Anyone else notice how much pet costs have risen?

[HopperFan]

I can see a bunch of dogs printing off that article and cleverly laying it on their owners pillow....

My little guy is 17 and for the last few years eating has been hit or miss. He ate the same food for years then stopped, we shifted to fancy wet food which he loved for awhile, then stopped.

Yes I was scrambling him eggs and cheese in the morning, chopping veggies and meat in the evening. I thought this would be the forever duty of mine. Then he stopped. He's now back on the wet food mixed with fresh cooked veggies, cheese, meat chunks, gravy for substance but begging constantly for me to share.

At 17 I give him whatever he wants, and will start cooking for him again if need be. But really that article, think of all the money we could save just adding another portion to our meals. Dog food is expensive.

 

[BrianL]

My little guy is 17 and for the last few years eating has been hit or miss. He ate the same food for years then stopped, we shifted to fancy wet food which he loved for awhile, then stopped.

Yes I was scrambling him eggs and cheese in the morning, chopping veggies and meat in the evening. I thought this would be the forever duty of mine. Then he stopped. He's now back on the wet food mixed with fresh cooked veggies, cheese, meat chunks, gravy for substance but begging constantly for me to share.

At 17 I give him whatever he wants, and will start cooking for him again if need be. But really that article, think of all the money we could save just adding another portion to our meals. Dog food is expensive.

My cat is always super interested in what I'm eating, but half the time she doesn't even want it. I'll be eating salad, and she's all like, "Hey, whatcha got there?" But then she's like, "Um, this isn't actually food!"

 

[monsterkitty]

We had our dog neutered last month....$600! I can't imagine what it will be for our female puppy to get spayed next year. This same puppy had a collision with our older puppy while playing over the summer. She broke her leg (she was 3 months old). Emergency vet visit (of course it was after hours) and the following surgery totaled $4800! We now have pet insurance on both dogs!

We had a Golden who got osteosarcoma and we didn't have pet insurance. We had his leg amputated and did the chemo. They originally told us that with treatment he would have 9-12 months. At 18 months there was no sign of any cancer. At 19 months post treatment, he became lethargic and wouldn't eat. We took him the emergency vet, which just happens to be a specialty hospital, and they did an ultrasound and found he had hemangiosarcoma, another type of cancer that grew out of nowhere suddenly. We had to put him to sleep because he was crashing quite quickly.


When we got a puppy several months later, we got pet insurance. Good thing we did because he kept eating foreign objects. We all suspected he had autism because he was the strangest dog ever. Super sweet but not a real dog. We lost him at 18 months old because an infection set in after one of the surgeries and they could not do any more surgeries on his intestines at that point and him have a "normal" life. the 4 surgeries he had would have totaled $35,000 but because we had insurance, we paid only around $5,000-$6000.

 

[shh]

(i wish friskies sold just cans of the gravy b/c they suck it out of the bowl and leave the shredded meat behind!).

They actually do. Both friskies and purina sell a line of gravies - they call them "broths". Pretty reasonably priced. Look it up - target, walmart, petsmart and others carry them. It's not as nutritious as the actual meat, but helpful in getting them to eat more....and a nice treat.

 

[leahgoogle]

We had a Golden who got osteosarcoma and we didn't have pet insurance. We had his leg amputated and did the chemo. They originally told us that with treatment he would have 9-12 months. At 18 months there was no sign of any cancer. At 19 months post treatment, he became lethargic and wouldn't eat. We took him the emergency vet, which just happens to be a specialty hospital, and they did an ultrasound and found he had hemangiosarcoma, another type of cancer that grew out of nowhere suddenly. We had to put him to sleep because he was crashing quite quickly.


When we got a puppy several months later, we got pet insurance. Good thing we did because he kept eating foreign objects. We all suspected he had autism because he was the strangest dog ever. Super sweet but not a real dog. We lost him at 18 months old because an infection set in after one of the surgeries and they could not do any more surgeries on his intestines at that point and him have a "normal" life. the 4 surgeries he had would have totaled $35,000 but because we had insurance, we paid only around $5,000-$6000.

