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Mike Segar / Reuters
In these times of economic uncertainty, people are spending more than ever on the care and feeding of man's best, furry friend.
The U.S. pet industry is set to rake in a record $53 billion this year, despite sluggish overall consumer demand, according to a report by brokerage firm ConvergEx.
CNBC.com: Cutting-edge products for your pets
“Even in a faltering economy, pet industry expenditures continue to accelerate,” strategists Nicholas Colas, Beth Reed and Sarah Millar wrote.
“While people are putting off some other major ‘lifestyle’ changes, such as getting married and purchasing a home, they’re showing no signs of giving up man’s best friend.”
CNBC.com: For the dog that has everything: concierge services
Spending on pets stood at $37.3 billion in 2001 and has grown steadily since. This year, sales of pet products and services are expected to total $52.9 billion, a 42 increase over 2001.
According to the report, the total lifetime cost of owning a small to medium-sized dog ranges from $7,240 to $12,700, and the lifetime cost of a cat ranges from $8,620 to $11,275.
CNBC.com: Popular kids in high school tend to make more money, study says
The report points out that since 2008, in particular, the cost of keeping a pet has surged above the rate of inflation.
“While the price of pets themselves, as well as supplies and accessories are getting comparatively cheaper, the prices of vet and other pet services, and pet food, are all rising at a pace greater than the rate of inflation,” the strategists said.
CNBC.com: Survey says: merry shoppers, shallow pockets
The cost of pet ownership has risen by 11.7 percent since mid-2008, the strategists said, versus just 5.2 percent for the consumer price index.
TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb chat about "PuppyGate," the unfortunate moment when KLG dropped a pup a few weeks ago on-air, and how that dog thankfully found a new home. The hosts also take a look at funny video of people falling.
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There are people like myself who happen to like to pamper their pets - but there are so many, many more who abuse them... :(
To all the people complaining about the cost of vets: have you ever even looked at what it costs to become a veterinarian? I'm assuming not. It costs just as much as going to human medical school (except vets have to know more than one species), and despite what many seem to think, you get paid significantly less. Further, if you have ever paid out of pocket for an appointment with your own doctor you'd realize how much an appointment costs is nothing like what your co-pay/deductible is. In most cases, the medicine, knowledge, skill, medical equipment, and facilities are the same as your human M.D., so truly, a $25 appointment fee is very cheap. While I completely agree that its ridiculous for vets to charge certain fees (e.g. charging you per individual syringe), the cost of the appointment is for the doctor's time, and complaining about $25 or even $50 seems pretty silly. Instead of complaining about paying for the doctor's time, knowledge, and skill, do some research into how much those $15-$20 vaccines cost your vet (usually pennies + the cost of the syringe), yet you're being charged 300% markup. That's the part you should be complaining about!
Try about $4-$5 each, including syringe. Still far less than the $15 price tag we get, but pennies each? That's ridiculous. Go to a supply site like Revival and look... their prices are pretty much what the vets pay. Sometimes, vets pay more depending on their main supply house. Yes, most of the markup is in the drugs and vaccinations, you are forgetting other expenses. Vets have most of the same or comparable lab equipment and tests as other doctors, but that isn't all. Vets still have staff, utility bills (water and lights are incredibly high for clinics), malpractice insurance (which is ridiculously high for vets, usually more than a doctor for humans) unemployment, workman's comp, taxes, wages, feed, cleaning products. Many carry seperate pharmacy policies, and their security systems have to be good because they keep highly controlled substances in the clinics that a regular doctor's office does not keep. Technicians are basically animal nurses and in most places have comparable training to RNs and LPNs, then you have assistants, receptionists, and kennel staff. If they have critical patients then someone has to be there overnight. Most vets offices require either experience or some specialized training for reception staff, both for the computer programs and for dealing with the clients and patients. Dealing with animals is a far cry from dealing with humans. They can't hire just anyone, and beyond basic kennel staff they can't just pay minimum wage and not offer benefits. Their employee overhead can be far higher than other businesses, because in a successful veterinary practice with loyal clients it is essential to have a happy staff that sticks around for a long time.
