There was a virtual comment-o-rama going on after my post titled Pet Money Saving Tips. In the post, I said, "Based on the sources I've seen, my best guess on the average cost of a pet is somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 per year." The first commenter kicked off the debate with this thought:
What are people buying for their pets that cost $1,000 or more a year? Even with buying Science Diet food, litter, two vet visits a year and misc. toys there's no way I spend close to $1,000 a year for my two cats. Lucky for me they're healthy, they stay inside and I'm not THAT pet crazy. I can see how dogs might be more expensive but 1-2K a year? Yikes!
Also, I can't skimp and give my cats cheap food anymore. One of them is allergic and science diet is way cheaper than frequent trips to the vet for steroid shots (and he couldn't have more than 3 per year and I can't stand seeing him miserable and scratching). But I buy the biggest bag and it's almost always on sale at one of the pet store chains.
For those who doubt that pets cost $1-$2k a year, check out the list of links at the end of Pet Money Saving Tips. The big costs are start-up (just getting a pet) and end-of-life costs (the last few years of a pet's life can be expensive). If you're looking at a 3-year-old dog, it's probably going to cost less in year 3. But in year 11, watch out!
The next commenter hit the nail on the head:
I think that your posts are right on and that a lot of pet-lovers are looking past the fact that you are just stating the obvious facts - pets are expensive! However, of course, if that is a worthwhile expense to them, then by all means they should get an animal. You are just pointing out to people who may not have thought the whole situation through that it indeed is costly.
This one got it right as well:
I understand your points, I think people should consider the costs of pets more BEFORE getting a pet. You have to be prepared to take care of them, my point is some of these costs seem quite inflated to me. Like anything else, you can be frugal with how you spend money on your pets, while still meeting and even exceeding their needs.
Next, I received a comment that I've never had before:
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.
Oh my. This was certainly new territory for me. And I decided to approach it with some humor. I responded:
Sounds like an outside dog to me. ;-)
The commenter wasn't amused:
I thought this was a web site about caring for your pets and still being economical. My bad! I am just glad that I am not your pet. Small dogs do not belong full time outside. Your bad!
Yikes! I said back:
How small is your dog? We have cats outside in our neighborhood all the time. Is your dog smaller than a cat?
She responded:
Where do you live in the Bahamas?, In Minnesota it gets pretty darn cold. I was only trying to give a bit of advice for people that have unwell pets and how to make theirs, and yours a little less stressful and save a few bucks on Petco or Petsmart expensive diapers. This banter is stupid, I meant what I said about my last comment regarding this web site. You obviously don't have a great love of animals or you would not be trying to egg me on.
Me? Egging someone on? No.
Three minutes later, she commented again:
P.S. I obviously chose the wrong avenue for my tip. Excuse me.
I couldn't let it die:
I live in Michigan. Not the warmest place in the world -- though warmer than where you live.
I'm not trying to egg you on. Yet I am surprised that there are dogs who wear diapers -- I've never heard of/seen one. We had dogs/cats for years (until we had kids and they were allergic) and never had a problem like this with any of them.
She responded with a lesson on dog incontinence:
There are a large amount of animals with incontinence problems. People either put the animal to sleep, or just let them make a mess, or as you say keep them outside.
This advice I give is from my heart for people who would choose to not put the pet to sleep if this was their only problem and they were not suffering from anything else. It is a quality of life issue. My dog is very healthy outside of the incontinence problem and I thought I found a reasonable solution to a sometimes very sad, and very expensive problem for a pet owner. Small dogs are usually the ones who have this problem.
I am a very responsible pet owner, and I was never able to have children. My pets are my life. I have 2 dogs, 2, cats, and 2 parakeets. Who all live the life of riley and make my husband and myself very happy and fulfills our life. We believe in keeping our pets safe, never running loose to get into trouble or possibly injured or killed. We exercise them and live indoors. My home is kept very clean, and never would you even know I had any pets.
Maybe more people who have this problem with their pets should come out of the closet. I really wanted to share my idea, as I know that those people, like myself, are out there and that this issue is rarely if ever discussed. I really want to get the message out because I saw doggie diapers on sale at one of the pet chains for $15.00 a dozen and I make my own for $13.00 @ 120 diapers.
Always remember that just because you never heard of it doesn't mean its not there. Just like people, animals have their own health and aging problems and we do love our pets in America don't we. I really want to get the word out on this to help the people that are faced with this very personal issue. You don't have to put your pet to sleep or have your house ruined. And you don't have to spend tons of money to resolve the problem.
My final word on the subject:
Interesting -- I would have never known.
How many diapers does your dog go through in a day? (in other words, how long do 120 diapers last?)
Also -- any idea how many dogs have incontinence problems? I'm sure it's a small percentage.
