<prompt> Human: Hey PF,My 4-year old dog was just diagnosed with a torn CCL same thing as human ACL and the vets suggested surgical repair that is estimated to cost 4-5K. I am wondering if any of you can offer advice or have similar experience with making a decision on what to do with a pet when costs are expensive and the chances of restored function are less-than-guaranteed.Financially, we are just getting our careers started and our finances in order after grad school. We currently have about 6K in an emergency fund and are able to save 1.5Kmo in cash after light retirement contributions. Our only consumer debt is 1K left on her car mine is paid off, no student loans. The kicker is that this has been with my wife and I both working. However, we just welcomed home our first child yay! and estimate that we will be able to save about 500mo moving forward insurance, part time work, day care.What would you do in my situation? We can afford the surgery in cash, but it leaves our emergency fund very light in a transitional time in our financial lives. The surgery might not fix the leg. We love and want the best for our dog, especially with so much life left to live, but not at the expense of our babys future. It is hard for me to balance all the factors weighing on this decision, so advice is very much appreciated!Assistant: If it were my 4 year old dog, and I didnt have pet insurance, Id drain my emergency fund. Ive had friends who put their pets down after less expensive medical issues popped up, and they used their child as justification. My point here is that this is just about as subjective an issue as I can imagine. Pets mean different things to different people. For some theyre as important as a child, and to others theyre just an animal.I have to withhold judgment here and say that if you choose to use emergency funds, it shouldnt sink your ship. Youll need to be diligent about saving, but it sounds like you plan to be that either way.Human: I was leaning surgery to begin with but thought I was crazy for wanting to put up that kind of cash. It seems it isnt cut and dry but nobody is telling me Im crazy. Thanks!  <response>: I once spent 5k to try to save my baby guinea pigs life... youre not crazy. Pets can be family. 