Are we talking about vet care or just the upkeep of the pet here? Sounds like everyone is talking more about pet care than food and personal items we all buy for our pets, like those $10 laser mice! Give a cat a paper bag and they have more fun. Personally local vets are always going to charge less than corporate vets. I found several of the corporate level vets offices to charge exhuberant prices just for a basic check up, almost $200. I can take my cat or dog for a check up at my local vet for around $40.
As for the cost of food, its not really necessary for animals to eat like we prefer to eat with our gourmet foods and chef specials. There are certain nutrients contained in pet food animals actually need for their metabolism and organs. So instead of buying Fido that $50 bag of gourmet organic matter, just feed him the normal stuff his body needs. People tend to shop for their pets how they shop for themselves as well. I have worked in a grocery store before and you can tell the people who are willing to spend a lot of money on themselves are also willing to spend a fortune on their pets.
I have used one special diet food for years with my cats because I had an elderly special needs cat that needed a lower PH food due to renal issues. Works fine for all my cats as they are all older adult cats anyhow. Its a little more money than your run of the mill cat food, and yet I find the price of this food just keeps going up. So yes we are spending more to feed them. Have you seen the price of pet food lately in stores?
Cat litter is another expense. I refuse to buy the cheap stuff that you have to empty daily. So I do not mind spending a little more on better scoopable cat litter so I don't smell like the crazy cat lady. And even that is going up, and the boxes are getting smaller. Just like everything we eat and buy.
My ex-girlfriend was a Vet Tec and used to get my dogs shots for a buck a piece.
Costs for everything will be out-of-whack for a long time to come because of the inflated prices on homes and property when people were selling $50,000 homes for $500,000 - $1,000,000. That's why the housing market collapsed, that and banks giving loans to people for 10 times or more for what the homes they were buying were worth and to people who could not afford the bills because their payments were not set. So now, all this money needs to be accounted for, and that's going to be by charging higher prices on other items.
The issue is that whenever I take my pets to the vet they often only see a $10 per hour vet tech...the vet comes breezing through like she's the president or something. It's all too much and the result is millions of animals are euthenized because people can't afford it. If I could take my pets to a vet tech for routine things and see a vet only for serious stuff it would make more sense. However vets makes sure that won't happen any time soon...$$$$$
I my opinion expensive vet-doctor-wanna-be's are the reason so many animals are killed each year.
that vet has to learn a hell of a lot more than your GP. People are all put together the same, but vets have to learn dozens of different animals.
If your vet breezes in and out like that and leaves most treatment to the tech, you need a new vet. Techs do shots and doc-ordered tests for a lot of drop-offs in some clinics but if the client is there the vet should be right there doing everything but weight and temp. If the clinic is that big and only paying the tech $10/hr, they must not require certification. Not to say non-certified techs are inferior, they do recieve intensive OTJ training, but a certified tech goes through 2-4 yrs of school just like a nurse so they are paid significantly more than $10/hr.
The reason so many animals are killed each year has nothing to do with vets or other animal care professionals, it is because irresponsible pet owners don't bother to sterilize their pets and drop the results at shelters or in ditches, unchecked puppy mills, and law enforcement not bother to enforce laws in place regarding companion animals and their care and treatment, along with several other reasons. Also, people who complain about the problem but don't do much else to help.
A lot of Veterinary clinics have become money pits in suburban areas by overpricing their services while tacking on unnecessary fees and exams.
Prime example: I had to take my dog to the vet a couple months ago for what I knew was a bacterial infection. My cousin is a licensed vet who practices (in another state) who also verified my suspicion, so I when called the vet to ask for the proper medication, I was told I had to bring him in ($25 appointment fee.)
Once I arrived the technician inspected my dogs ears and said "yep, it's a bacterial ear infection, so let me take him in the back real fast to verify it." 2 minutes later he was back in the room with my dog and handed me medicine for the ear infection.
Total cost to bring my dog to the back room? $300
My total bill also included lab fees ($100) disposable waste fees ($7.50) and a bunch of other bull$hit that made the bill look like an itemized version of a cell phone bill. After all was said and done I was looking close to $500.
Complete garbage if you ask me.
I ended up switching vets recently and now I'm back to paying what I should have been beforehand.
Too true Josh, just wait until you go in to get an updated rabies shot for 10 bucks but the"office visit" is an added on $50. It's getting WAY out of hand. The number of extra charges like that are ridiculous.
