How much do you spend per yr. on your pets?

[seaurchin]

I don't usually think about it but my quick estimate here is about $1,500 per year, per cat. That's for wet food, dry food, kitty litter, vet bills and vacation cat sitter.

 

[bludiva]

I'd guess between 1-2k/year per animal for routine stuff but we've been pretty lucky. I've had insurance off and on and after a scare last year put all of them on a high deductible plan so that we are hopefully never faced with a situation where the cost dictates what care we can give them in an emergency.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Well, I might be worried that your baby's quality of life would be diminished by her injury. Would you consider a second opinion from an orthopedic vet? I saw 3 vets, 2 of which are board certified orthopedists, all of which recommend surgery (she's overweight at 15 lbs), and the two orthopedists had the same diagnosis. They also told me if I wanted to bypass surgery, I could crate her for 90 days for scar tissue to build up and that would give me a 35% chance of healing properly. But if it doesn't work, she'd be crated for 90 days, and then crated again for another 60-90 days after the surgery anyways. Her patellar groove is very shallow and that patella will ALWAYS slip out if not repaired.... And she is a total terror. If she sees a lizard, bird or kitty on top of the fence, she tears out of the house at 4 million miles an hour like her hair is on fire. She also jumps and digs and causes all kinds of other mayhem, so I know she injured herself in one of those Guard of The Yard episodes on top of already having a congenital deficiency in her hind legs. None of this is helped by the fact that she is 25% overweight...but she has perfected that same face @mellowyellowgirl's baby gives her, and I give her a treat..... :roll

I have a bunch of information I could give you re diet, but I don't want to completely threadjack DF. Is it possible to get a hold of you through LT or DB? I posted some of it a few months ago here in Hangout, but that thread was deleted by its owner. I have a list of bullet points I give to my clients when they start to see the light re nutrition. Let me know and I'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! The vet characterized her as having a partial tear and was amazed at how well she was walking. We are going to see how it goes but may reconsider at some point. She weighs 6 lbs. so he really felt that the surgery would be a waste of money. I was surprised to hear him say that but he examined her and then did it again before sitting us down to talk about it. My 17 year old Yorkie developed arthritis too at some point although she hadn't had an injury that we were aware of. Guess they get old just like us!

The other recipe that I was referring to was a mixture of low fat ground beef, rice and vegetables that we cooked up for the previous dog. Current dog gets a bit of chicken tenderloin and some sweet potato and vegetables. Her treats are from lamb jerky and I know all about that 'look'! Her stomach can be very sensitive so we are careful with the foods we give her. She also enjoys a bit of egg every now and again!

 

[ringbling17]

I’ve never kept track of what I spend. I have two dogs, four cats, a rabbit and a turtle. They are family to us, so whatever it costs, it doesn’t matter. I just recently replaced all my kitchen chairs with plastic metal ones bc the cats have scratched up the ones we had. I still love them!

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! The vet characterized her as having a partial tear and was amazed at how well she was walking. We are going to see how it goes but may reconsider at some point. She weighs 6 lbs. so he really felt that the surgery would be a waste of money. I was surprised to hear him say that but he examined her and then did it again before sitting us down to talk about it. My 17 year old Yorkie developed arthritis too at some point although she hadn't had an injury that we were aware of. Guess they get old just like us!

The other recipe that I was referring to was a mixture of low fat ground beef, rice and vegetables that we cooked up for the previous dog. Current dog gets a bit of chicken tenderloin and some sweet potato and vegetables. Her treats are from lamb jerky and I know all about that 'look'! Her stomach can be very sensitive so we are careful with the foods we give her. She also enjoys a bit of egg every now and again!

OK, so the consensus is that adding fresh food to whatever kibble they're eating is better than feeding an unbalanced diet. While most kibble is made from questionable sources, they are generally balanced. And making a balanced meal takes some doing. Bear in mind that biologically, dogs have little need for carbs, much less refined ones, so take it easy on the rice.

In order to understand what is actually in the food we give to our beloved furbabies, I recommend watching this video by Dr. Judy Morgan, Reading Pet Food Labels. It is highly informative and a bit shocking to learn what we've been brainwashed to believe by pet food companies.... This video is the first in a webinar series that is very educational and will help you feed your pet so that it thrives, not just survives.

