How much $$ required to own a dog?

Having been in this position this year, and in times past, I have to say I would do as much as I can for my pets.  I spent around 1000.00 over a period of 3 months from the time Shadow was diagnosed with cancer until we helped him cross the bridge.   I am very fortunate to have a loving caring vet and his staff.   He will always tell me when there is no possible recovery.  He had tears in his eyes when he told us all we could do was make Shadow comfortable til we could no longer.   He mentioned Chemo, but also told us that would only give him 6 months maybe a year and his quality of life would not be good during that time.  Knowing our finacial situation he also told us it would be very expensive plus we would have to drive 200 miles 2x per week to get to the closest treatment clinic.  As much as we loved Shadow, and as much as we wanted him to stay with us, quality of life was the most important.  We could not have done the Chemo treatment cost wise either.   Out Vet has always allow us to pay out any emergencies he and his staff also paid the additional money for a private cremation.  I would take extreme offense to anyone suggesting that we should not have a pet.  The love we give to our pets have often been described as treating them better than children, I dont see that as a problem.

I think it's kind of a judgemental attitude.  Really ... there are so many people now that can't afford health insurance for themselves and their families.  Are we going to suggest that someone should take their kids away?  All anyone can do is the best they can with what they have at the time. And remember, someone's circumstances can change in a heartbeat. You can think you have everything covered and it can all  blow up.

Joyce

I honestly think it's a personal judgment call but one where we should ALL be willing to re-think and grow with changes in circumstances and life generally.

I don't think anyone should be told they shouldn't have a dog because of money -- just like I don't think anyone should be told they can't have kids.  But I DO think there is a responsibility issue that most people never bother to think thru.

There is no set amount of money -- because every familiy's finances are different, their whole situation is unique, and frankly often there are other options open if someone will pursue them.  But to deny a family/individual the right to the comfort a furry best friend can bring because "up front" they can't afford it -- that's not morally MY call. 

We've had threads to discuss this before -- and today's financial climate is volatile.  People are hurting financially -- but to create some kind of "rule" or ceiling that says "Ok -- below here you're ok, above here you're wrong!" is just ludicrous.

There are times you can go for YEARS with a pet and not incur huge problems.  There are other times when you can feel absolutely cursed!

I go to an acupncturist, a homeopath, an a chiro (the chiro right now I get twice a week) -- and insurance covers NONE of it.  But guess what, folks -- it's MY choice.

Because I *could* choose not to -- I could go on disability, I could sit at home ... I could do different things than I do.  So I suck it up (for me) and don't worry about the fact that most women wouldn't still be dealing with the same old ratty drapes that were in her house 23 years ago when she moved in.  for me?  I don't give a rip!  What we spend on our own health and on our dogs' health is ... essentially OUR judgment call.

See, my situation is often the opposite -- if I told most people that what we spent on Billy 2 1/2 years ago would be above poverty level $$ requirements for a family of four for two years?  I've had people ready to draw and quarter me for spending it on a "dog" rather than giving it to charity or for "putting him thru that". 

MY call.  DAVID's call.  We did what we did because we could and it was what we wanted to do for *this* dog.  Where we came up with the money ... it's our business.  If we hadn't been able to -- we would have done something different.

But I'm still living with ratty drapes.  And know what?  I don't care.  Because I don't get overly yanked about what people think.

But I'm NOT going to come down on Suzie Schmuckatella and her husband who don't have two nickels to rub together to say that dog that 'found' them can't stay with them. 

Why?  Because sometimes people just plain NEED ... they need comfort, love -- and sometimes they just plain have to do the best they can.  And that 'best' is going to be better than a dog scrounging in dumpsters and getting PTS at Animal Control. 

Some people just float thru life and don't care.  Some of them are selfish and not only wouldn't spend 2 cents on the dog if they had 2 million but could care less either way.  THOSE are the people who shouldn't have dogs. 

Because Suzie and her husband (or her two children or whoever is in the 'Schmuckatella' family) may not BE poor forever.  Maybe they really do have the incentive and drive to make a better life for themselves - to keep trying even when times are hard.  To get beyond "pride" and ASK for that payment plan, or ASK to borrow a little money from a friend, or to volunteer to clean kennels out for that vet or whatever it takes to get the care they *can* for their dog.

