How much would you pay to save your sick pet?

The bond between owner and pet is always strong, yet to what lengths would you go to in order to help your pet when times are difficult. The story of Maxi and Thomas highlights the deep bonds and extent of loyalty that people show their pets in return for helping them through difficult times.

By Elke Bodderas, Worldcrunch

BERLIN - Maxi is seven years old. If he were a person, not a cat, he would be a young-looking guy in his mid-40s. Thomas, a student in Hanover, adopted Maxi from an animal shelter, and loves Maxi so much that he found the money for a kidney transplant when his four-pawed pal would otherwise have died. The whole thing cost Thomas 15,000 euros, including the flight to the United States, where the operation took place.

“Maxi stood by me when I was very sick,” Thomas told the German newspaper Bild. “He’s my alter ego. ”

A “new” cat kidney costs 15,000 euros, chemo and radiotherapy for a dog suffering from cancer cost around 18,000 euros. By comparison, a new titanium hip joint – at a mere 5,000 euros – is something of a bargain. And compared to that, the cost of the physiotherapy needed to round out treatment seems like peanuts.

Specialist devices are becoming increasingly popular to aid recovery after operations for all varieties of pets