The fact that people are willing to bear the increasing costs for their pets is significant. “I don’t know if there is a ceiling,” muses Slob, who does not discuss this in the RDA essay but does have her personal thoughts about it. People are going further and further in ‘keeping animals alive’. And there is also a certain tragedy in that. “They want to receive comfort and love and also to give love, that need is very great. Often these are people on the margins of society or are alone, they can feel important because of their pet. And if it gets sick, it says A lot is at stake for them. A high bill will be extra hard for them, but if they receive a high bill they will deprive themselves of a lot financially. There is something very sad about that, it also says a lot about our society.”
From pet to family member: ‘You used to put an animal with cancer to sleep, now it gets chemotherapy’