Buy medicine from distributors. The Vets rape you !! We have a dog with diabetes as does my wife, yet my dog costs us more. Test, test, test. Forget medical school. Become a Vet.
And the worst are the big pet clinics/hospitals (e.g. VCA, Banfield). Your best bet is to find a local vet not part of some larger [overpriced] organization. One that actually care about the pet, not their wallet.
The veterinarian office I take my babies to is great and doesn't overcharge. They are extremely patient and spend at least 20 minutes with us. They could have charged me and arm and a leg for an emergency visit for one of my snakes, as many vets who treat exotics do, but they charged me the same examination fee they would have charged me for one of my mammals, and absolutely no "emergency" fee that I paid once before, at another vet. I have been to a whole slew of other vets, and my currant one is the only one that has given me exceptional service and was the cheapest out of the whole lot. It's hard to find a good vet, but when you do, it takes an enormous load off.
I do animal law and not a lot of attorneys do it because it doesn't even pay for my annual vet bills. So, I get lots of cases like yours-you are absolutely on-point.
Before becoming an attorney, I was an animal rescuer and, of course, have a number of dogs for whom I would spend whatever I have to on them. So, I drive a reliable, but old model, Corolla but I can sleep at night helping underdogs, human and animal. If I had money, I wouldn't want to even be seen in a Beemer but would rather put money towards, again, helping. As long as the bills are paid, and we would rather wear two sweaters than piss away even more money on oil, I will keep going.
One of my dogs was found to have an ear infection. Doctor visit, rabies shot, blood work, distemper shot and medicine was $85. I am not going to complain about that. One of my dogs has cancer and is checked by the bvet every 6 months. $27. I have 6 inside dogs, 3 that hang around, 3 cats, 4 fish and 1 bird. I also leave food and water out for the possums and whatever shows up. Total cost for everything including vet visits runs me about $5,000 a year. Best money ever spent. My inside dogs live with me in a separate house from the rest of my family on my land. I eat supper with my family and spend the rest of the time with my dogs. The more people I meet, the more I love my dogs.
We used to have a vet in Potomac, Md who was famous for endless 'office injections'. Hundreds of dollars a visit and god forbid if your pet stayed overnight.
Basically it (and other marked up tactics) was just a profit maker. My dog never needed all of that stuff and really would get sick from it (she would come home and drink bowls and bowls of water and be disoriented from all that crap). Yes, we switched vets and I've never seen one of those useless marked up injections again. The current vet isn't trying to fund a lavish lifestyle - that's the difference.
$40 for a vaccine? Try $95/shot at the expensive places.
Also, we are pretty high income, but if you take your pet to one of those 'specialty vet places' it can easily run you $1200-$2300/night, whereas if you just went to a regular emergency vet even for life saving measures (trust me, I've done both, several times) the bill is closer to $500/night for fluids, antibiotics, things your pet actually needs. And yes, they have excellent vets at the regular emergency clinics. We do not have $1200-$2300/night - who does exactly? They run so so many needless tests all night long at those places (while you are overwhelmed because you think your pet is going to die - which does happen at those places, a lot. Pets going there are often critically ill, owners are hysterical).
If you want inexpensive vaccines with no office visit (an office visit should consist of a half hour/pet health examination of your pet - which you should try to have done every year if you can) find a low-cost clinic or even one of the clinics at a pet store. They even have pet microchipping very inexpensively at those places. Washington DC has a great set of low -cost clinics for all of that and also very inexpensive spay and neutering - see Washington Humane Society, a great organization.
I nearly choked when I read that! We rescue, and recent had a dog nearly killed by two others. I didn't think he would make it the 4-5 minute drive to the vet. He spent 2 nights in the hospital with IV fluids and antibiotics, plus all the meds sent home (granted, we save on day-to-day at home since I have tech training so I can irrigate wounds here instead of going back daily), our bill was just over $400. With a case like that, we are not charged for follow-up checks if we have to go to the office. This one we didn't since the vet was already coming out here to give the other dogs their heartworm shots.
We do have a lot of vet bills, but our highest at once is about $1000 for yearly vaccianations. Still, we have 10 dogs, and that covers all vaccinations, including heartworm shots and yearly exams, and the vet comes to our house instead of us taking the dogs in to the clinic, so it is really a lot cheaper than a lot of vets.
