<p>We had three pets for a long time- two cats that were with us for 20+ years & dog who is currently about 12 & 1/2</p>
<p>Besides spending money on education ( which I view often as a necessity) some may consider it a luxury to spend money on pets-
I do buy dog food at the pet store & by that I mean the health food pet store- not PetzRus.</p>
<p>When our oldest most beloved cat, contracted a sarcoma on her nose- we paid $$$$ to have it lasered out.</p>
<p>Now our lab, while I have had to take her to the emergency vet, when she got into things she shouldn’t ( eating whole chicken carcasses for instance & chocolate- but not at the same time)- hasn’t had anything that wasn’t critical.</p>
<p>BUt she has never been to the dentist- and since your teeth affect your total health and her teeth are not as shiny bright as they used to be- and since the vet has been telling me for a while she needs to go ( and since she doesn’t really floss very well) & * hey!* we have extra money! ( sarcastic)</p>
<p>And frankly my motivation is because I was worried she had Canine Laryngeal Paralysis & I wanted her teeth to get taken care of soon- in case she did have LP.</p>
<p>So today- she is having her teeth done- which is going to cost even more than anticipated because they have to pull one- a big one. ( it was either that or a root canal and bone grafts- which I thought was a little much)</p>
<p>I feel bad because she obviously must have had problems chewing on it- but I know if I had been like my parents generation and just thrown a bone or two out in the yard ever once in a while- I never would have known that she had decayed teeth.
So I feel conflicted- good that I finally took care of it, better that she doesn’t seem to have LP, but feeling kind of weird about spending many hundreds of dollars on her teeth.</p>
<p>So feel free to share your experiences with your pets- and the lengths we go to, to keep them healthy- or if you want to talk about how you decide when enough is enough & Im not really talking about expense.</p>
<p>(Our oldest cat was also on daily sub-Q fluids for her kidneys for over three years & at the end I was giving her epogen and all kinds of stuff to help her- she was a good cat-)</p>
<p>Our 7 year old dog just had his third dental cleaning. I’m careful who I reveal this to, as I do think it sounds (and must be) nutty. It’s expensive because the animal has to be under anethesia (I can’t convince them he’d sit for a cleaning). This last time he had some benign lumps removed - all of this coming the week he was groomed so he’d look his best when I brought him to the vet. Between the grooming, teeth and lump removal, he was starting to remind me of a middle aged woman. </p>
<p>A close friend in France assures me that pet teeth cleaning is an American thing. </p>
<p>I sometimes think it’s decadent to spend that kind of money on a pet, when people do without basic needs. There are many arguments in favor of it, though, including keeping our vets employed and taking the intense heat off our kids - easier to focus on the dog and let the kids develop healthy identities. We’re not helicopter parents and maybe we have the dog to thank for that.</p>
<p>If you want your dog to live long and be healthy - then they need healthy teeth and gums. That is a fact, and why vets care about it. I brush my dogs’ teeth with those pads, not every night (I confess) but about every other night! Maybe they won’t ever need the expensive cleaning, but I doubt it.</p>
<p>It might be an American thing - but I’ve seen some amazingly ratty looking dogs in France. I realize they’re loved, but maybe we have different ideas I guess.</p>
<p>My mom took out a small loan this summer for the family dog to have ACL surgery. </p>
<p>And then three months later, his other ACL went bad and he got another ACL surgery.</p>
<p>I am happy to report that the dog has now recovered and is maneuvering on all four legs (although he did develop an affinity for being picked up and put on the bed). I pretend to be a little scornful of spending so much money on two dog ACL surgeries, although when my little bunny had an ear infection on Christmas Eve, I was outed as someone who would throw any amount of money at a pet medical problem. :)</p>
<p>Several years back, son’s cat-SON, who has left us the cat because he thought we might get “lonely”, tore ligaments in right hind leg. This cat is an indoor cat (NEVER goes outside, except on screened porch). It seems that while on the porch she jumped off a piece of furniture and just twisted (?) her leg in the jump. At any rate, had to wear a splint for about 6 weeks–and was informed that if it was not healed, would need to see an Ortho vet. Can you imagine our shock when told what the cost might be? Fortunately, leg healed nicely and since she is an indoor cat, has had no problems. You just never know what might happen–pets are just like people I’ve come to conclude!!</p>
<p>I hate to tell you mollie- bunnies don’t live long lives, but it sounds like yours is well taken care of.</p>
<p>We had a very sweet dwarf lop bunny for a summer once when the oldest was in elementary- it was the class pet- but she had been donated by a family who had already had her for several years.