Sorry -- this turned into a little rant .. but it's so much more than just having the financial ability to have a little pot of money or not. 

For a free country we are SO judgmental sometimes.  It's not about rules.  It's not about being cut and dried.  It's about caring and it's about going the extra mile.  It's about, quite simply, just doing our best to do the right thing.

If everyone did that -- just their "best" not only to do what needs to be done for their dog, but then to decide in their hearts to lend a hand to someone else **when they CAN** -- we'd all get it done. 

To hear some tell it, at the worst possible time in my life, when I knew more pain, more financial and emotional trauma than I'd ever had -- THAT is the time when I should have given Prissy, Foxy and Mike up.  And that's just crazy. 

So I just want to make the point -- it's very likely that if you added up what my husband and I have spent on vet bills in the last 10 years it would likely be more than anyone could guess.  But that's ME.  20 years prior to that $300 would have completely put me on the street.  12 years ago it would have taken less than that literally for me to have lost everything. 

But we made it thru -- we did our best -- and we're accountable, in the end, for our own priorities.  Made it thru?  Yes.  And we only went to multiple dogs after one passed because we judged we could do it.  And sometimes we held off so we could do something to help someone else.  Crazy concept, I know.

And *that* is the knife edge -- and so many times I just get teary because no one ever talks about doing their "best" anymore.  We want concrete lines, we want absolutes -- we want to say "no" here and "yes" there.  We want an answer to all life's questions and say this one shouldn't have done it, and well of course *they* can do that!  Judgment truly will come round and bite everyone in the behind ... someday.

And life, gosh darn it, just isn't full of absolutes -- it's full of ups, downs and tough times and better times

So I guess, my whole thing is I wish the question wasn't "how much $$ is required" (and I really *get* what you're asking)  ... but rather what to say to the idiots who make you feel wrong, or what creative solutions could be offered ....

I'll shut up now.

cat0

This kind of thinking says to me that some people haven't lived enough to figure out there are hard choices to be made in life. 

You sound like you are implying you've lived and have been thru some stuff.  Yet, I'm seeing it as apparently, not enough stuff to realize when someone can't afford an animal.  MHO, "hard choices" wouldn't have to be made so often if people made the right decisions in the first place.

I am someone who's financial situation has changed for the worse since I got my dogs....we went from having plenty of money to living paycheck to paycheck, partly because of my daughters medical bills that were unexpected, partly because my husbands job situation changed, and partly because of rising costs in general. I can still afford dog food and regular vet care, including flea and heartworm prevention, and I still have my emergency fund intact, though I haven't been able to add to it in a while and it's for all emergencies, not just pet emergencies. I would still go pretty far to save my dogs in an emergency, I have credit cards and the emergency money, but I have to think of my human kids first, so I can't bankrupt myself for the dogs. Two or three thousand would have to be my limit, and I think that's reasonable. I know people who have spent 8-12 thousand on their dogs, and that's their perogative, but I would never expect the average person to have $8,000 laying around before they got a dog. So to answer the origional question, money for food and routine vet care, and a couple hundred or a credit card for emergencies. I would not add another dog right now in my situation, but I won't be giving any up either.

 Money should be a consideration before owning a dog but I would never say that someone should do whatever it takes to keep an animal alive.

Yet, I'm seeing it as apparently, not enough stuff to realize when someone can't afford an animal.  MHO, "hard choices" wouldn't have to be made so often if people made the right decisions in the first place.

I agree entirely. Although I do realize your circumstances might change and what was once a highly responsible, educated decision to get five dogs may now not be. 

I can't imagine killing your own dog solely because of lack of money. Deciding to not pursue futile/questionable/painful treatment or deciding the dog's quality of life is not good and will never be good are excellent reasons to help your dog to a better place. We have refused chemo for a dog with cancer because it just seemed so futile- we never even asked what it might have cost. I am firmly opposed to the medical profession's often insane pursuit of an even slightly longer life; quality of life is far more important than length of life.

mudpuppy

I can't imagine killing your own dog solely because of lack of money. Deciding to not pursue futile/questionable/painful treatment or deciding the dog's quality of life is not good and will never be good are excellent reasons to help your dog to a better place. We have refused chemo for a dog with cancer because it just seemed so futile- we never even asked what it might have cost. I am firmly opposed to the medical profession's often insane pursuit of an even slightly longer life; quality of life is far more important than length of life.