We do have an exceptional vet. We have never been charged emergency fees, and we had an elderly dog that reached her last and had to be put down a while back. He met us at the clinic on a holiday so it would be closed and there would not be a bunch of people around, and never charged a dime for any of it. He actually very seldom charges anyone for euthanasia. He has been practicing 20 years and hasn't lost a bit of his compassion for the owners as well as the animals.
My wife works for a pet food distributor and even through the economic downturn their sales increased. She said she sees no end to their growth and that specialty foods are on the increase. They've had to add refrigeration to their warehouse to increase the amount of perishable food they carry.
Not only that, but bags of dog food have decreased in size. Price went up, size went down. I know one bag that used to be $15 for 20 lbs in the late 90's. Ok, it went up to $17 in the early 2000's. Not bad, not going to complain about that. Mid 2000's to late 2000's: $20. Not bad. Then a few years ago they changed: got rid of the 20 lb. bag and brought in a 17 lb. bag for the same price. That is crap.
You said it. 20# for $25 10 years ago is now 17# for $36.
It is constantly getting higher... we go through 100 lbs every 9 days and probably spend more on dog food than people food.
So how long before Pelosi demands that the spiraling vet medical bills be brought under control and pet vets be added into Obamacare?
Wow, that political verbal diarrhea made it here quicker than I thought!
When she needs your vote.
Why do some people have to bring politics into every article? This article did not have anything to do with politics. Dumb ass.
Something wrong with people that spend many times more to fix a sick animal than what they paid for it. Best of all they don't have the money. Pay the vet bill the hell with the kids or food.
My hubby an I don't have kids, and he since he works for a company that values its employees, he has no issue with putting food on the table. And since I rescued all of my animals, they came spayed/neutered, shots, microchip, etc., and the most money I paid, was $80 for my dog.
For what our pets have done for us, we would gladly spend much more to save them. My husband has some inherited anxiety issues, and what my cats and dog have done for him, how they changed him, it sounds silly, but I am actually tearing up right now, I am so grateful. Those furballs did something that scores of medication could not and without the side effects
THANK YOU from someone who was able to become a lawyer later in life to do animal law instead of having kids. BTW, the moniker is regarding moving to a place with a much lower cost of living than Long Island, NY so I can cut back on regular cases and focus on underdog law and not be foreclosed upon...as soon as I can move my license over...
Thank you. I do not have children either and even though a lot of people don't get it, we really can love our pets as much as others love their kids. But kids grow up and move out; pets always need us the same. Nothing against kids, but if I had them I could not do what I do with rescue, and someone has to. Animals need homes and families too.
When this last little furry companion is gone, there will be no more in my house. I have had pets all of my life, but--no more.
The vet bill is never under two hundred dollars. Now, he has a hyper thyroid and needs medicine twice a day. I don't know just how long this special relationship is going to last.
I have loved them one and all, but it will be nice to be able to walk away and not have to make arrangements for someone to take care of them. And, the accumulated cost is staggering.
I also question the idea of living in a highly populated area with a dog. (I have a cat)Even though the owner picks up the solid stuff, it still leaves a residue all over the grassy areas. Some of these dogs are hugh and eat and poop as much as a human, and meat based poop, at that. It would be unthinkable to have humans pooping such as that. What is the difference? NONE.
Then, there is all the cat litter that goes into the landfills.
Unless there is ample room for an animal, it makes no sense to keep them in urban areas. I have done this, but, will no more. I see now that is crazy.
I agree in part with you my mine is more of an emotional issue. Our first beagle was brought home by my son. He was on his lunch hour, saw some people walking the dog, so had to stop & talk. They were moving and couldn't have a dog, didn't want to "shelter" her. My son scooped her up (even though I had said no animals!). At the time, I was home and on chemo when he opened the door and this lovable 2 yr. old jumped into my lap. They had taken good care of her and we did too. My son tends to be a typical male stereotype - no tears, be a man, etc. but when we had to put her down after 10 yrs., he cried like a baby. She was a joy !!!!
2 yrs. later, my sons are grown and gone - I had custody lol..I was curious about Craig's list, had never looked at it and up pops a beagle !! Karma???
