B.C. charity wants vet bills tax-deductible to stop 'economic euthanasia'

When Linnea Wolfe’s cat Bagheera started having problems with his eyes late last year, she took him to a vet.

“It turned out he was in real significant pain and he needed not just a treatment, but he needed surgery,” she said.

But the surgery would cost $6,500.

“That’s probably a little more than four times our rent and it wasn’t possible. There’s just absolutely no way we would have been able to afford that,” Wolfe said.

She faced a gut-wrenching decision. Would she be forced to euthanize her beloved cat?

“I just couldn’t live with him being in that pain so that was the option that we were considering,” she said.

Vets say so-called “economic euthanasia” is becoming more common as pet owners are forced to make life and death decisions about their animals based on finances.

“It’s really unfortunate that people have to consider feeding their family or saving their pet because of financial reasons,” said Eyal Lichtmann, CEO of the Richmond-based Regional Animal Protection Society.

RAPS has launched a petition calling on the federal government for help.

“We think the government should make veterinary costs, like regular medical costs, tax-deductible. And on the other side, we think corporations should get involved by making extended medical plans that they offer their employees, vet care as well,” Lichtmann said.

Wolfe believes the idea is a good one.

“Pets, for people, are family. The idea that a bill can result in having to say goodbye to a member of the family is heart-breaking,” she said.

Fortunately for Wolfe and her cat, RAPS stepped in and surgery costs were covered.

The surgery required that both of Bagheera's eyes be removed because of severe cataracts and ulcerations.

But she also said he’s adjusted well to his new life, using his whiskers to find his way around.

She said she’s just so grateful to still have him.

Lichtmann said that since opening RAPS in 2018, either partial or full subsidies of about $5.5 million have been provided pet owners.