When people ask me if this puppy or that dog is worth the asking price.  I always tell them that no matter what you pay initially for the dog that is just a fraction of the costs over the dog's lifetime.  I can't believe the number of people who obviously never thought about it in those terms.

We have, like Callie and David and many others, spent more money than I want to tell people on our dogs.  We have no children, we aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but our dogs mean so much and have given us so much that it just never occurs to us not to provide what they need. 

I truly wish some of the people on this board were as compassionate toward humans as they are towards dogs.

One should always take into consideration the cost of owning a pet responsibly before getting one. That being said, if someone does not have the means to fork over money for expensive procedures, either by accident, or cancer or whatever, you can not blame them for not going forward.  You have to do what is right for the dog. The owners were smart to release the dog to the vet. The vet made the decision he/she felt appropriate and the dog has a great life.

We have spent several thousands on our dogs in the past 3+ years. We are still paying on Teddi's hip, Max's knees are paid off. Is it hard on us...yes, are we starving and risking losing our home? No. Our dogs are our children, we love them and we do what we can to give them the best life possible. I don't know if it ever came down to Teddi's other hip needing surgery we would be able to pursue that, this has been hard. She is insured if she has any knee problems. 

My dream is to start to get ahead of our bills again and in addition to our dog insurance set aside a savings for them for any out of pocket expenses, and help pay their annual insurance bill. Right now we can't do that, we don't really save for ourselves. We are still paying our bills, and have jobs,  and after listening to the news this AM I am glad to be in my position.

I think it goes down to how much are people willing to sacrifice for their dogs.

Recently I was doing my usual pick through the meats that were marked 50 percent off. If I had more money, we'd all be eating grass fed, organic etc., but right now, this is the best I can do. A man was selecting a couple of very expensive steaks nearby and made a comment about the "used"  meat. I explained that this was how I was able to keep my dogs on a mostly cooked diet. He then said that his dog was allergic to corn, so I suggested that he go to the local feed store and try Canidae or Chicken Soup. He said that they'd done that and the dog's fur was growing back, but food at WalMart was a lot cheaper.

Obviously, this person shouldn't own a dog.

We had no idea how much dogs cost when Tasha showed up at our door. The spay and vaccinations were predictable, but the e-vet with anesthesia for a fox tail up the nose was not predictable for our knowledge at the time. We'd never heard of puppy kindergarten, but liked it. We adopted two more dogs over the years.

In that time, we've spent many thousands of dollars for non routine veterinary care. However, each and every time, the dog needed it and had a decent chance of recovery. I had to work a second job for a few months last year to build up the dogs' account. During the last 12 months we've paid for three knee surgeries and one minor surgery.

 When Floyd had Mast Cell Cancer the first time, DX felt one pea sized lump. He also didn't seem to feel too well, so we took him to the E-Vet. That was a bit overkill although there was a second pea sized lump and they got clean but only narrow margins. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have taken him to the regular vet the next week. He developed another Mast Cell Cancer 12 days later. His surgery also removed the stitches from the first surgery. At that time, I made the decision that he just wouldn't go through surgery again until he'd regained his health and spirit. It wasn't necessary. We consulted with a holistic vet, used our regular vet's advice and between the two, he's fine. He's had two lipomas in the three years since and yes they are checked with the first available appointment, but not e-vet.

I think we all have to have an idea of how much is too much. Depending on the cancer and prognosis, I'd probably put two of my three dogs through chem at least to try it. The third, I wouldn't. It would be hell for him.

If I spent the money now on only organic, or grass fed meats, I wouldn't have the money for the problem that may crop up. I think rescue and shelter dogs would all take their chances on eating the best we can provide. When someone gets a puppy from the shelter, it may well have Parvo. I don't criticize the people who euthanize or try at home to care for the puppy.

I think an emergency fund for pets is an extremely important factor before owning a pet.   With humans, if you don't have health insurance the hospital will still treat and release you, they often offer charitable care, and there are state run insurance programs families of low to moderate incomes.  All hospitals that I know of offer a payment plan.