I called the guy. Sorry but he had other calls. Two days later, he calls me so I said bring her over but made no promises. He shows up with this happy-go-lucky 2 yr. old - looking at him, the wife in the car, they shouldn't have had a dog & obviously couldn't afford one. She was scrawny, looked like her nails had never been cut but she was all over the house and me. I took her immediately. She gets all the love and attention she deserves - she is joyful !!
Yes, it cost me $500 the next day at the vet's - the guy gave me no history on her, didn't answer his phone. I took her and sneaked into my son's via the back door. He heard clicking and I unleashed her. He fell in love, said he knew I couldn't live without a beagle in my life. He comes over to see her more than to see me, I think !!! She's 4 now, my little buddy.
I do know this - she has some good yrs. ahead of her but the day will come when I have to do right by her. It will be heart-breaking again. I'm 64 now and I do have to say there will be no more pets in my house. I can't stand the thought of putting another dog down. I'll be happy to walk anyone's dog, dog-sit, etc. I'll carry treats in my pocket for anyone walking by with a dog but I can't go thru all the emotional stuff that goes along with it.
In the meantime, she and I have a very nice life together. Sometimes she just lies on the couch beside me & I look over and I see nothing but unconditional love in her eyes. They may be on 4 legs or "just an animal" but they do have senses and they're not stupid.
You will have more pets they are hard to live without once you know the love of a pet
Don't think that way, they need you. If you don't feel like you can commit to owning another pet, foster for a rescue group, even if you can only foster one animal. Many of them depend on foster homes and another foster home means the difference in another life saved.
Facebook UrgentDogsofMiami, savepinalanimals, PetsonDeathRow, UrgentDeathRowDogs, UrgentOhioDogs, GastonACNCAvailablePets, AnimalRescueNewOrleans, ARPFV, DeridderAnimalControl, TNDeathRowDogs, UrgentCatsofMiami, UrgentDogsAtBranchCountyACQuincyMI, HFFgratiot, chippewacountyanimalshelter, sapetsalive, IrvingAnimalShelter, PAAStx, Urgent.Wise.Co.Animals, CollinCountyAnimalsinDanger, WacoUrgents, UrgentAnimalsinKilleen, Urgentbcas, SaveNewMexicoPets, socorroanimalshelter, FriendsofArizonaShelterAnimals, savepinalkitties, BisbeeAnimalShelter, DouglasAnimalShelter, causeforpawsut, Harbor.AnimalShelter.CA, ocshelterdogs, ShastaCounyAnimalShelter, SaveWashingtonPets, AlaskanShelterDogs, FriendsOfKenaiAnimalShelter, helpmexicandogs, WinnipegAnimalServices or AnimalRescueJapan. PetHarbor and local Humane Societies and SPCAs have pictures of some shelter animals online.
I know CAROLRYDERLAW.com has animal law topics and links to rescue groups.
Thank you that's cool there is a list of all the pending animal bills in New York.
I spent more than my share on my critters over the years, mostly large dogs, now that we are retired and have more time for them we will not get another. Cost of vet care the last few visits were over $500, nope, not on a retirement income. The medications are a rip off at the Vet, I got the same things on Amazon for a third of the price (same manufacturer, same bottle without the mark up). Just one more reason the pounds are full because stupid people do not understand the commitment of a living creature includes their health, wonderful if you can afford it but most people can't, and when they can't pay they dump the critter. Wasn't it Mark Twain who said if you pick up a starving dog, feed him and make him well, he will never bite you... and that is the difference between people and dogs.....
I'm sure you know this but Costco and Sam's Club pharmacies (plus WM) cost way less and you can get their meds on the way home from the vet. You don't need a membership, either, to use the pharmacy.
As a prime example of the difference, I priced a chemo med-oncologist said $125, another onco said only can be done through IV-$800. Our regular vet said I had to buy a $500 bottle, even though we were only doing this for a few months and always being conscious of HIS needs, of HIS quality of life. I took the RX to one Costco-didn't have. Wen to the bigger one closer to my house-$12 a month for the one pill.