Personally, I bought a meat grinder so that I could make large quantities of her Pup Loaf (Webinar 3), but the reality is I work such long hours that I only have the chance to do that once a month. When I can't make the Pup Loaf, I feed whatever beef is on sale that week at the grocery store. This week it happens to be Tri-Tip. Dogs that aren't very active should be eating approximately 2% of their body weight per day. So I slice and weigh up the beef, lightly cook it with a little coconut oil (has MCTs), and mix that in with whatever veggies I'm eating that day. Dogs don't produce amylase in their mouths like we do, so veggies need to be in small sizes and cooked (not boiled) to aid in pre-digestion. The general rotation is green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato, colored peppers, and to a lesser degree, carrots and potatoes. Protein should be about 70% of the meal, with veggies rounding it off. I add Missing Link to their meal to help balance it. That is normally their dinner, and to make sure they get a completely balanced meal, I feed either The Honest Kitchen or Stella & Chewy's for breakfast. They eat scrambled eggs cooked in a little coconut oil 2-3 times a week, as eggs are the perfect protein that all other proteins are measured against. I like to rotate through foods to keep their stomachs able to handle a variety of foods without stomach upset, much like ours can, plus it keeps them interested in mealtimes. My bunnies can get finicky if I feed them the same foods every day.

What most people don't know is that almost all kibble is made from what is called the 4 Ds. Dead, Dying, Diseased or Decayed animal products. So not only is most dog food made from the remnants of what can't be used for human consumption, it also contains road kill, diseased farm and zoo animals, moldy and irradiated grains and rotting vegetables and fruits. If THAT isn't bad enough, it is cooked at such a high temperature to kill all those pathogens, that the delicate enzymes that could have been contained in those food sources are destroyed. In order to get this mush to stick together, cheap carbs left over from the food, beer and other industries are used as a glue to get it to stick together. This is then coated with synthetic vitamins and flavorings, for your pet's consumption. Logically speaking, what food do you know of and would eat that has a shelf life of anywhere from 5-20 years?

The more one delves down this rabbit hole, the more one realizes that we have been hoodwinked to believe that the garbage in a bag called dog food is a scam. It's a way to reuse what would otherwise be waste and we feed it confidently to our trusting companions who can't complain or choose for themselves. It is akin to, but worse than, feeding McDonald's to your kids for every meal, every day of their lives. At least McDonald's has to adhere to regulations by the USDA and FDA, dog food has no such regulating bodies, and the one that is does have, AAFCO, is a pretense and powerless.

So that's just the tip of the iceberg for you. Let me know if you have any questions, and sorry for the threadjack.

 

[lyra]

I wish we could at least add in some of your ideas @SandyinAnaheim . Our chihuahuas are ridiculous. They have sensitive stomachs, but each for different things. They will not eat their food if it has Missing Link on it. Won't eat vet prescribed probiotics or vet prescribed wet food. If they eat wet food at all they get severe digestive issues. We did make homemade food for a while, but I didn't feel the recipe we had was sufficient, and if you add in kibble for balance, then they easily get overweight as small dogs. Yours sounds much better, but 2 of the 3 are seniors now. Vet says not to change at this point. ETA: we do try giving egg, but 2 out of 3 love it, 1 only likes yoke and gags on scrambled. Someone is always gagging in my house, lol. Or throwing it up. Dogs are so fun.

 

[MissGotRocks]

OK, so the consensus is that adding fresh food to whatever kibble they're eating is better than feeding an unbalanced diet. While most kibble is made from questionable sources, they are generally balanced. And making a balanced meal takes some doing. Bear in mind that biologically, dogs have little need for carbs, much less refined ones, so take it easy on the rice.

In order to understand what is actually in the food we give to our beloved furbabies, I recommend watching this video by Dr. Judy Morgan, Reading Pet Food Labels. It is highly informative and a bit shocking to learn what we've been brainwashed to believe by pet food companies.... This video is the first in a webinar series that is very educational and will help you feed your pet so that it thrives, not just survives.

