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1. Embed this notice
   Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 00:49:43 JST Adrianna Tan

   Someone from Eastern Europe wondering why Americans have pet insurance.

   My vet bills for a single animal is, I’m willing to bet, more expensive in absolute terms than your human healthcare costs for a decade.

   • GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:15:40 JST Adrianna Tan

     in reply to

     • Kuchenschwarte
     • Daniel Durrans

     @Kuchenschwarte @dan I spent the usd equivalent of some middle income countries’ annual per capital income on cookie in the last few years of her life :/

     I want to say it was cheaper in Singapore but it absolutely wasn’t. They all got bought by the same shitty PE companies

   • Embed this notice
     Kuchenschwarte (kuchenschwarte@fnordon.de)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:15:44 JST Kuchenschwarte

     in reply to

     • Daniel Durrans

     @dan @skinnylatte
     Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte is a bit complicated (Germany after all) - vets can decide between three price levels depending on the area there in and whatnot.
     And I only have a healthy dog for comparison: Annually I spent probably around 200-700 € for vaccines, worm treatment, clipping of nails, the odd infected ear, skin, an x-ray or whatever she comes up with.

   • Embed this notice
     Daniel Durrans (dan@mastodon.durrans.com)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:15:45 JST Daniel Durrans

     in reply to

     • Kuchenschwarte

     @Kuchenschwarte @skinnylatte I am not aware of a fee schedule for the UK. It very much feels like it is at the whim of the vet.

     Pre-operation appointments with a consultant were costing me £300 each time.

     CT scans were in the region of £1500 (I think we had 3 in the end)

   • Embed this notice
     Kuchenschwarte (kuchenschwarte@fnordon.de)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:15:47 JST Kuchenschwarte

     in reply to

     • Daniel Durrans

     @dan @skinnylatte ah, you don't have Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte?
     In Germany pet health care is not for free - while it got more expensive and having the funds is absolutely advisable it's not unregulated and a total rip-off on worried owners.

   • Embed this notice
     Daniel Durrans (dan@mastodon.durrans.com)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:15:48 JST Daniel Durrans

     in reply to

     @skinnylatte Yes this! True in the UK where human healthcare is mostly free but pet care is absolutely not.

     A CAT scan for a cat is a lot of money.

   • Embed this notice
     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:16:13 JST Adrianna Tan

     in reply to

     • Kuchenschwarte
     • Daniel Durrans

     @Kuchenschwarte @dan actually a serious reason why I might think twice about another pet after Mila

   • Embed this notice
     Adrianna Tan (skinnylatte@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 01:30:04 JST Adrianna Tan

     in reply to

     ‘Don’t have a pet you can’t afford’ I’m sorry that in 2009 I was not able to predict that private equity was going to eat all the vets in all the cities I live in

     Seriously, I am doubtful I will have a pet after Mila. I have some means, and it’s hard and getting harder. I don’t understand how people are supposed to afford children.

     GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     spiegelmama (spiegelmama@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 13-Dec-2025 14:46:52 JST spiegelmama

     in reply to

     @skinnylatte It's all so sad. If and only if you have good insurance, actually having a baby can be OK. Our son spent a week in the NICU, and we still only paid something like $250. But I did have to leave my state job to keep him, because state furloughs were too unpredictable and I needed every hour. If we didn't have my husband's parents to rely on in crises, though, we'd have been in trouble a few times. I know how lucky we were, but I still didn't want to try for a second child, even though I really, *really* wanted another.

     Pets are sometimes even harder, because even good insurance doesn't cover everything you might need. I don't know how to make it better. I'm sorry. Everyone deserves a pet if they want one, and all pets deserve a home. 🥺