BTW, after the vet sent a bill for euthanasia, we made the doctor who uses western and eastern meds in conjunction our PCV (primary care vet). This worked out well because the old vet didn't know the shots protocol is to no longer give a bunch of shots every year, esp since Boxers tend to have a higher incidence of cancer than other breeds (got him from a Boxer rescue, of course). The tumor popped up 2 days later. Neurologist had the exact same thing with her PB Boxer, and looked into it herself. Now we do titers and so far, except for the legally reqd rabies shot every three years and the shots the shelter had to give them before release to adopters, we haven't had to repeat s single shot..
If you want the companionship and have the time and inclination, consider fostering for local rescue groups. They cover vet care and sometimes even food, but need foster homes for animals until they are adopted. A lot of people don't know that fostering is an option or even know that it is done, but it is the same standard as fostering children. They need loving homes until permanent homes can be found, and the more animals they can foster out the more they can save.
As a professional sitter in Las Vegas..good to hear that people are paying
for their pets-in a positive way..on the other side..please do not buy purebred
dogs..go to your local shelter or rescue..the animals are waiting for you.!
Thank you !
And, if you feel you "have to", never buy even from so-called "reputable" breeders. You can adopt any dog you want from a shelter. OK, maybe if you HAVE to have a very young Yorkie, might have to wait a bit. Many rescue groups don't put the high-adopt rate dogs and cats on Petfinder because 1. They have regular jobs and do the animal rescue on the side and 2. You get hammered with e-mails from everywhere. I received a snippy one from a western state I won't name after I pulled the young English Bulldog from the NYC shelters and put him on Petfinder. Nothing "wrong" with him but for the fact his previous owner couldn't afford a market rate apt that allows pets. I resisted the urge to state that I have 100 e-mails and I can get him adopted within walking distance 5X over AND don't believe in flying animals unless absolutely necessary.
There are many purebred rescues out there. We got our Persian from a rescue group. He was part of a kitty mill, lived first 4 years of his life in a small cage. For the last 8 years, this rotten kitty has had the life of Riley. I am happy to do this for him. He deserves it.
Rose thank you for saying this....I have 3 dogs,,,2 planned (from SPCA) and one unexpected from the dog park...3 awesome dogs...one is a wheaton...purebred...that was like a ferral dog...they said he was about 9...three years later the vet said "no way" that dog is about 7 now...thought he looked better. Mine all had issues from past lives but worked their way thru them and are awesome now.
Also while we are at it...If you can't afford the bill...you can't afford the
pet..it is that simple !
You're a hard marker Rose. All the dots connect. Hope you can afford your taxes in the future, if not, well, remember your post. ALL the dots connect!
We have always adopted older pets from shelters knowing full well that we may not have a large number of years to spend with them. When our cat "Cooper" developed kidney failure, I knew it was the beginning of the end. I know this because I worked as a receptionist at a Veterinary hospital and I asked a lot of questions. When we took our cat into a veterinary ER, we had both recently lost our jobs due to the economy and had to reign in the number of tests they wanted to perform on our pet. Yes, it broke my heart to not be able to do everything possible to make him more comfortable and extend his life. But at the same time I couldn't justify not being able to pay our mortgage or utility bills or even buy groceries for my family. We took Cooper home and did everything we could--we purchased a prescription diet for him and babied him to no end up until he stopped eating altogether. We knew then that we had no choice other than to stop his suffering by having him euthanized. What made it so horrible was the Veterinarians and vet techs made us feel guilty for not spending the money to do these expensive test or that expensive treatment. It made a difficult decision that much harder. We had adopted Coop when times were good and we had sufficient funds to do just about anything for him. After losing our jobs, it was all we could do to pay for things like his vaccinations. I felt like our Vet wanted us to remand him back to a shelter because we could no longer afford to pay for things like surgery or expensive treatments. But by the time Cooper became ill, we had him for almost a decade and he was a much older kitty--less likely to be adopted. If he had to be put to sleep, we wanted to be the ones there in the exam room holding him and letting him know that we loved him---to not be afraid because we were there --he did not spend his last moments with a volunteer who didn't know or care for him. I think most people would do everything they can to care for their pets, but people shouldn't be shamed into spending money they don't have or being made to feel like they shouldn't have pets because they can't spend thousands of dollars on them.
I now take my pets to low cost vaccine centers rather than the vet. I had a vet take advantage of me as well. Did crazy things for my dying 16 year old dog without my permission, like trim his nails to make him "more comfortable", then charge insane amounts of money for it. Then they try to push expensive products on you. Is there something like the AMA for vets? Seriously!