Personally, I bought a meat grinder so that I could make large quantities of her Pup Loaf (Webinar 3), but the reality is I work such long hours that I only have the chance to do that once a month. When I can't make the Pup Loaf, I feed whatever beef is on sale that week at the grocery store. This week it happens to be Tri-Tip. Dogs that aren't very active should be eating approximately 2% of their body weight per day. So I slice and weigh up the beef, lightly cook it with a little coconut oil (has MCTs), and mix that in with whatever veggies I'm eating that day. Dogs don't produce amylase in their mouths like we do, so veggies need to be in small sizes and cooked (not boiled) to aid in pre-digestion. The general rotation is green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato, colored peppers, and to a lesser degree, carrots and potatoes. Protein should be about 70% of the meal, with veggies rounding it off. I add Missing Link to their meal to help balance it. That is normally their dinner, and to make sure they get a completely balanced meal, I feed either The Honest Kitchen or Stella & Chewy's for breakfast. They eat scrambled eggs cooked in a little coconut oil 2-3 times a week, as eggs are the perfect protein that all other proteins are measured against. I like to rotate through foods to keep their stomachs able to handle a variety of foods without stomach upset, much like ours can, plus it keeps them interested in mealtimes. My bunnies can get finicky if I feed them the same foods every day.

What most people don't know is that almost all kibble is made from what is called the 4 Ds. Dead, Dying, Diseased or Decayed animal products. So not only is most dog food made from the remnants of what can't be used for human consumption, it also contains road kill, diseased farm and zoo animals, moldy and irradiated grains and rotting vegetables and fruits. If THAT isn't bad enough, it is cooked at such a high temperature to kill all those pathogens, that the delicate enzymes that could have been contained in those food sources are destroyed. In order to get this mush to stick together, cheap carbs left over from the food, beer and other industries are used as a glue to get it to stick together. This is then coated with synthetic vitamins and flavorings, for your pet's consumption. Logically speaking, what food do you know of and would eat that has a shelf life of anywhere from 5-20 years?

The more one delves down this rabbit hole, the more one realizes that we have been hoodwinked to believe that the garbage in a bag called dog food is a scam. It's a way to reuse what would otherwise be waste and we feed it confidently to our trusting companions who can't complain or choose for themselves. It is akin to, but worse than, feeding McDonald's to your kids for every meal, every day of their lives. At least McDonald's has to adhere to regulations by the USDA and FDA, dog food has no such regulating bodies, and the one that is does have, AAFCO, is a pretense and powerless.

So that's just the tip of the iceberg for you. Let me know if you have any questions, and sorry for the threadjack.

Thanks Sandy - I really appreciate you taking the time to do this!!

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Thanks Sandy - I really appreciate you taking the time to do this!!

My pleasure. I hope it helps.

@lyra, if they liked the homemade food you made for them, you could just give them less kibble, but it's important to give them some real food, if you can. Obviously these changes can be made to greater or lesser degrees depending on the dog. Some don't do well with drastic changes, especially if they're older. Your Chihuahuas sound like a riot!! Sounds like they have you wrapped around their little paws!! I agree with your vet, I wouldn't mess around with the seniors, but I would try to feed them bits of real food whenever possible to supplement their normal diets. Dr. Karen Becker says that adding real food to a dog's diet can decrease their chances of diabetes, liver and kidney dysfunctions and a lot of other ailments by up to 90%. Your comments about gagging had me lmao. I have a client that has 8 Chis, and they act just like you describe....it's so funny to see them running around like a tiny little pack.

 

[Sean123]

As for me, I take good care of my dogs by providing dog playpen, which is a safe, durable and stable environment for your pet. Playpens will also provide a great source of exercise, play, relaxation without jeopardizing their safety. Small Animal Playpens are ideal at parks, on vacations, travelling, home and visiting friends

 

[Sean123]

If you

I wish we could at least add in some of your ideas @SandyinAnaheim . Our chihuahuas are ridiculous. They have sensitive stomachs, but each for different things. They will not eat their food if it has Missing Link on it. Won't eat vet prescribed probiotics or vet prescribed wet food. If they eat wet food at all they get severe digestive issues. We did make homemade food for a while, but I didn't feel the recipe we had was sufficient, and if you add in kibble for balance, then they easily get overweight as small dogs. Yours sounds much better, but 2 of the 3 are seniors now. Vet says not to change at this point. ETA: we do try giving egg, but 2 out of 3 love it, 1 only likes yoke and gags on scrambled. Someone is always gagging in my house, lol. Or throwing it up. Dogs are so fun.

If your pets have digestive issues, you can feed them bitter gourd, squash or green leafy vegetables. Because it helps your pet's stomach to digest normally.