In 2 weeks Sophie goes in for an ACL operation on her left knee which'll be $1,200. The right knee was repaired two years ago and has been fine ever since so fingers crossed this one goes as well. 10 years ago she was a pound puppy and just days from being euthanized, and not actually free because I paid $85 to cover her being spayed. Then there are the routine check ups and vaccinations. After the last one where they checked her leg that she can't put weight on as well as catch her up on her vacs, I was waiting at the counter to pay when they presented the bill to the guy with his cat "it'll be $87 for Clarence today". I got out a $100 bill as I stepped up but heard "Sophie's check up including her shots and anti inflammation RX comes to $196". Still a deal I thought as I got the wallet out again. But it got me wondering just how much money I have in her? Thankfully she's never been boarded so really just the vet bills and dog food to accompany the food scraps she gets, but probably closer to double my initial $3,000 estimate. And worth every bit of it.
No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride.
I feel you- Our rescue GSD/Great Dane mix that we took from the local animal control close to 9 years ago was also days away from being euthanized. No one wanted a big black dog they said- Shortly after we got him he was diagnosed with EPI (Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). Test alone for that was about $1000.00. Since then we have to add Enzymes to his food ( About $75 a month). Plus he has frequent flare ups that require antiobotics for a week or two ($50 at least every time). Plus all the other costs associated with owning a 100lb dog. But I would do it over and over again. There is nothing like the unconditional love a dog gives. -And I hope the surgery goes well-
Posts: 392 | Location: South Florida | Registered: December 14, 2007
Originally posted by ridewv: And worth every bit of it.
Yup!!! I'm on the other side of the spectrum with one of my kitties...has a recurring respiratory/allergy issue several times a year. I haven't spent NEAR the money on her that you have on your pup, but I absoLUTEly agree with your sentiment...
WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.
p.s. didn't even have to pay for my two fur-balls. Their feral mother left them on my back patio one stormy night and I woke up seeing little kitten feet under my wood rack. It's a much longer story......
"If you’re a leader, you lead the way. Not just on the easy ones; you take the tough ones too…” – MAJ Richard D. Winters (1918-2011), E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil... Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel." - Isaiah 5:20,24
You should see our vet bill when we take our clan in - 3 cats and 1 dog. Yikes, I like to get the pain over with all at once . But yes, they are worth being cared for.
________________________ "Don't mistake activity for achievement." John Wooden, "Wooden on Leadership"
Posts: 1382 | Location: Gilbert, AZ | Registered: November 08, 2000
I feel your pain. Our little dog needed a knee surgery and it was $2,500. We had it done as he could not move due to pain. About a month later, we found out he had cancer that spread all over his body and we had to put him down not soon after.
The price I paid for our dog wasn't in dollars. The bill came due when the kids and I had to take him for his last visit to the vet. Everything else was incidental.
My brother's Pit / Heeler / Lab mix just had her second ACL repair a couple months ago. I think they both came with ~ $3500 - $4000 bills. My previous dog, a GSD mix, had to have a spinal surgery that cost me on the order of $5000.
Even if things like that never happen, good food and vet care can add up to a lot of money over the lifetime of a pet. Something a lot of people don't consider before they one.
Posts: 7473 | Location: Idaho | Registered: February 12, 2007
Let me say, GOD BLESS YOU first and foremost. Unlike most people I would spend every penny on my pups. They return true love to you sir. Hat off to you!
Posts: 2199 | Location: Wherever the voices in my head tell me to go | Registered: April 08, 2009
Nice hearing I'm not alone and thanks for sharing your experiences! Sounds like ACL repair is not that uncommon. She laid in the shade today watching me sand and seal the front porch. After I was done I lifted her in the SXS and went for a little ride so I'm trying to keep her from running around too much on 3 legs. We do a lot for our pets but the return is well worth it.
No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride.
I never kept track of what I spent on my pets, but I’d be surprised if it ever came to $3000 for any one of them. I’ve been lucky to have an old fashioned “country vet” who always treated my dogs at what I considered a very reasonable cost. For example, removing the quills from 4 dogs who got into a fight with a porcupine cost $100 (for all four). And they all had a facefull.
Posts: 27240 | Location: SW of Hovey, Texas | Registered: January 30, 2007
Sophie is my most expensive pet by far, really the only one that's needed anything other than routine rabies and distemper shots every couple years. She also gets Lyme disease vac and boosters after my friend's dog contracted it and died. And I'm not questioning the $1,200 for surgery because other vets in the area are charging $2,000 or more.
Thankfully we don't have porcupines here, and so far she's not tangled with a skunk!
No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride.
Before everyone goes nuclear, I love animals myself. But I'm also a realist in regards to their health. And I have tried to have "low-maintenance" pets as well, primarily cats, because one of my sons is allergic to dogs.
I do not like seeing an animal suffer, and I am willing to do what is best for the animal, within reason. I support spay / neuter, but I will not have a cat de-clawed; that is inhumane IMHO. Cats can be trained not to scratch furniture (a water pistol works well), along with strong verbal commands.
Anyway, sorry for your dog's situation, and good on you for addressing it.
You are not alone. The following dog wandered into the plant floor at work. Coat was fully matted, now I.D. at all but did have a collar, and his ribs were quite prominent. However when I got called to the office where he was sequestered I was greeted with a wagging tail as soon as I walked in. Right off I had some help calling the local PD's and animal centers for a lost dog matching his description. Next I took him to the groomers about 1/2 mile down the road. They checked him over and stated from the neck back they have to shear him to his skin, which I approved of. Then it was off to the Vet where I had my previous dog Mcduff cared for. The following pic was take about 6 weeks after Oscar the first wandered into the shot at work.
Had the benefit and joy of his companionship for 12 years when he went into Kidney Failure. BTW, he got his name for his resemblance to Oscar the Grouch. Thing in he was never a grouch and actually was a bit of a prankster. On random he would get up on the bed and lay down in my spot and then give me a Dog Laugh. He just thought it was hilarious to short sheet me.
As for cost, he is by far the most expensive "free dog" I've ever had and he was worth every penny spent and more.
I've stopped counting.
Posts: 5775 | Location: Michigan | Registered: November 07, 2008
Free pets always cost. But they’re totally worth it. Coworkers have made fun of me for doing too much for my pets. I rigged up a pet taxi to give one of my cats breathing treatments. And that nebulizer came in handy because my daughter needed it to use on her snake.
. But yes, they are worth being cared for.
