I can't believe it! It's been three weeks since my last post on the cost of pets. I must be slipping!!!!Thank goodness I recently received a couple of comments on two pet-related posts that reminded me to cover the subject again. :-)
First, here's one that reminded me that pets can not only be expensive, but also quite a pain in the...well, you know:
I have had a small dog now for 13 years. She has been incontinent all of her life. I have found the purchasing diapers (any brand, generic) and cutting a + at the base of where the diaper folds on the side with the decorative border on, and pulling out the pilling from the area around the + so that there is less mess from spillage of the filling and putting the diaper on with the border side on top makes a great fit. You may have to experiment with sizes, but once you've got it, you are on your way to a more fulfilling life with your pet. No more urine in your house and if you make the diapers up in advance, it's a quick change and off you can go without any worries. It is so much less stress on yourself and especially on your pet. You can both now live a long and happy life together.
I responded that this sounded like an outside dog to me. ;-)
I can't remember the costs exactly since it's been several years since my kids were young, but I think I recall diapers being pretty expensive. Add this to yet another potential cost of having a pet.
This second comment discusses the value of pet insurance (as well as talks about some expensive end-of-life costs pet owners must consider) and was left in response to my post titled Comments: How Much Would You be Willing to Spend to Save Your Pet's Life?; Whatever It Takes:
Yes on the pet insurance. I had a cat get very sick a few years ago. I ended up having her put down when the treatment options were getting more and more expensive and less likely to succeed. That was about $1500 in vet bills. I would've spent more if the vets thought there was a high likelihood that the treatments would've succeeded, but it was clearly a longshot. Also, she was refusing food and wouldn't keep down what I could force feed her and it seemed clear to me that she was really suffering her last week.
My cats are from shelters, and healthy cats are euthanized every week because there isn't space. So partly I felt that it would be a better decision to give a healthy cat a few years of the good life than to try to keep this cat alive at all costs. But I made myself promise to get pet insurance for my next cat. It's $110 per year, and it will mostly take money out of the equation should anything happen to the cat I have now. For me, it was scary, harsh, and exhausting to have to think about money when my first cat was sick - especially as I was in a terrible emotional state from facing her possible death and being up all night to feed and medicate her.
Again, I'm not anti-pet. I just want to let you know that 1) pets are expensive and you need to take that into account before you get one and 2) a pet is a living being and needs to be cared for accordingly. You need to be sure you're able to commit the time and energy necessary to give you pet a good life.
Comments