Yes. When I teach animal law, I mention that as an option where the courts are not your friend when it comes to animals. cc: the Board when asking for a refund from your vet. Fight the credit card charges, if you can. It often works. As much as I hate using the threat of a licensing board screwing good people, sometimes, the bad ones need to be straightened out and/or at least make the owners whole financially.
I give my own shots, a bottle of ivermectin can last over a year, much the same for the monthly wormer...and I make their food and just add some good quality dog food to it...my vet bills are low and my vet understands my concerns...yes we have vet bills but only for when they look peaked or limp. The dogs are walked free for over a mile a day and live in the house...We cannot afford to run to the vet weekly and there are many pets being euthanised that would rather skip alot of health issues and live in a good home. Good food, care and concern are the major facts...if ever there is a 5,000.00 vet bill it could be more practical for a family to euthanize and get another pet. I have spent 2,000.00 on my daughters cat and it died anyway. A person can only do their best and don't forget while we argue this point there are over a million dogs and cats being kill in shelters. Just don't let your pet suffer.
you have to keep them healthy and well fed - we seniors need something to eat
Josh has it right - these vets are money pits. I had Banfield for my beagle & a med plan for $32 a month. It was worth it. Beagles need their butts cleaned every 4-5 weeks so that alone was a big savings! Eventually, she had bladder cancer - they weren't sure but sent me to an vet oncologist who only charged me $25 for an ultrasound, meds.
Moved back to my home state & Banfield had very few hrs. anymore so I took her to a VCA. It wasn't bad.
2 yrs. later, I adopted another beagle. I went back to the same VCA hospital to have her checked - $500 but she got a total physical, shots, etc. I was ok with that. Took her back for a butt cleaning - $50 for a tech!!! I switched to another vet. Turns out they were VCA, too. Every time I brought her in, the prices had gone up!! Finally went to a family run pet store for something - a guy comes in every Sunday, clips nails for $3 bucks. They also have a vet who comes in one Sunday a month to give low-cost shots - $70 for all her shots !!! I do have to bring her to the vet on occasion. I also had to board her one day. They needed a copy of Bortadella shots
I brought in the paperwork from the low-cost vet - they weren't happy cuz now they know I won't be bringing my beagle there for any shots !!!
I had to bring her in May - eating wat too much grass, no food and constantly yakking. They couldn't find anything wrong but had to keep her overnite to hydrate her. My bet is the chicken jerky treats from China - she loves them !!! I'd like to bill the USA company that has the Chinese making them for the $300 visit !! I've found USA made treats but they're twice as much so no more jerky !!!
Went a few weeks ago with an empty script bottle from the previous VCA hospital when she had the ear thing (something otitis). It's common with long-eared dogs. They wouldn't refill it until I brought her in, let the vet see her. Heck - I knew what it was, didn't need to pay any vet, just give me the refill. No way !!! So I went to CVS, got baby ear wax drops - took a couple of days but they worked.
I take her to be groomed. She is a house dog but I can't bathe her (back problems). For the $30, they bathe, clip the nails, clean the ears, the outer anal sacs. I only have to take her to the vet for inner anal sacs about 6-7 weeks now.
She is, according to the vet, in perfect physical health. I love her, she's spoiled but I want the best treatment, if it's needed. I just think it's ridiculous that it costs more to maintain her health than mine.
There used to be "wellness plans" like the one I had @$32 a month. Now, it's up over $100 a month !!! I do realize that vets have to go to "animal " med school but it's out of control.
She does have sweaters - I live in a cold climate and she's short-haired but when it comes to all these other ridiculous things that are on the market and people actually buy, I put my foot down. My dog is part of the family and she should look like a dog, not a doll or baby. It's foolishness - buy your dog an extra treat instead. Your dog will like the treat far more than a bow and leather jacket !!!!
sad sad sad ,,, adopt a older person that needs some help and you would be more blessed and it may be more fullfilling than that cat or dog ever would .pet owners spend more on their pets than America spends on older people..!!!!!!!!
My dog loves Frosty Paws - they look like the old Hoodsie cups. They sell them in larger supermarkets in the frozen food aisle. It's a Sat. nite treat but they run around $4.99 for 4 little cups.