WIth a dog, often no vet will take you unless you can pay at the time of care, some may offer payment plans (mine does from what I've seen), but many don't.  If you aren't an established patient they often won't even see you, or you have to go to an emergency clinic where if you can't pay you must surrender the dog.

We always make sure to have a certain amount set aside for the dogs, whether that is in savings, credit cards, or care credit.  If an acute emergency arose, I need to know we can care for our dogs, they can't do it themselves and we took on that responsibility when adopting them.  Now, I wouldn't go spending thousands of dollars on special treatments if the odds were greatly stacked against survival, some people will and that's their choice, I have a friend who says she would spend whatever it took to keep her four cats alive and thinks it's irresponsible not to do that.   I don't agree with her, I think every person needs to determine their own threshold and what they consider to be a good quality of life for an animal suffering.  I have another friend who almost put her cat down when a kitten got stuck in the birth canal just the other day and she didn't have to money to take her to the vet.  To me, that's a basic emergency (that was preventable with a spay), but something immedeate that would have saved the cat's life.  They ended up pulling the kitten out themselves and luckily the cat lived.   To me, it's creul to deny a helpless animal basic lifesaving procedures in the event of an emergency, especially where it's easily treatable, I can see if the dog needs major surgery that will cost thousands and thousands of dollars, but I want to be prepared for what I would consider basic emergencies (the dogs swallow something, have diarhhea for more than three days, sudden lethargy, things like that).

Personally, before deciding to adopt dogs, we made sure we could afford good food and yearly vet care, as well as keep a certain amount of money available for the case of emergency.  I would hate to have to put a dog down because they swallowed a rock or some other acute thing.  I think it's important to have prepared at least something in advance for the case of emergency, you never know when a dog might need it.

Personally, I think that people who choose to be incredibly judgmental towards what others are able to do for their animals or whether or not someone should own a dog are generally people who have never found themselves in a rough spot, having to make a difficult choice, or worse, a long series of difficult choices. Sometimes, your options suck no matter how you spin it or what lengths you happen to be willing to go to for your pets.

I think that people should be able to pay for decent food, basic vet care, and the other necessities of owning a pet before getting one. However, I do not think it's fair to judge someone who has owned a given animal for a period of time, taken decent care of it, and suddenly finds them self worse off financially than they were in the beginning. It is impossible to project  what will happen in the future- in the end, no amount of saving and planning can fully prepare you for the unexpected, and sometimes, the unexpected hits very, very, hard.

Some people are very, very passionate about animals, and that's a good thing- but I think that at times, that passion causes them to lose sight of the bigger picture. I just hope that those who are so quick to judge another's difficult decisions never find themselves in the same spot as those they are judging.
 

I understand why people wouldn't, you know, sell their house to pay vet bills, but go into debt? I just...don't get that. What's a little debt in the long run? I just went $1300 deeper into credit card debt for a cat who's not even mine (she's my Mom's), and while I think I'll be paid back for that, I'd do it again even if I knew I wouldn't. I would max out all of my credit cards for any of my immediate family's animals, not just my own two. And heck, for my two, I would sell my freaking kidney. I would certainly have no issue selling everything I own, or working every waking hour, or begging people I know for loans. I'm guessing this would change slightly if I had kids, but I don't think it would change that much, just enough to ensure their safety and stability. But comfort? I'd put my dog's life before my kid's comfort.

Your point echoes mine. I love dogs and having Shadow brought me into this dog world. But other financial concerns must be met or there ain't no one gonna get a darned thing. Like Cita, I could afford a one time expense that's a bit steep. But not on and on and on. And if Shadow were say, 12 years old, diagnosed with cancer but treatable to be comfortable, sure, I would figure out a way to make him comfortable. But if it got to the point where there was constant pain every day and no way to manage it, it would be more humane to let him go, with the ability we have to ease them over. There is no reason my pets should suffer, least of all for any selfish reasons on my part. But some expenses are just so high that unless you are independently wealthy, you can't afford it. And spending yourselves broke doesn't help anything. And, the needs of the human children outweigh the needs of pet animals or even livestock.