Dodging the Pinch From Pet Ownership
Posted by: KarenLynn We own a dog, a puppy, a cat, and 2 chickens, although the two chickens require very little care. For us the fact that we are on a budget made looking at one of the monthly payment plans at on of the more commercial vets look like a more viable option.
Many people say that you pay more with one of those plans but I actually called around local vets and found out that office fees each time I visited my vet were $45 each and they were going to make me come in three separate visits as well as pay extra for dewormers, and other exams. So then I asked about the cost of neutering and spaying and was told several different price ranges none of which were cheap or inexpensive.
We definitely came out ahead using a monthly payment plan program but here is how you won’t come out ahead. Many times programs like these often try to charge you extra fees and unneccesary fees and procedures you don’t need to have done. If you are not experienced pet owner you may not know which expenses are necessary. If you do not educate yourself on some of these procedures then they may actually win. The entire purpose of these plans in my opinion is to sell, sell, sell and I tell my husband my plan is to say No, No, No to anything that is what I consider fluff. Another thing is these plans tend to me more ideal in the first year or two of your dog’s life and toward there later years when puppies and dogs have more needs. I do not plan on having my dog who will turn 3 this August stay on the plan for years 3 through 7, but I may put him back on the plan wants he starts having health problems as he ages.
Some of you animal lovers may disagree with my thoughts on this but I have been very successful at keeping my vet expenses including medicine at around $350 per dog. This includes neutering/spaying if necessary, heart worm medication, and flea medication. I may spend another $25 -$50 a year on each dog for minor grooming procedures etc..such as having their nails trimmed. Our family works as a team to do all of our own bathing and brushing. We buy National Brand Dog Foods such as Pedigree when they are on sale. My dogs have beautiful coats and often receive compliments they are the picture of good health!
I also save money by shopping online for heartwork and flea medication and our vet will match any online pricing! (So check with your vet on their policy!)
The only area I am still struggling with on saving money with pet ownership is with Boarding the pets but up until recently I have only owned one dog and he has gone to a Boarding facility but it is quite expensive and runs about $28 - $32 a day approximately with two dogs now this is an expense I don’t think I can afford anymore. I used to hire a petsitter back when I had our old dog that has since passed and she was great but I am apprehensive about finding someone I trust. I do know my pets are worth me finding the perfect pet sitter and making sure they have great healthcare for a reasonable price!
February 13th, 2010 at 1:44 am
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February 14th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
We found the perfect pet sitter online for our Bulldog (Daisy). Its great because if gives us a list of 2-3 people we trust so we can have more flexibility when we plan a trip.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:17 am
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