None of you will be surprised to hear I'd spend whatever it took to keep Sadie happy and healthy. Money is just money. And money can't buy the migraines and ulcers my dog gives me
But to me happy is just as important as healthy. If surgery or medical treatment would make her good as new, I'd bite the bullet and shoulder the debt. If she would still be in pain or have an incredibly decreased quality of life, I would have a limit. My mom spent thousands and thousands, like college degree thousands, on keeping our Corgi alive for three years. She had some sort of cancer in her skull which meant chemo, surgery to have part of her skull removed, tons of daily medications and countless vet trips. Yes, she was alive, but there was at least a year when she was just suffering or completely out of it with pain meds, alternating between being deaf and going blind. It wasn't fair to Amelia. And no matter how attached I am to my own dog, when the point came that money wouldn't buy her a good quality of life, that would be the end.
But I'm guessing that point would be whole heck of a lot higher than $400.
