound had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm that ruptured when he jumped off the couch and there was nothing the vet could do either. Nearly 15 years later and it still makes me cry.
Load More Replies...As she refused to answer comments I think she is hiding something about the situation.
Literally the only thing she hasn't said is if she caused the blockage, the only way she could've caused it is if the dog ate something it shouldn't had. Even then, that's a dog she didn't know and wasn't hers and that was likely stressed by its owner being away, it's not like she was supposed to watch it like a hawk 24/7, it might've eaten something weird, it happens, one can blame her just so much even if that was the case.
Load More Replies...Every single person involved in this who said any variant of "it's not like the dog could die this quick" needs to never, ever, ever have pets of their own.
Um, used to work for my vet. Clients came in with a young dog with a blockage which they had taken to an emergency vet the night before! The emergency vet gave the dog oil and other stuff to see if the dog would pass the blockage. By the NEXT DAY, when my vet performed emergency surgery, there was already a danger of tissue becoming necrotic, and turning gangrene! It was the worst smell from that surgery that I have ever experienced. It was lucky that the young dog made it! This owner is a total a** if she had wanted to "wait and see". It would have been a very painful "wait and see" and slow death for the poor dog. Owner should not own a dog, since they literally wanted something so cruel for their dog!
When I had to have a friend's dog euthanased , I made sure I could answer all her questions, and gave her my vet's contact so that she could satisfy herself that everything possible had been done for him. If OPs friend isn't willing to take the word of the friend or the vet, that seems unreasonable. And she's still got her dog.
anyone who doesnt think that saving the dog's life by any means necessary is the first option- i hope you dont have pets, let alone kids. ffs.
If you can afford to go to a festival, you can afford to pay your dog's vet bills.
Based on the info, OP did the right thing. Dog would have died in agony of it had been left.
I would have lost my mind and sued if the friend HADN'T taken my pet to the vet. The clear answer is to discuss emergencies beforehand, such as "here's the vet information. If you can't reach me, contact my parent/partner/etc. here. If the cost is up to $x, pay it."
Hmm...feels like some steps are missing in the story here. Either way, a good lesson to learn. If you're going to petsit for someone or have someone petsit for you, discuss where the animals regular vet is and preferred emergency vet, pet insurance, the owner should contact their vet and put their payment details on file so if anything arises they can charge the owners directly and not the petsitter. If there's family/friends of the owner willing to be involved, their contact details should be given to the petsitter to assist with emergency decisions like if the animal takes sick and the vet recommends euthanasia - I would not want to make that decision as the petsitter. Your furbabies are no different from your human babies, and this is all the same stuff you'd discuss if you were having someone watch your human baby.
The issue I see with this situation is that they would have been blamed either way. If they hadn't taken them to the vet and Cherry had died, the owner would have flipped out about OP letting Cherry die. You can't really win with people like this.
My cat had once an urinary blockage. I called an uber and once I told the driver why we were heading to the vet, he instantly turned on an ambulance mode. If the uber guy, not even owning a pet person, knows for a fact how dangerous any sort of blockage is, then the friend should reimburse you for the vet. You save its life. Period.
Wondering why they seem to think that if the dog ate a sock or something, then it's the OP's fault. Sorry but pet sitting doesn't mean observing the dog 24/7. The dog may want to go to a different room, or sleep somewhere else and forcing it to be somewhere it doesn't want to be in an already stressful situation (owner gone) would be cruel. So I don't see how the sock-eating would be the OP's fault, seriously. Anyone who's ever had a dog knows that they can sometimes eat something when we're not looking, especially when stressed...
And of course, there may have been no sock, just a blockage - and even if there had been a sock, it’d be impossible to know how long it had been in the intestines and therefore impossible to know under who’s watch the dog ate it. Unless it had been a specific sock with very recognizeable patterns or something - but we don’t even know if there was any sock or anything else. But I agree with the rest.
Load More Replies...Imagine how upset she'd be if she came home to a dead dog, instead. She would be claiming she's owed a new dog.
