re: At what price point is it worth putting your pet down?

This decision is relative. The amount I would pay for a one-time procedure or operation on my otherwise healthy 3 y/o dog that would result in another 5-10 years of healthy life for her is way higher than the amount I would pay for a procedure on a 12 y/o dog that is already obviously on the steep decline towards the end of their life. The former? $5,000 before I would REALLY have to consider it. The latter - probably less than a grand.

It's a dog. They're literally GIVING them away...

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can't afford a pet don't get one

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So don't rescue a dog that will definitely be put to sleep if you aren't willing to shell out $800 down the line? Seems logical.

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for you what is the max amount you would spend to keep your pet healthy?

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well it all depends on what we are treating? I don't have a limit for my FBD. But the rescue dogs that live outside essentially face a death panel every time a health issue arises. Same for the horses and barn cats.

I'd be more concerned about the pet's quality of life post treatment than the cost. Whats the point in spending big money if the pet's quality of life suffers? Conversely, why not spend a few bucks to have a healthy pet by your side?

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Honestly, the earlier you put your pet down the more money you will save.

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same can be said for the elderly

$800 for what? Vets know people have an almost irrational affection for their pets and will readily bend them over a barrel for unnecessary products and services.

There are factors I would consider. The first is the quality of life. If the treatments will provide a good quality of life without suffering, I'm doing it. I'll find the money or give up some things. I love my pets and I feel that's the agreement I made when I adopted.

Another is what will the pet go through with the treatment and what are the chances of success for quality of life?

I had to put a pet down not very long ago. There was an outside chance of some treatment that might help reduce her pain, but quality of life wasn't going to be great. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't see her in pain either. I felt that wasn't fair. My vet recommended saying goodbye because she wasn't at all confident procedures or treatment would work ultimately and waiting to see if they worked would be painful. I usually ask the vet what she would do if it were her pet. That tells you a lot and mine will answer. That doesn't mean I'll go with the recommendation, though.

I had a cat who got diabetes. She was loving, but testing her blood sugar was going to be a challenge to say the least. My vet recommended putting her down, gave her a dose of insulin and sent me home to make a decision overnight. Cat became lethargic which I later figured out was due to too much insulin which thank goodness didn't end up badly.

I stayed up all night reading up on it, found a site for diabetic cat owners and asked a lot of questions. I got some terrific advice on not using the food the vet suggested but going to another type of low carb wet food. It was just certain varieties of Fancy Feast, so it was not that big a deal. I returned the dry food to the vet, got the insulin and a testing kit and followed the dosing advice of the forum members. Blood sugar dropped as soon as I changed from dry food and started with low doses of insulin. Shooting her was easy. Testing her was a nightmare and it took a long to be successful. I had to wrap her up burrito style and even that was difficult with the screaming and clawing etc..., but I got it all done. She was permanently off insulin in 16 days and never took it again. I tested her regularly for the next 3 years. She was happy as can be and lived to almost 17.

I must say that I also would have hung up on you after reading your post. Sorry about that, but I would have.

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you have to consider the quality of life for the dog.

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Agreed.

To OP: not sure how you feel about your dog, but mine is a part of the family. So long as I'm not going to go bankrupt, I'd give greater consideration to my dog's quality of life than a straight up business transaction.

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can't afford a pet don't get one.

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this is just silly. at some point it becomes not worth it to keep the dog alive for a short while longer.