I'm so sorry about both of your dogs. We have always had cats and we never considered pet insurance. But, the dogs are different beasts. The little one doesn't eat foreign objects in the house much, but eats everything outside!! She has already had two bouts of "soft serve" poop for multiple days and we suspect it was because of eating something outside she shouldn't have.

 

[nene0182]

Not directly related to costs but also it is in the sense that we have to take what we can get and just pay whatever. We are having a big problem here with availability of vets. All of our vet practices in town have stopped any type of emergency services and we now have to go about 1.5 hours away if you need any care after 5pm or on the weekend. Also no vets in town are accepting new clients so those getting new pets are having to travel to get any care at all. I feel lucky that we were able to establish care at our vet here in town when we got our puppy in March and since we were clients they took our second one we got in July.

 

[Suger Mag]

I'm so sorry about both of your dogs. We have always had cats and we never considered pet insurance. But, the dogs are different beasts. The little one doesn't eat foreign objects in the house much, but eats everything outside!! She has already had two bouts of "soft serve" poop for multiple days and we suspect it was because of eating something outside she shouldn't have.

I have a cat who has Pica... the desire to eat non edible items. She is fascinated by string and will eat anything that even remotely looks like string. When she was a kitten she ate some string that wound up all inside of her... several surgeries, some intestines removed and now 13 years later... she is healthy and a sweetie, and still wants to eat string... but we are relentless about being on the lookout for it. My dogs only ate things they shouldn't when teething, and even then it was really just chewing. My boxer was the worst... she loved hard plastic

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We use the local AWA for all routine care, her monthly preventative meds and vaccinations which is much much cheaper. They just built a beautiful clinic that was done by private/local donation I believe. It's one of the nicest clinics I've seen. The only issue is as of February they didn't have an xray machine but they are opening a dental clinic soon.

During the pandemic we paid about $150 to have our dog spayed, microchipped and get all updated vaccinations. I took her in February for her annual check up and it was $40. She also got shots and heartworm checked. I then got a years supply of her heartworm meds and flea and tick meds. I think all in it was around $200.

I did have to take her to our local vet when she was pooping blood. $500 for them to check her out, xrays, bloodwork, fecal test, IV fluids and meds. It was just an irritated tummy from something she must have eaten from the floor. I got her a bagel dog treat for our local bagel shop. I don't think it agreed with her.

We now have pet insurance for her and pay about $31 a month with a $500 deductible. We will keep that forever and got it right after her vet visit above. We haven't had to use it yet. Thankfully.

I do feed her fresh food that we buy from Petsmart in the refridgerated area but I also cook for her. Sometimes she gets tired of the dog food and really won't touch it so I do chicken, rice, veggies, ground beef, bone broth, etc for a few days and then go back to the dog food. My vet says she has me trained! lol

 

[mjkacmom]

My 13 year old mutt rescue eats purina one, it costs me about $5 a month. No insurance which has worked out great, she just goes for checkups, now dental cleanings, and I’ve saved SO much money self insuring that no matter what happens I’ll end up ahead. My vet is expensive for the area, but nails are included with the annual checkup.

 

[disneyseniors]

My little guy is 17 and for the last few years eating has been hit or miss. He ate the same food for years then stopped, we shifted to fancy wet food which he loved for awhile, then stopped.

Yes I was scrambling him eggs and cheese in the morning, chopping veggies and meat in the evening. I thought this would be the forever duty of mine. Then he stopped. He's now back on the wet food mixed with fresh cooked veggies, cheese, meat chunks, gravy for substance but begging constantly for me to share.

At 17 I give him whatever he wants, and will start cooking for him again if need be. But really that article, think of all the money we could save just adding another portion to our meals. Dog food is expensive.