Seriously, whenever I have asked anyone to look after a pet of mine - even just overnight - I give them emergency information envelope containing all vet and insurance details. As a kid, that's what I saw my parents do when leaving our dog with someone, as an adult anyone asking me to pet sit has provided that with out me asking. I would assume it was just standard. My parents use to cat sit for me for 2 weeks every year, I also left a bank card incase of unexpected charges - like having to pay up front for out of hours emergency vet - so they knew I did not want them to ever think about cost or getting hold of me if they thought the cat should go to the vet. That is just normal pet owner responsibility.
I have mixed feelings on this one: yes, OP had to take the dog to the vet, because the blockage would have likely killed the dog (not to mention, caused a lot of suffering). BUT. Why did the blockage occur in the first place? If it was OP's negligence at fault, then they should at least split the bill. Jmo.
Just so you know: intestinal blockages can occur on their own without the dog having swallowed anything harmful. I have seen it happen spontaneously even when the dog is well supervised. It is a weird, but very serious situation that may or may not be preventable.
Load More Replies...I get the owner was shocked. Dogs are renowned for eating all kinds of c**p. Intestinal blockages can Kill. Fast. Agonising. I have a medical condition that gives me a 1 in 5 chance of my bowel bursting. It's extreme life threatening agony. It's not a situation to be left and a vet will only operate IF they have to. She needs to be grateful her dog is alive And consider giving up the dog if she cannot afford or understand how veterinary treatments and medical emergencies happen.
1400$ is actually really cheap for an emergency dog surgery. I can understand someone being torn on spending 20k on a surgery that might not work (I would sell my car and drain my emergency fund but not everyone can do that). 1400$ though? Who could say that their beloved dog's life isn't worth that! Also shame on the owner for not leaving emergency instructions with the pet sitter then being upset with that the sitter did in an emergency.
An intestinal blockage can kill a dog quickly. My mastiff passed from one in about an hour... Before we could even GET to the vet. (My sister and I lived in a rural area. I had to have the neighbor help me get her into the car, and then out afterwards to bury her.We didn't make it to the vet in time.
$1400 for a surgery? Sounds cheap to me. My daughter’s dog had surgery for a urinary issue, and it cost over $5000.
Whether OP is at fault for the blockage or not, the dog needed to be seen by a vet. Knowing Cherry's regular vet would be preferable because there are vets that are scammers. I took my cat to an unknown vet in a new area because of a tender swollen area on his stomach. After a $700 X-ray they said he needed a biopsy that would be over $2k. I took him to a vet my aunt used for a second opinion 2 days later and it was a mosquito bite he scratched open that got infected and he needed antibiotics and a salve for less than $200.
Split the bill. Obviously the dog ate something that should not have been within it's reach, so you're partially at fault. But, you saved the animal's life, which your friend should be thankful for. Next time she can kennel the dog instead. When you let friends and family care for the animal, you deal with the fallout. And NO, the blockage would not have passed. It would have killed the dog in a day or two.
Nope. There is no ”obviously” here - the blockage could have started at any time before the dog came into OPs care. There’s no knowing what caused it, so it can just as easily be entirely on the owners head.
Load More Replies...Some remarks here show a remarkable ignorance of dog health. Let's try to explain how these things work: an intestinal blockage is often a life or death situation. Blockages occur for multiple reasons and are often NOT the result of negligence on the part of the human. When it occurs and torsion is present, the dog is in terrible pain and death can occur quickly. This is why the OP's actions of taking the dog immediately to the vet was a right choice. That the owner was unavailable is just too bad. Waiting longer for the owner might have meant the death of the dog - a very painful death. Ideally, before leaving your dog in the care of someone else, you provide instructions including the contacts for your own vet, including emergency contacts. But if these instructions do not include how to respond in an emergency, the fault is yours.
