do you sometime feel you spent too much money on pets?

[Dancing Fire]

 

[Loves Vintage]

No; however, my husband does. lol.

I allegedly (according to my husband's records) spent 17k on treatment for my greyhound, who had a neurological condition. He ultimately died as a result of his illness. I did everything I could for him, took time off from work, drove him to neurologists in New Jersey and Boston for diagnosis and treatment, gave him injectable meds at home, but it didn't work. I would not have felt right otherwise, because he was such a young boy, and I had such hope for him to do well.

With that being said, I do think I am more reasonable now. If a pet is older and has a condition with limited treatment options or a treatment option that would gain only months of additional time, then I would likely opt for less aggressive pain management until the appropriate time.

Now, we spend $600 per month on the pets - 3 cats and 2 dogs. I would have more dogs (greyhounds

), but I have yet to convince DH it's a great idea!

I am quite thrifty in many other aspects of my life. My most expensive shoes, for example, are under $50, preferably closer to $30.

So, pets are where I spend some money.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Yes! Worth it, but yes.

We budget for the doggy playgroup and raw diet every month, which is very expensive (~$800 - $900/month), but we've had about $8K in emergency surgeries and procedures over the past two months (including two surgeries that must take place next month) and that is no fun.

ETA: Like LV, I'm cheap. I don't spend money on "stuff", but do spend money on my pets.

 

[lilyfoot]

No, they keep me sane. Seriously.

Our three dogs are pretty ''cheap'' to have .. but yes, I would spend a large amount of money if they had an illness, emergency, etc. They (and FI) are my best friends

 

[tyty333]

No, not yet (and hopefully never). My kitties came from the SPCA so they were not expensive. Yearly checkups/shots are about $100 a piece.
Their favorite toys are these wire cloth covered tubes that are less than $5 at walmart. We''ve been through several and as you can see, it looks
like I''ll be buying another one soon!

 

[lulu]

I was surprised by how many people expressed shock when we told them our dog''s recent cruciate ligament surgery was $2500. He''s only 7. Apparently many of them would have let the dog limp or put him down. Incidentally he''s doing great.

 

[sba771]

I am sure others would say my FI and I spend too much...but I am happy to do it and I don''t spend on myself, but I am always buying stuff for my little monster!

 

[Haven]

No, I don''t feel we spend too much on our pets. Our parents, however, are constantly expressing shock over how we care for them. The good news is that it''s none of their business, so their opinions don''t matter.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 4/21/2010 11:42:32 AM
Author: lulu
I was surprised by how many people expressed shock when we told them our dog''s recent cruciate ligament surgery was $2500. He''s only 7. Apparently many of them would have let the dog limp or put him down. Incidentally he''s doing great.

Lulu, I''m so sorry to hear about your dog''s torn cruciate, but am so glad he''s doing well! Torn cruciates are common in the breed I have and are definitely a concern. We ran into the same experience with one of my dog''s eye surgeries that is $3 - $4K. Our opthalmologist said that many owners opt to not get the surgery (and thus the dog would remain blind). I was shocked.

 

[jewelz617]

Nope. The occasional sun lamp gets replaced and fresh fruits and vegetables, but that''s about it. That''s why I like reptiles. Cool to look at, low maintenance.

 

[elrohwen]

No, I spend a lot more than most people would on pet rabbits, but it's totally worth it and I don't think it's too much. I spend probably $15 per week on fresh veggies for the bunnies in addition to hay (maybe $15 per month), pelleted food, and litter. They go to the vet if anything may be wrong (my vet charges $90 to walk in the door) and go to get their nails trimmed every month (wish they'd let me do that myself). I don't have kids and we're not living paycheck to paycheck, so I don't have any problem with spending money on our pets to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. I wouldn't have brought them home if I didn't have the resources to care for them to the best of my ability. We're very cheap people in general but we have no problem spending on our pets.

 

[Hest88]

Never. I would feel I were spending too much if I were spending beyond our means for items that made not a whit of difference to our cats, but that isn''t the case. We have a responsibility to care for them to the best of our abillity and I''m going to spend as much as necessary to do that.

 

[lyra]

Yes....but she''s so CUTE!

Actually, we''ve spent a lot of money on vet bills more than toys or accessories.

 

[HVVS]

No. Definitely too much money on online dating attempts in an area with sparse population. I think Match.com and a couple of others owe me huge refunds. I''ve spent probably too much money on vehicles, over the years, but at least I have something to show for it there, LOL!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Nope. They get high end cat food, but it is cheaper than the brand names in bulk. Their favorite toys are a $7 cat tunnel and a little toy dinosaur we got for free.
We only take them to the vet every 3 years because they are healthy, young and totally indoors.

If there was a problem, we would pay for it, but so far they are far lower maintenance than I am.

 

[FrekeChild]

No. But they are pretty laid back and seem to love cheap toys and tennis balls more than any expensive toys. For a while one was expensive because she ate rat poison, punctured the skin on her knee, and a bunch of other wild things, but she hasn''t done anything terribly stupid in a while, so vet bills have been reasonable!

 

[yssie]

Nope.


Then again, they''re not expensive - they love milk bottlecaps more than their toys, and they refuse to eat anything but purina cat chow (and how I''ve tried!).


We give them high-end wet every morning, and their vet visits a couple of times a year... that''s about it.

 

[bee*]

No, but then I''m lucky in that I pay cost price in work. Once I''m graduated, I won''t have to pay for surgery or anything of that nature.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 4/21/2010 4:15:39 PM
Author: FrekeChild
No. But they are pretty laid back and seem to love cheap toys and tennis balls more than any expensive toys. For a while one was expensive because she ate rat poison, punctured the skin on her knee, and a bunch of other wild things, but she hasn''t done anything terribly stupid in a while, so vet bills have been reasonable!

I love cheap toys! Cardboard boxes make the bunnies happier than anything else. I might spend a lot on food, but certainly not on toys.

 

[oddoneout]

I think kids are like pets. People always spend too much money on both but in the end it''s worth it to their parents/owners.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

No, I seem to have remarkably cheap pets.

The dog looks at toys with disdain, so no cost there. She''ll only eat one brand of dog food and it''s pretty much the cheapest out there. She''s in lovely condition, so I''m ok with it. She gets annual vaccinations and check ups at the vet, and that''s it. About £20 a month, plus £40 annual vet fees.

The cat is also a fan of pretty basic food and will either turn his nose up at premium stuff or eat a little then vomit on the floor. Again, an annual vaccination and check up, but that''s it. Doesn''t care for toys, either.

Oh, and I buy dentasticks for the dog, to keep her teeth clean. She will occasionally consent to eating one.