Sounds like you are spoiling him, and he deserves it at 17 y/o age, LOL.
I wish I could still spoil our dog, Scruffy, and I miss him terribly.
Enjoy every chopping, cooking, and fixing for your special pet!

 

[SharonZ]

Everything about pet care has increased. Every day I see people with GoFundMes because they can't afford even the most basic care/food for their animals. Pets are definitelly a luxury, I don't think I could afford when I had 4 himalayans years ago with all their expenses and grooming.

 

[HopperFan]

Sounds like you are spoiling him, and he deserves it at 17 y/o age, LOL.
I wish I could still spoil our dog, Scruffy, and I miss him terribly.
Enjoy every chopping, cooking, and fixing for your special pet!

DID YOU HEAR ME SCREAM!?!?!?!

My first born was Scruffy! Sir Scruffield on his papers. He's been gone 40 years come January but I still have his royal papers. He was a 4 lb teacup Yorkie and he was my everything. He moved in with me while in college, we moved to a rental house together, I got married and we moved a thousand miles away. I was pregnant and he went out to potty with Dad on NYE when fireworks scared him so bad he ran. So dark and we finally found him in the road. I don't know how I got through it. We went everywhere together. We were Paris Hilton and pup when she was barely walking. While the family has had dogs I never had another Scruffy until my little Toby. At 12 lbs he's a bit bigger but he is my shadow. It is so hard for me to go to WDW and travel without him!

This is Toby.

 

[leahgoogle]

I have a cat who has Pica... the desire to eat non edible items. She is fascinated by string and will eat anything that even remotely looks like string. When she was a kitten she ate some string that wound up all inside of her... several surgeries, some intestines removed and now 13 years later... she is healthy and a sweetie, and still wants to eat string... but we are relentless about being on the lookout for it. My dogs only ate things they shouldn't when teething, and even then it was really just chewing. My boxer was the worst... she loved hard plastic

We also keep string/yarn up after one of our cats ate a 6" piece of yarn. Thankfully he passed it no problem! I was nervous though.

 

[disneyseniors]

DID YOU HEAR ME SCREAM!?!?!?!

My first born was Scruffy! Sir Scruffield on his papers. He's been gone 40 years come January but I still have his royal papers. He was a 4 lb teacup Yorkie and he was my everything. He moved in with me while in college, we moved to a rental house together, I got married and we moved a thousand miles away. I was pregnant and he went out to potty with Dad on NYE when fireworks scared him so bad he ran. So dark and we finally found him in the road. I don't know how I got through it. We went everywhere together. We were Paris Hilton and pup when she was barely walking. While the family has had dogs I never had another Scruffy until my little Toby. At 12 lbs he's a bit bigger but he is my shadow. It is so hard for me to go to WDW and travel without him!

This is Toby.

View attachment 811355

Scruffy was our special dog and I still miss him. Really sweet story about your Scruffy
We still haven't been able to get another dog and it's been 5 years. I don't know if I can go through that again. I know a lot of people get another dog right away and it works out great for them. But for us, we aren't interested in that right now. Enjoy your special pet

 

[HopperFan]

Scruffy was our special dog and I still miss him. Really sweet story about your Scruffy
We still haven't been able to get another dog and it's been 5 years. I don't know if I can go through that again. I know a lot of people get another dog right away and it works out great for them. But for us, we aren't interested in that right now. Enjoy your special pet

I HEAR YOU and you will know when it is right. We ended up getting a pair of siblings about 3 years later because we had a kid and thought it be nice for him. They lived to 17 years old and while they were loved I never really got attached to them. They were the family's dogs. We went about 6-7 years with no dogs and I was fine with it. Then DD BEGGED when her and Dad met one at an adoption event. She was having a tough year in HS and it was exactly what she needed. Of course off she left after HS and dog became Dad's best friend. She was so so loved. She got very ill in 2022 and it was hard on so many levels. I slept next to her on the sofa until the end. We have a little shrine to her on top of the big dog crate. We still had my Toby but DH became so so sad. His back and forth to FL stopped because he couldn't go by himself without her. It is amazing how we become one with them. He kept saying no but I found what would be the perfect fit for him. She was a jail dog, trained in a jail by inmates and they do a wonderful job. She is just perfect in every way and we got her all trained (I potty trained all previous dogs). She is half the size of our Heidi but at our age we need smaller. They adore each other, play outside everyday. Perfect match.