You don't wait with blockage.PERIOD. If she wanted a certain vet it should be told to the sitter before. My MIL knows where to take mine when she dog sits. Insurance could have minimzed the bill. She is a s****y dog owner if money was her first thought and not thankfullness the sitter went to the vet.
Most people need to consider $ b4 anything else. B happy u don't. I lost a dog bc of this. Moved across country & this happened to my dog. Sadly he died. Some places want $ upfront
Load More Replies...I had a dog that died of blockage. Deep chested dog breeds are prone to them. If they eat a full meal and then are playing and rolling around the undigested food can cause their intestines to twist (think like a balloon animal). I took her to the vet, who did the best he could, but she didn't make it. I still blame myself for not noticing earlier. This woman did exactly the right thing and saved that dog's life.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet under any circumstances is difficult, but when it's an unexpected medical crisis it's even worse. Many years ago, my 4 year old Italian Greyhound had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm that ruptured when he jumped off the couch and there was nothing the vet could do either. Nearly 15 years later and it still makes me cry.
Load More Replies...As she refused to answer comments I think she is hiding something about the situation.
Literally the only thing she hasn't said is if she caused the blockage, the only way she could've caused it is if the dog ate something it shouldn't had. Even then, that's a dog she didn't know and wasn't hers and that was likely stressed by its owner being away, it's not like she was supposed to watch it like a hawk 24/7, it might've eaten something weird, it happens, one can blame her just so much even if that was the case.
Load More Replies...Every single person involved in this who said any variant of "it's not like the dog could die this quick" needs to never, ever, ever have pets of their own.
Um, used to work for my vet. Clients came in with a young dog with a blockage which they had taken to an emergency vet the night before! The emergency vet gave the dog oil and other stuff to see if the dog would pass the blockage. By the NEXT DAY, when my vet performed emergency surgery, there was already a danger of tissue becoming necrotic, and turning gangrene! It was the worst smell from that surgery that I have ever experienced. It was lucky that the young dog made it! This owner is a total a** if she had wanted to "wait and see". It would have been a very painful "wait and see" and slow death for the poor dog. Owner should not own a dog, since they literally wanted something so cruel for their dog!
When I had to have a friend's dog euthanased , I made sure I could answer all her questions, and gave her my vet's contact so that she could satisfy herself that everything possible had been done for him. If OPs friend isn't willing to take the word of the friend or the vet, that seems unreasonable. And she's still got her dog.
anyone who doesnt think that saving the dog's life by any means necessary is the first option- i hope you dont have pets, let alone kids. ffs.
If you can afford to go to a festival, you can afford to pay your dog's vet bills.
Based on the info, OP did the right thing. Dog would have died in agony of it had been left.
I would have lost my mind and sued if the friend HADN'T taken my pet to the vet. The clear answer is to discuss emergencies beforehand, such as "here's the vet information. If you can't reach me, contact my parent/partner/etc. here. If the cost is up to $x, pay it."
Hmm...feels like some steps are missing in the story here. Either way, a good lesson to learn. If you're going to petsit for someone or have someone petsit for you, discuss where the animals regular vet is and preferred emergency vet, pet insurance, the owner should contact their vet and put their payment details on file so if anything arises they can charge the owners directly and not the petsitter. If there's family/friends of the owner willing to be involved, their contact details should be given to the petsitter to assist with emergency decisions like if the animal takes sick and the vet recommends euthanasia - I would not want to make that decision as the petsitter. Your furbabies are no different from your human babies, and this is all the same stuff you'd discuss if you were having someone watch your human baby.
The issue I see with this situation is that they would have been blamed either way. If they hadn't taken them to the vet and Cherry had died, the owner would have flipped out about OP letting Cherry die. You can't really win with people like this.
My cat had once an urinary blockage. I called an uber and once I told the driver why we were heading to the vet, he instantly turned on an ambulance mode. If the uber guy, not even owning a pet person, knows for a fact how dangerous any sort of blockage is, then the friend should reimburse you for the vet. You save its life. Period.