My youngest especially - was very taken with her- ( she was two).
One day when the girls were out with their dad I came home and “Lady” was motionless.
I freaked- what did I do to kill the bunny?</p>
<p>We made a box for her- & had a very nice burial ceremony- and my youngest still talked about her for years.
When I called up the teacher, to let her know the bunny had died, she was matter of fact- “oh- she was old for a bunny”
I really had, no idea- I had never had a bunny before </p>
<p>Over the years I have spend more on the pets than myself! I had one dog that had hip dysplasia and had surgery at 10 months of age. I was in college living at home so my parents were kind enough to pay for the surgery-they loved this puppy as much as I did. He also swallowed a straight pin (it was on the floor where my mother was sewing) so he had surgery to have the pin removed from his rectum.</p>
<p>While not a huge expense, our current male cat broke his leg as a young kitten and had his leg in a cast for several weeks. He had this cute red cast and he is charcoal grey; he would use the casted leg to play soccer. I hate to say how cute he looked as it was sad, but he never let it bother him.</p>
<p>The female cat, sister to the above, has asthma. She has been rushed to the ER vet a few times and spent a few days in an oxygen tent while receiving steroid injections. She is now on a kitty inhaler that I give to her every day. He meds cost $85 per month, and that is without any vet visits when she has a full blown attack. Knock on wood she hasn’t had a bad attack in several years.</p>
<p>Our goldendoodle is the vets best friend; we are there at least once a month! She has to have her anal glands expressed every 3-4 weeks (sorry for the gross details,) and seems to have some illness, infection, injury, etc often. I had thought of pet insurance when we got the dog but my husband thought that was stupid. Well, we would have come out ahead if I had the insurance! I will have her teeth cleaned when they need it, but the vet said they look good now.</p>
<p>According to my daughter, we love the dog more than her. She thinks the dog is too high maintainence, which she is, but we love her just the same.</p>
<p>As for bunnies, my mother put my bunny out in the yard for some sun when I was a child. One problem, if you leave a bunny in full sunshine for the afternoon, said bunny will die of heatstroke. FYI!!!</p>
<p>Our bunny is very spoiled – she gets a big salad of fresh greens every day, fresh fruit for treats, unlimited hay (which she eats like a vacuum), and the “healthy” pellets our local rabbit rescue recommends. We probably buy more produce (and better produce!) for the bunny than we do for ourselves.</p>
<p>She’s only two years old, so hopefully she will have many more years of being spoiled and looking adorable to spend with us. :)</p>
<p>Acupuncture and chiropractic - about eight times per year, $165 for three dogs per visit. (Highly recommended).</p>
<p>None of them have had any major health problems, other than the 13 year old terrier’s operation for a torn cruciate 6 years ago. The younger Aussie (8) had flea allergies as a puppy but putting her on a raw diet cured them completely, the older Aussie (11) after five agility championships, has mildly arthritic hips and is on Cosequin - expensive, but really the best product IMO. </p>
<p>The terrier got his teeth cleaned at 12 for the first time - and they weren’t bad. The older Aussie got hers done last year at 10, also no real problems. The 8 year old has pearly whites. I think feeding raw soup bones every week helps quite a bit. </p>
<p>I spend plenty of ‘dog money’ though, on training classes and agility/Rally competitions, and am taking up freestyle this spring, doing a one-day seminar this weekend and attending a three-day Freestyle Festival in VA in May. New challenges - music, costumes, and choreography! </p>
