Dog Owners: Has caring for your pet become more involved & expensive over time, almost like having a baby?
By crittercare in General Pet Care on December 1st, 2009
Many people DO consider their dog their “baby”…a true member of their family. And I am a dog & cat lover to be sure. But I have just noticed a general rise in the level of care now considered as minimally acceptable for one’s dog versus a few decades ago when things were less involved. Most notably, I hear many dog owners comment on the high cost of veteranarian care, pet meds, dog food, and other related expenses.
Americans love their dogs, yes — and maybe more so than other countries. But are the veteraniarians in the US and all the other dog food and pet medication manufacturers perhaps taking advantage of this by jacking up the price of their services and pet care products faster than the rate of inflation?
We used to not have the very large speciaty pet stores like Pet Smart. We used to not have an entire channel dedicated to animals & pets (e.g. Animal Planet). Have these converged to unwittingly make pet ownership more expensive, time consuming and complicated?
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12/01/2009 at 9:46 am
yeah. thats why when i grow up im not having kids, im just gonna get like 16 dogs
12/01/2009 at 10:28 am
When I adopted “Tina,” she was a precious wiggling Pomeranian puppy. It didn’t take long and I discovered she had terrible food allergies. I learned to read dog food labels as well as I read labels for my own food. One meal of something wrong would have her skin red and itching so badly she scratched herself bloody.
At about 2 years old she started going blind. Vet said likely she had cateracts, but it was odd that they were turning on her so soon. Other issues and diagnostics found that she was diabetic.
Again altering her diet, I was able to maintain her health for several years. It was like a child… one that had to have a special diet and regular medical checkups…. aside from the complications of a blind dog.
Eventually the diabetes got worse, and she needed Insulin shots. Twice a day… for years, she bravely endured 2 shots daily… .every day… 365 days a year. When I took trips or other things that I couldn’t do the shots, meant finding somewhere and someone that could administer them… without fail. Literally it was what was keeping her alive.
My veternarian was always amazed at how well she did, and had already outlived – several times over – the life expectancy of a diabetic dog.
I loved her… and when I adopted her… she was my baby girl… better or worse, she was my kid.
One month short of her 15th birthday, she let me know… more than once that … she was tired. No more shots. I couldn’t let go… I gave her the shots anyway. Just a few days later. No. She said please, no more shots. Her big brown eyes had turned totally blue. She was mostly deaf.
(I’ve got tears now)
After I finally let it rest… she lived about a week with no shots.
Quietly in my arms, she went to sleep….
12/01/2009 at 11:03 am
Unfourtanatly, every thing has gone up. I really don’t buy into all the hype. I have 3 “babies” who are healthy, happy, & muched loved. We do have a low cost vet we go to.
12/01/2009 at 11:52 am
i bought a house for mine,so he could have a back yard…i wish he’d help pay the mortgage
12/01/2009 at 12:47 pm
Education expenses have gone up ridiculously in the last ten years.. Back when I was considering it, I could have afforded going to school to be a vet though I would’ve had a decent student loan..
Now, I priced it out and it’s up to $40,000 a year for 6-8 years!
I don’t think veterinarians are all that expensive.. They certainly are a heck of a lot cheaper then my doctor even though they go through just about the same amount of schooling. You actually have to learn more to be a vet as you are also a surgeon! You also work on more then one species! That means you have to know the anatomy of more then one type of animal.. Doctors only learn one..
The best way to save on vet care, is to feed a species appropriate diet.. I would be in big trouble financially if I just fed my crew dry kibble. I’ve got a cat that had urinary tract issues in his last home, a cat with food allergies, a dog with food allergies, a dog with back issues..
Just switching to a combination of raw and canned controls all those issues for my pets.. I have not had to go to the vet on an emergency visit since I started feeding that way.. Before that, someone was always being rushed in for something.. My one cat can pee like a normal cat, the other one has all her hair back and no more bald spots.. My dog has her fur all grown back and for some bizarre reason I can’t explain, my dog’s chronic back problems have not acted up since we made the switch. Though, I can’t tell you how in the world that would be possible, but, she hasn’t needed her meds for it now in over 3 months compared to an almost weekly basis..
You are seeing the rise in vet costs because of how crappy most pet food is now.. All that corn and grain for carnivores has no place in a pet’s diet..
For what it’s worth, my vet back home still charges the same thing he’s charged for the last ten years.. Compare that to say, gas..
12/01/2009 at 12:54 pm
Yep and I can tell you that it’s not just in the U.S either. I don’t buy into most of the pet rubbish and do-this or you’re a bad owner, do that and you’re a good owner, it’s all advertising anyway. As long as my pets are happy, have a shiny coat and their poops are solid then that’s all that matters. Getting them vaccinated and neutered and wormed from time to time, I also do but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna worm them every two months like my vet recommended.. insane.