If you're a pet owner, chances are pretty good that you've been hit with bills far more expensive than you expected.

A father in Fuyang, East China's Anhui Province, just experienced such a hit and he didn't handle it very well.

On October 2, CCTV footage from a local vet clinic showed that the father smashed a little puppy to the ground and heavily kicked it, despite his daughter's desperate attempt to stop him. 

The reason was all about money. When the man was told that the treatment for the ill puppy cost 600 yuan ($85) and would continue to rise, he decided to kill it. It was more cost-effective to get a new healthy dog.

While most netizens slammed the man's inhumane and cruel behavior, some netizens reminded people to think twice before getting a pet, warning that the expenses could be much more than expected.

Affordable cost

Ming Fei, a pet owner from Beijing, has spent about 80,000 yuan on his Alaskan dog Leo over nearly three years, including adoption costs, vaccinations, training, food, routine vet visits, among other goods and services.

Leo lives a much better life than the average dog. According to a white paper on China's Pet Industry in 2018, the average annual cost for a dog is 5,580 yuan, and 4,311 yuan for a cat. 

"I provide him with the best possible conditions. All his food is imported and costs 1000 yuan per month," Ming introduced, "I send him to bathing treatment twice a month, which costs 120 yuan each time, because it's struggling to chase a dripping wet, slippery dog inside the house."

Leo hasn't had any serious illnesses so far. His routine vet visits are for heartworm prevention medication which costs 300 yuan a month. "It must be awful to watch your pet suffer, and it can be incredibly distressing to see the bills," Ming added. 

"But once it happens, I will definitely get him all the medical treatment he needs regardless the cost. Because I made a commitment to him when I bought him, he is part of the family now. You'll never abandon a family member," Ming said firmly.

Ming Fei's Alaskan dog Leo plays in a park. Photo: Courtesy of Ming Fei

Expensive yet worthy

Xu Kun is less lucky than Ming. She owns three dogs and one cat in Heshun, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. In August, her cat Da Zhuang got feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a progressive and fatal disease. Xu spent 20,000 yuan in total to save Da Zhuang from death.

"At first, I didn't know it would cost so much. The money wasn't spent all at once," Xu explained. Due to the limitation of medical conditions in the small town, the vet was unable to diagnose what was wrong with Da Zhuang.

"Da Zhuang was put on saline drip in the first few days, spending more than 500 yuan every day. Instead of getting better, the situation got worse," Xu recalled.

The vet was very honest with her, suggesting she take Da Zhuang to the capital city of Kunming where there might be a chance of survival. 

Xu took a taxi for 650 kilometers to Kunming where Da Zhuang was diagnosed with FIP. 

"Most pet owners can deal with the expense, but it's hard to accept that you paid the fortune but still cannot save the little creature from death."

Not just money

Zhong, a retired lady who is living in Beijing now, shares the same sentiment with Xu. As a slave to four cats, she is no stranger to the vet clinic. 

The fourth cat was found on the street. She got her vaccinated and spayed. But something irregular was found in the blood test. Soon the cat was diagnosed with feline leukemia. 

When asked why she was willing to spend more than 20,000 yuan on a cat that she barely knew, Zhong's answer was brief: "it's a life." 

Besides expensive surgeries, the cat also needed special nursing, ranging from 400 to 1,000 yuan a day. Zhong was relieved to see the cat's health improve. "The cost of her care was more about time, love and vigilance, not just finance."

Frequent visits to the vet clinic almost made Zhong take the cat's health in her own hands. She figured out a way to save money, "For minor illnesses, I don't go to vet clinic anymore. It's more economic to buy medicine online."

Difficulty for vets

While most of pet owners complain the high cost of medical treatment, Wang Ruiqiang, the dean of Chongfuxin Animal Hospital in Beijing thinks otherwise.

"Pets don't have health care, that's why people have the feeling that curing a pet is much more expensive than human. But do the math, you'll see that the price is reasonable. In fact, I think it should be raised," said Wang.

"Vets' work is actually more difficult than doctors'. Unlike human doctors having different specialties, such as neurologist, dermatologist, orthopedist, we vet have to be general practitioner," said Wang.

Training and equipment are also major expenses each year. The vet training expense in Wang's hospital exceeds 200,000 yuan each year, Wang told the Global Times. "Unlike public hospitals which receive financial aid from the government, we have to bear all the cost."

In spite of the operating cost, Wang has adopted abandoned animals. A bulldog has stayed in Wang's clinic for more than six years. "He fell from upstairs and got paralyzed. His owner showed up during the initial treatment. But he faded out after learning about the total cost." So far, he has adopted five abandoned dogs.

Wang Ruiqiang poses for a photo with one of his patients. Photo: Courtesy of Wang Ruiqiang