Everyone has different timeframes on when it will be right for them. For DH he really needed it. I told him "You are not replacing Heidi, we never can, but you are giving another dog a chance at a wonderful life. She would want you to do that like you did for her."

Meet Miko (short for Kamiko)

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Just had to go to the vet today. New vet as our old one closed during the pandemic. Our boy cat jumped down the stairs last night (as he usually does) and immediately started limping. We were lucky that the new vet (opened just a year) down the street was willing to take him in so we didn't have to go to an emergency vet. $500 later he has 3 xrays and no fractures but "blew out his knee". Vet said it's a really rare injury in cats and much more often in dogs. We are trying anti inflammatory meds, but he might need surgery to repair the ligament. UGH!

 

[NotUrsula]

When *so* many people started adopting animals, and particularly dogs, during the pandemic, I had a foreboding feeling that the surrender rate would go through the roof once people were called back to offices, and it did. I also had a feeling that we would be dealing with a lot of household inflation, because it has historically happened after every past epidemic. Those two factors together are driving this. I have friends who volunteer at animal shelters, and not a day goes by that I don't receive a solicitation for a donation for one of the shelters, because their costs are increasing way ahead of their budgets, and they are getting just a bit less picky with approving adoptions.

I have two cats who are, thankfully, very cheap dates, dinner-wise. Neither one of them will touch wet food, though the older one is very fond of people food when she can get it. (She was found as a stray, and I believe she survived on fast-food trash for quite a while, based on where she was found. She has a thing for salt, and won't eat raw meat at all, but wants every "treat" cooked and seasoned as if she were human. She's perfectly fine with dry kibble, though.) I feed them Purina One Indoor Advantage, which I've stepped back down to after previously giving them a more expensive brand for awhile. The price of the Purina has gone way up in the past two years; I used to pay $23/16 lbs., now it's up to $34/16 lbs. The cost of litter has also gone up, and my cats are pickier about litter than they are about food. ((Tidy Cats 4-in-1 (black lid) or they protest in very pointed fashion.)) That's up in price, too: it was $15/40 lb, and now it's $20/35 lb. Shots and flea treatment for the 2 of them run about $260 each year (I didn't have to pay to spay them; the shelter included it.)

I did find out recently that for some insane reason it is cheaper to have pet necessities delivered than it is to buy them in person, so now I pre-order, which saves me about $3/item.

 

[adkkev]

Yes!! Veterinary care has absolutely skyrocketed. It’s just insane.

There is currently a shortage of vets and vet techs so competition is high for those positions. High competition means that vet clinics are paying higher salaries to attract employees.

 

[mjkacmom]

There is currently a shortage of vets and vet techs so competition is high for those positions. High competition means that vet clinics are paying higher salaries to attract employees.

It costs just as much to become a vet as it does a doctor, many have hundreds of thousands in student loans.

 

[Christine]

It costs just as much to become a vet as it does a doctor, many have hundreds of thousands in student loans.

As with our medical doctors in the U.S., I'm wondering if there is a "quota" place on vet students. I know a lot of smart kids who don't quite make it to vet school and part of that reason is that there are an incredibly low amount of spaces to get in. I don't know if that is controlled as much as "human" medical school. Probably for different reasons--just lack of vet colleges.

My coworker has two adult kids in medical school and I've learned a lot from him about the quotas on doctors and what you can be. This has been going on for years and is part of the reason we are in physician shortages in the U.S.