She didn't respond. I'm sure she was tired of dealing with me. That's ok. I had had my fill of dog incontinence talk for the day anyway.
The final comment to the post was a response to my tip to "beware pet insurance." It didn't say "don't get it," but was meant as a warning -- be sure you know what you're buying and get coverage from a reputable company. The last commenter had this to say:
Wow, I totally disagree with the comments on pet insurance and food. Pet insurance has saved me over $850 this year alone. And as far as food, well, feeding a dog cheap food can sure cause those medical bills to rise, not to mention reducing the quality of life of the pet. I'm not saying you have to buy the fanciest food out there, but paying close attention to the ingredients is important, and the stuff you get at the grocery is horrible if you look at the ingredients (by-products and wheat). Invariably, the good stuff is more expensive, but I find good deals out there by comparison shopping and making my local vendors compete with online wholesalers.
At the end of the day, you can seriously reduce your pet costs if you do everything, but how poor of a quality of life does your pet deserve? I'm not talking about splurging on toys or fancy treats, but pet insurance or medical costs, decent food, flea/tick treatment and preventative health alone will run a good amount. For those who aren't willing to put that kind of money in for the joys a pet brings, I suggest they look into one of those robot dogs. Maintenance runs a lot lower. :)
If you want more information on this topic, see How to Choose the Right Pet Health Insurance.
Couldn't believe your remarks to the lady with the small incontinent dog. Believe me it happens and you either put the dog to sleep or you deal with it. Well since we do love our dogs so,it is not always the right choice to just throw up your hands and be done with them. I can't believe you couldn't have been more understanding. I also have an incontinent dog. It has only been a week but I am dealing with it. I too use baby diapers.
Why is my dog incontinent. I'll tell you, she became paralyzed from the middle of the back down. I am hoping for a recovery but I have my doubts at the moment that it will be. I am doing all I can to keep her comfortable, safe and happy. Put her to sleep you say....that is not going to happen for quite awhile. She is still the sweetest most lovable little dog ever. She is so happy to have us for her owners.... We don't know what caused the paralysis, it just happened suddenly, unexpectedly. Our vet examined her, tested her, x-ayed her. It turns out that is a back problem and her spinal cord is being pinched.
We are still hoping she gets better. We have feel very sorry for her...it is not her fault she is the way she is.
Posted by: Angel Girl | August 22, 2006 at 06:39 PM
There are many many people who care for their handicapped pets as their are many people who care for their invalid parents. Why because we love them!!! Are they worth spending money on, you decide!
Posted by: Angel Girl | August 23, 2006 at 01:07 PM
My 12 year old Basset Hound is only this week beginning to show signs of incontinence. I found the tip about baby diapers to be very helpful indeed, and intend to try it. I live in an apartment, or on sunny days my dog would be an outdoor dog...she loves to stretch out in the grass and sunbathe, so I wouldn't be doing her an injustice. However, I can certainly sympathize with the lady's indignance. Do a Google search on dog diapers. You'll see that doggy incontinence is not all that rare.
I don't doubt that you do have a heart for animals and a genuine desire to be helpful, but ignorance is no excuse for insensitivity.
Posted by: | August 23, 2006 at 03:07 PM
My dog developed incontinence as a result of having to take prednisone at age 6. The (more competent) vet I went to gave her phenopropanolamine (PPA) which she took for the rest of her life. It used to be very cheap as it was a generic allergy drug for humans but apparently began to be used as a weight loss product. Anyway, it is still available for dogs with a prescription and probably has various brand names, but if the vet approves the rx, it shouldn't be too hard to get and not terribly expensive with a little comparison shopping. (It used to cost about $15 per 500 tabs, something like that; I think the last I paid might have been $30 per 100 when it became rx. BTW, don't let your vet prescibe steroids except as a LAST option or at least ask a lot of questions before using that option.
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I also have a 13 year old small dog that has recently become incontinent. I also found the woman's comments about how to fit diapers for a dog very helpful. You didn't have to be such a jerk about it. Allow me to enlighten you: this problem is very common, especially in spayed dogs and older dogs. Maybe you didn't notice becuase your dogs happened to be kept outside.
Posted by: Genie | September 14, 2007 at 10:44 PM
In older dogs incontinence is a problem. I get rugs from garbage and neighbors because my OLDER bichon frise uses it to piss on. I throw them away after awhile. YES he is housebroken and is so upset when this happens. But I'm certainly not going to put him down. And he hates diapers.
And dogs are not meant to be kept outside in some climates. Unless you'd like a frozen dog.
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Wow, I really loved reading your post. It was informative and funny. I do feel bad for that incontinent dog though. recently, I have been doing a lot of internet research on wheelchairs for dogs. I didn't even realize they had them at first, until I stumbled across it on a website. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
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