Where To Draw The Line?

It's been a tough week in the Thompson household. We lost one of our dogs, Boo, a French Bulldog who was happy to see everyone and never saw a tennis ball he didn't want to chase. He had a habit of swallowing things without much discernment; unfortunately this included non-digestible items. 

Last week, I knew something was wrong when he wouldn't eat. An X-ray revealed something - maybe the top to a water bottle, probably plastic in his gut. Our vet sent us to see a vet surgeon for consultation. One thing that is different in Veterinary care from people care is the very up front discussion about the cost of services.

Surgery to remove the object was estimated at $5000. In my world, this is a large number. As the Vet continued talking about treatment options and risks I found myself trying to wrap my head around the idea of $5000 surgery for the dog. There are people sleeping in the woods behind Target--$5000. There are kids in Reston going to bed hungry tonight-- $5000.00. It seemed so out of whack, so disproportionate. I love my dogs, adore them, but wow, was this right?

Additional X-rays showed that the object was moving so it was reasonable to continue to monitor Boo with special care and see if he could pass the object. It looked like it was on track to make an exit when Sunday morning he took a turn for the worse. Now his situation was dire, this time the cost of surgery was quoted at $10,000 - $12,000 and had only a very slim chance of success; now euthanasia was the only humane thing to do.

I'm heartsick but still left wondering, is it right to spend this kind of money on a pet when there are so many going without? Given the outcome it's hard not to second guess the choice. Do the responsibilities of pet ownership include care at any cost? Where is the balance? 

What would you have done?