Most pet owners have a financial breaking point — and many are hitting it

We never found out what was killing Margot. The vet laid it out in the spring of 2023. The seizures were either a brain tumor or her liver failing, and the only way to know which was to pay for an extensive workup that would tell us. She was nearly 17 years old (that’s 119 in dog years). The answer wasn’t going to change the ending, and the number in front of us was real, so we skipped it and put the money toward keeping her comfortable and happy instead. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but that was a financial breaking point. It felt like mercy, and it’s a lot easier to live with when you call it that. Three out of four American pet owners can name their version of that number. They just hate saying it out loud. In fact, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance put it to 1,542 dog and cat owners th