Pets the expense

[Eagle]

Do you know what you spend on your pets? I added my last year of dog ownership and it's $XXXX. Yes four figures in the last year. I won't write the number here and be ridiculed. Read my blog for exact number. But I will say my last dog was $XXXXX in his last year for sure. I spent $xxxx on one week hospital stay alone and though i never added it up i"m sure it was five figures.

I write this as I watch about three friends getting new puppies. I wonder if they realize the cost and commitment to getting a dog.

We've put off getting a dog for about 5 years now. Instead we have 2 kiddos. Now the kids are asking for a dog or pet. Plus our back yard simply isn't big enough IMO.

I've showed my wife the figures and added up the cost. Maybe we'll eventually get a Turtle or Gerbil lol.

[Eagle]

As we've said many times, there is nothing at all wrong with having luxuries if you can afford them. Over and over, I've seen plenty of examples of people going out and getting pets when they were already struggling to make ends meet. That's where it poses a problem. Pets are luxury items. If you want one and have the money to provide for it, go for it. If you don't have the money, it isn't fair to you and your family or to the animal to take on that burden.

One woman I know felt she had to have multiple dogs and bought a horse... All the while struggling to put food on the table. : (

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I talked to a financial advisor a long time ago who told me: "you'll never save any money until you get rid of your pets." I remember thinking--if I get rid of my pets, what's the point of having money anyway?

Sounds like you could apply that to kids. LOL.

But seriously I think I'm getting my dog groomed tomorrow for $80. I don't even spend that on my haircuts. Sigh. It might be his last. Of course I've sent him once in the past 18 months due to circumstances and he hasn't had hair so maybe it's breakeven.

[DaveInPgh]

A typical exchange in my house regarding grooming:

DW: Can you make a dog grooming appointment?

Me: Why? He is just going to come home and roll around in dog poop anyway.

[scfr]

When I got my first pets (2 cats) I had no idea what I was getting in to financially. Several decades later, I had a very, very good idea of what I was getting in to when I adopted my current dog. (You can never know for sure because unexpected issues will crop up.) All of my pets have required expensive veterinary care at some point in my life. I learned back when I had the cats to set aside money every month and have a built up "pet fund" ready to pay for surgeries, etc.

Yes, I know what my dog costs. No, she is not cheap. Yes, she is worth every penny and many more beyond that. I can afford to take care of her all of her life and I will. She is even covered by my estate plan. She is a member of my family. I love her. When I adopted her the commitment was as strong as the one I made to my husband the day I married him.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Didn't get the groom. He tried to bite the groomer. Sigh.

[FLA]

I talked to a financial advisor a long time ago who told me: "you'll never save any money until you get rid of your pets." I remember thinking--if I get rid of my pets, what's the point of having money anyway?

ITA with this, although with my new financial picture, I will drop down to one dog when my best dog ever passes. I will always get small dogs in the future because I plan to go to an apt or a small condo when my folks pass.

One cost that sort of feels scam-y to me is the frequency the vet wants to put the dog under to do teeth cleaning. One vet wanted to do it yearly at $1000 a pop. I understand dental disease can lead to heart disease and shorten a dog's life but come on. I took in my friend's mother's dog as she was too old to take care of him. She fed him soft food. So even though I brush his teeth and give him dental bones and he only eats solid food, he has 8 (!) rotted teeth that have to come out. Now that's $1000 but seems worth the price as I obviously can't leave him like that and it is general anesthesia. But the vet who said the cleanings under anesthesia needed to be done yearly got the boot. My vet suggested a cleaning for my 13 yr old dog but said due to her age it was totally up to me. I'm not doing it. So I will be meticulous about at home dental care on any dog I have in the future.

[msomnipotent]

ITA with this, although with my new financial picture, I will drop down to one dog when my best dog ever passes. I will always get small dogs in the future because I plan to go to an apt or a small condo when my folks pass.

One cost that sort of feels scam-y to me is the frequency the vet wants to put the dog under to do teeth cleaning. One vet wanted to do it yearly at $1000 a pop. I understand dental disease can lead to heart disease and shorten a dog's life but come on. I took in my friend's mother's dog as she was too old to take care of him. She fed him soft food. So even though I brush his teeth and give him dental bones and he only eats solid food, he has 8 (!) rotted teeth that have to come out. Now that's $1000 but seems worth the price as I obviously can't leave him like that and it is general anesthesia. But the vet who said the cleanings under anesthesia needed to be done yearly got the boot. My vet suggested a cleaning for my 13 yr old dog but said due to her age it was totally up to me. I'm not doing it. So I will be meticulous about at home dental care on any dog I have in the future.

That does seem incredibly high. I just had my cat's teeth cleaned. Their full price was $250 plus about $100 for a full blood workup. This includes IV and pain meds. I can't imagine a dog being that much higher. My cat is about 11 years old and this is only the 2nd time they recommended it.

[FLA]

it's $1000 this time at my new vet, who is much more reasonable than my old one, because of the 8 teeth having to be removed and gums needing scraping. Usually it's about $600-700 with a few teeth being removed, or at least that's how it was on my last dog. I've never had my 13 yr old dog's teeth done, she's healthy as a horse and her teeth look pretty good considering her age.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I did dental cleaning and tooth extraction on a 15 year old dog. He'd have died. Unfortunately one of his teeth cracked. They said no choice. This after last year telling me not to operate on him because of his health this time the vet said we had to and was very worried about the risk of him dying on the table. So i know it wasn't about the money. I felt better that the vet actually took into account age, health, condition, and quality of life.