Wondering why they seem to think that if the dog ate a sock or something, then it's the OP's fault. Sorry but pet sitting doesn't mean observing the dog 24/7. The dog may want to go to a different room, or sleep somewhere else and forcing it to be somewhere it doesn't want to be in an already stressful situation (owner gone) would be cruel. So I don't see how the sock-eating would be the OP's fault, seriously. Anyone who's ever had a dog knows that they can sometimes eat something when we're not looking, especially when stressed...
And of course, there may have been no sock, just a blockage - and even if there had been a sock, it’d be impossible to know how long it had been in the intestines and therefore impossible to know under who’s watch the dog ate it. Unless it had been a specific sock with very recognizeable patterns or something - but we don’t even know if there was any sock or anything else. But I agree with the rest.
Load More Replies...Imagine how upset she'd be if she came home to a dead dog, instead. She would be claiming she's owed a new dog.
Seriously, whenever I have asked anyone to look after a pet of mine - even just overnight - I give them emergency information envelope containing all vet and insurance details. As a kid, that's what I saw my parents do when leaving our dog with someone, as an adult anyone asking me to pet sit has provided that with out me asking. I would assume it was just standard. My parents use to cat sit for me for 2 weeks every year, I also left a bank card incase of unexpected charges - like having to pay up front for out of hours emergency vet - so they knew I did not want them to ever think about cost or getting hold of me if they thought the cat should go to the vet. That is just normal pet owner responsibility.
I have mixed feelings on this one: yes, OP had to take the dog to the vet, because the blockage would have likely killed the dog (not to mention, caused a lot of suffering). BUT. Why did the blockage occur in the first place? If it was OP's negligence at fault, then they should at least split the bill. Jmo.
Just so you know: intestinal blockages can occur on their own without the dog having swallowed anything harmful. I have seen it happen spontaneously even when the dog is well supervised. It is a weird, but very serious situation that may or may not be preventable.
Load More Replies...I get the owner was shocked. Dogs are renowned for eating all kinds of c**p. Intestinal blockages can Kill. Fast. Agonising. I have a medical condition that gives me a 1 in 5 chance of my bowel bursting. It's extreme life threatening agony. It's not a situation to be left and a vet will only operate IF they have to. She needs to be grateful her dog is alive And consider giving up the dog if she cannot afford or understand how veterinary treatments and medical emergencies happen.
1400$ is actually really cheap for an emergency dog surgery. I can understand someone being torn on spending 20k on a surgery that might not work (I would sell my car and drain my emergency fund but not everyone can do that). 1400$ though? Who could say that their beloved dog's life isn't worth that! Also shame on the owner for not leaving emergency instructions with the pet sitter then being upset with that the sitter did in an emergency.
An intestinal blockage can kill a dog quickly. My mastiff passed from one in about an hour... Before we could even GET to the vet. (My sister and I lived in a rural area. I had to have the neighbor help me get her into the car, and then out afterwards to bury her.We didn't make it to the vet in time.
$1400 for a surgery? Sounds cheap to me. My daughter’s dog had surgery for a urinary issue, and it cost over $5000.
Whether OP is at fault for the blockage or not, the dog needed to be seen by a vet. Knowing Cherry's regular vet would be preferable because there are vets that are scammers. I took my cat to an unknown vet in a new area because of a tender swollen area on his stomach. After a $700 X-ray they said he needed a biopsy that would be over $2k. I took him to a vet my aunt used for a second opinion 2 days later and it was a mosquito bite he scratched open that got infected and he needed antibiotics and a salve for less than $200.
Split the bill. Obviously the dog ate something that should not have been within it's reach, so you're partially at fault. But, you saved the animal's life, which your friend should be thankful for. Next time she can kennel the dog instead. When you let friends and family care for the animal, you deal with the fallout. And NO, the blockage would not have passed. It would have killed the dog in a day or two.
Nope. There is no ”obviously” here - the blockage could have started at any time before the dog came into OPs care. There’s no knowing what caused it, so it can just as easily be entirely on the owners head.
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