My 12-year-old dog needs a $10,000 surgery — I’d pay anything to keep him alive, but my husband says it’s a waste of money. Who’s right?

Sometimes, though, a question comes up about whether a given expenditure is really worth it. Let’s pretend, for example, that Annabel has a 12-year-old pet pug named Pugsley. Pugsley unfortunately needs a $10,000 spinal surgery because, like many dogs of his breed, he’s developed a herniated disc.

Now Annabel is ready to go to the bank to get Pugsley the help he needs, but Annabel’s husband thinks doing so is a waste. So, is Annabel right to want to spend the money or should her husband win this argument?

Does spending on surgery for the dog make sense?

Annabel and her husband are in a tough spot here, as they are in conflict over the best course of action and the stakes are life or death.

“This is a very unfortunate situation that is quite common,” Corey Bates, a financial and investment advisor at Solomon Financial, told Moneywise. “Dogs are big parts of family and you would love to do anything you can to have one more day with them. But it really boils down to two things: what is the prognosis and how does it impact your financial plan?”

Christopher Walsh of Capital Choice Financial Group advised considering the opportunity cost when assessing the financial impact. “From what I’ve learned when it comes to decisions like this, money isn’t the underlying issue; it’s the priority with the money. There are only 100 pennies in a dollar. So it’s only a waste of money depending on the situation,” he told Moneywise.

Walsh explained that in this case, Pugsley is Annabel’s top priority, but for her husband, something else might take precedence. “Where I like to go from there is trying to understand what the other priorities are right now. What are the priorities that are top of mind for him by comparison?” he said.

Walsh suggested that if they need the money for other pressing things, like major repairs on their commuter vehicle, that’s a very different situation than if the competing option is an extra vacation. Likewise, raiding their retirement fund would be a different matter than putting off buying a new car for a little while if their old one is running fine.

There’s a more important metric to consider

While money is one important factor, experts point out that it’s far from the only consideration.

“If the dog has a high chance of recovery, a couple more good years and there is enough room to comfortably afford it — of course you would want to go for it,” Bates said. “However, if the outlook is not good and it may derail your plan or throw you into high-interest debt, it may be worth the discussion.”

Walsh also stressed the importance of quality of life. “We’re talking about an animal, so quality of life after the surgery is a consideration and how long the animal’s life expectancy is after that needs to be weighed as well,” he said. And Domenick D’Andrea, founder of DanDarah Wealth Management, agreed.

“This is a very hard decision to make because of how much money we are talking about and the age of the dog,” D’Andrea told Moneywise. “I believe that my dog is a part of my family and I would do anything to help him out. As long as the vet says this will help my dog and give him a better quality of life, I will find a way to pay for it.”

If the prognosis is good but Annabel’s husband still doesn’t want to pay, Walsh suggested that Annabel try to find money from another source. “A yard sale, a fundraiser, a second job. Sell collectibles or jewelry or unneeded things sitting around the house for years,” he suggested. “If it’s really worth it to save their animal, then it should be important enough to find a way to pay for it.”