Some people spend crazy amounts of money on their pets. Pets are family members in many of our households, and they can provide great comic and stress relief. I love my dogs that stand by my statement that pets are worth the money (if you have the money to spare).
There is no doubt that caring for any living thing can become expensive, and it always makes me shake my head when I hear of people who don’t realize this before getting a pet. They’re living, breathing animals, so inevitably they will require food, shelter, medical costs, and even toys.
I’ve spend crazy amounts on my dogs so far.
$250
I came home one day after work to see our dog, T, with stitches in her knee and a cone on her head. T isn’t that bright, and I guess when J had taken her to the park, they weren’t even out of the car yet when T caught site of a squirrel outside. She jumped out of the half-open window of the moving vehicle and landed on her knee, giving it a pretty deep cut.
Have you ever taken a dog to the vet for stitches? It’s really expensive. $250 later and she just looked embarrassed. Needless to say, we don’t leave the windows open when she’s in the car anymore.
$200
T was a bit of a problem when she was an only dog. She scratched through our screen door one day and ended up going missing. That didn’t cost us anything because we were home and could just look for her. The next time something like this happened, it was because an appliance repairman had accidentally let her out. T ran away and ended up being picked up by a stranger.
I was called right when I got to work that T was missing, so I had to skip work (and therefore pay) to look for her.
$650
We adore our newest addition, F. We got her last year from a rescue society across the border and she’s settled right in. However, when we first got her, there were several incidents. First of all, she had fleas and mange from her previous life that was almost cleared up but not quite. We took her to the vet, who put her on steroids to clear the rest of it up. That cost some money. Then, there was an incident with her tail, and she had allergies. She was a mess. She cost us $650 in the first two months, not including her rehoming fee.
$1050
Do you have any idea how expensive doggy dentistry is? It cost us over $1050 just to get T’s teeth cleaned.
Our dogs have been costly, but worth it. Have you spent a lot on your pets?
Yeah, I have spent some crazy amounts on vet bills but I love my dogs. The Banfield plan in the US in Petsmart helps because teeth cleaning is included–like health insurance for pets.
Ouch! That is pretty pricey for teeth cleaning. I have no room to judge though, I’ve spent an ungodly amount of hard earned cash on my pets over the years. I had a dog who was diabetic for several years. She required insulin shots twice a day, glucose monitoring, and special food. It was stressful planning my life around her health and spending so much money, but I am extremely grateful for the last few years I was able to spend with her.
I have owned horses since childhood and that is a whole different expense load. Even though my current horse doesn’t incur a lot of extra expenses, i.e. veterinary and otherwise, the sheer size of a horse means you are spending a small fortune just to feed them every month. Oh well, I couldn’t imagine life without them!
Dogs can definitely be expensive. We have spent a good amount on our dogs. Our French Bulldog is also getting older, so the costs will definitely be coming soon.
I just spent $614 to have one of our dog’s teeth clean a couple of weeks ago. I agree with you they are worth every penny, but I keep thinking about all the things $600 would buy. It did help a little bit reading you spent 1050 – wowza. Both of our dogs at different times needed to go to the vet for stomach issues. Each visit cost around $200 with prescriptions. If I am truly being honest I have to admit our floors, carpets and furniture would be in better condition without them. Two retrievers are hard on a house. But like I said they are worth every penny especially for my husband. He gets so much joy from them and exercise. He gives them some type of exercise every day.
We have no intentions of ever owning another dog again once our pet is gone. Although he hasn’t been costing us much just last month it was over $1300 the vet bill. Most of all though is we can’t go anywhere and if we do we pay to board him and that’s more money. There is so much to consider with a pet that many people buy first, think after. It needs to be the other way around.
Wow, Daisy. I had no idea doggie dentists were that expensive. Holy cow!
CJ is deathly allergic to dogs and cats (two ER visits for asthma attacks), so we don’t have furry friends. We had three lizards once upon a time. We loved them dearly but once they died we just couldn’t justify spending hundreds to board them when we traveled. So, we are pet free. Although today I was pondering a turtle…
Pets are definitely expensive but in my mind, that’s to be expected. I’ve probably spent $1000 on my pets this year, mostly vet trips but also food, toys and beds. I don’t mind though, I have a “pet fund” that I contribute to every week, that mostly covers the regular expenses.
You’re right, it can be overwhelming to take care of your pets. But it is definitely worth it for them to stay healthy! I’ve heard that there is health insurance that you can get for pets, but never looked into it to see if it’d be worth it. Maybe that will be on my to-do list next!
Wow, doggie dentists are expensive! I would love to have a pet one day but right now, I just don’t think I can afford it.
I haven’t had the pleasure of spending these amounts on pets yet, but was just only thinking of getting one in the next year or two. I’ve always wanted a dog, but with just recently buying a home, I think I’ll have to put it off for a little while longer. Thanks for sharing this post, it’s an eyeopener for sure.
Pets are really expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. They give us so much love and affection back and you can’t really put a price on that. Our pup is going to need his teeth cleaned soon. I haven’t asked for the price yet, I’ll probably need a drink before doing so 😉