<p>But I’ve been watching the Dog Whisperer lately, and I’ve realized that, with all the fetching and agility training I do, my pack is still under-exercised. So I bought a Springer attachment for my bicycle, am getting the bike (unused for a few years) in shape, and will start taking them for road work as soon as this doggone ice melts. Also thinking about a dog scooter (I’d have a matched pair, it would be cute!) but we’ll do the bike first and see how that goes.</p>
<p>I grew up in a “cat hater” family. We gave as gifts the “100 Things to Do With A Dead Cat” books. After I got married, we got a cat. A great cat. I loved that old cat. In his old age, he developed kidney problems and I would routinely give him an IV of fluids under his fur coat. I’d hang the IV bag off the door and bribe him with cheese bits to stay still. We also paid to have his inner eye lid removed when he had problems with it tearing and bleeding. We drew the line at chemo.</p>
<p>We have probably spent more money on the dog for medical bills than ourselves. He has had his teeth cleaned twice. He is probably due again but do not want to put him under at his v. advanced age. We have decent people medical insurance. The dog who doesn’t have insurance, gets to see doctors with more degrees and fellowships than any of our people specialists. His doctors also seem to care more about the “total patient”.</p>
<p>As my cat got older–she died at 16 1/2–she had to have most of her teeth pulled and finally only had two left. I found feeding dry kibble meant fewer dental appts. I also give the dogs bones to chew and their teeth look great. </p>
<p>My dog has IBD and I spent a fortune last year treating it, but it’s now under control with diet.</p>
<p>As far as dogs and teeth go, I believe most vets are recommending kibble rather than canned foods, but also recommending brushing. For cats, brushing also, but the trend is towards wet food/canned food as many cats may not drink enough water to properly process dry kibble.</p>
<p>I’m strongly in the camp of high quality food – no byproduct meal, no wheat, no corn, and no chemical preservatives. Right now my dogs are eating Blue Buffalo Lamb – but there are lots and lots of good foods out there. </p>
<p>Generally you cannot buy the premium foods in the grocery store however – read the labels! And if a company is spending the big bucks on advertising – definitely read the ingredients because they are not spending the bucks on the food components.</p>
<p>I am having good luck with dental health with my two dogs b/c they both chew on Nylabones. (My shepherd is gnawing away at one right now.) My vet has commented several times on what nice teeth they have. They both eat dry food.</p>
<p>My previous Schnauzer had bad teeth and had to have them cleaned every year, and she didn’t chew the Nylabones. She also had to have some extractions.</p>
<p>I go through a lot for my dogs with their care. They each have their own grooming place, a wonderful boarding kennel, and a sweet vet we have had for 23 years (I take her flowers from the dogs for Valentine’s Day!).</p>
<p>I love my adopted boy (fox hound mix, about 5 years old), but I have had a heart-to-heart with him. He thinks he’s a goat, and will eat and gnaw on just about anything (he’s housebroken, so doesn’t damage the house at all). My heart-to-heart was letting him know that if he did anything stupid (like eat glass) that I wouldn’t spend money (I don’t have) to fix him. So far so good. He’s been with me 18 months and doing pretty well. He gets his shots, eats good food, and every couple of months gets a toy, but that’s all the funds I have. And I really do love him, but I couldn’t justify spending money I don’t have.</p>
<p>We don’t have pets; my sister got ALL the animal lovin’ genes in my family. She has two enormous English Mastiffs in her menagerie. Because they are so huge, they don’t live long lives and have lots of problems. The older one has arthritis and has to swim in a harness in a whirlpool tank. (Hydrotherapy.) No word on whether he wears a bathrobe and goes on to yoga class when the treatment is done.</p>
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