Someone gave me a recipe for them - I haven't tried to make them yet but it's probably double the amount.
Frosty Paws -
32 ounces of yogurt
2 teaspoons of honey
2 teaspoons of peanut butter
mashed banana
I'd say run it thru a blender and then freeze it. Sounds easy enough to me - I'll cut the recipe in half and try it. I don't have room in my freezer for all that though I'll bet my dog will eat it - she'd eat anything although I don't allow table food. She can beg all she wants but dog food is formulated for their needs.
To all of you out there complaining about the cost of veterinary medicine for your pet ... why didn't you buy animal health insurance? You'd complain about the fees your human doctor charges, too, if you didn't have insurance and he or she wasn't subsidized by the payments from your insurance company. A veterinarian goes to school just as many years as a human doctor, and has hundreds of thousands of student loans to repay, too. Get that pet insurance before something goes wrong. Most pre-existing conditions won't be covered. Be smart.
That's if you bring your pets to the vet every year. I don't. My dogs only go if they need a shot up date or if there is a serious problem. Why pay for something that you are not sure you are going to use? I have a dog: one of them went to the vet last year to have some surgery done. The last time she had anything medically serious was when she was over a year old and got fixed. That's eight years between between surgeries. Pet insurance would have been a waste of money all those years and it would have cost me more in pet insurance than for the two surgeries.
Now, if you have a pet that needs constant medical condition, then I can see a reason for the pet insurance.
i do not own a cat or a dog and i have no intention of ever owning one ever !!
and i have no interest in having a annimal im my house never !!
That's your choice, or I reckon your belief system. But to me, that's missing out on an important life lesson in caring. Still, unless you're not living with another human or don't think you're one yourself, you already have an animal in the house. Human, the nicest or the most surly animal on God's Green Earth!
i have other big OUTSIDE animals that take care of theirself like it suppose to be
i feel sorry for you pets make lives so much more bearable
we dont own a cat or a dog and have intention of ever having one ever
you probably don't have kids either
After you lose everything else, you'll still have a dog at your side. There is nothing as powerful as living with such unconditional love.
I can not fathom how what pases for a human can hurt a "pet", much less euthanize it on whim
The news orgs. like NBC, CBS, ABC ETC forgot to tell you but under the Obama administration 3 times as many more people are eating dog and cat food because of the bad economy...sooo vote for Obama and you might get a chance to try out gravy train or maybe 9 lives liver...bon appetit!
I agree it is expensive, but when ypu think about your current or past pets, didn't they give you unconditional love that even people in your life do not give you. To me the cost of having a pet is worth every penny even though you may have to cut back in other areas. I have loved all 9 of my pets including the 2 who are still with me.
We have had greyhounds since 1996, and love the breed. They only live about 11-12 years, so we are on number five and six. We have been taking them to a specific vet for the last ten years because she is familiar with the special considerations for greyhounds, but this vet's prices have gone through the roof, so we will be shopping around. We love our dogs, and they get good food and lots of love, but we draw the line at special procedures that cost thousands of dollars. For example, our big male greyhound has an overbite, and because of this mismatch with his upper and lower canine teeth, his canines are pretty chipped up. Vets are hesitant to pull canines on greyhounds because they have such small upper and lower jawbones that pulling the canines can actually break their jaws. We had his teeth examined, and were told he needed to have root canals done on all four of his canines TO THE TUNE OF $3400! We know our dogs well, and know he is not in pain. So we said no to the procedure. We would never allow our dogs to suffer, and have had to put some of them down when they could not be saved. Painful, but just part of pet ownership.
I have cats and dogs and I'm not complaining about the vet bills. They don't get shots every year and they seldom get sick. Mostly they stay in the house, except for the dogs go out for potty time. I've never had a neighbor to complain because they stay in my yard. As long as I live I will have my companions for they are part of the family. One thing I don't do is spend money on foo-foo crap like clothes or grooming. I groom them myself. Animals never hurt you like humans do and as long as you show them kindness and love, you could never have a better friend. They do get vet care when they need it, but as I said before, no yearly shot. It is a waste of money. If you keep your pets at home where they belong they won't catch any illness from other dogs or cats.
Ridiculous.