Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Pets are expensive.
I was reading something about the cost of a pet over a lifetime, and I started trying to tally up how much Griffin cost over the course of his life. OMG, it's insane. Vacs, neuter, umpteen trips to the emergency vet to be vomited (yes, I was the idiot who didn't crate), dentals, bloodwork, X rays, adequan shots, two surgeries, ripped dewclaw...and I could double all that if I thought really hard. And none of it even covers food and training.
He was worth every penny, but seriously, does anyone ever just have a pet who gets a yearly and is perfectly healthy the rest of the time? I hear people complain about a $200 adoption fee, and I think, oh, boy...you have no idea.
Re: Pets are expensive.
Ya know, La Doof Kitton has ONLY ever been to the vet for check-ups...
but once-upon-a-time I calculated what he cost me in items I had to replace because he destroyed them....(not peeing on or anything, I mean intentionally destroyed--shoving lamps off tables, clawing up leatherbound books, eating cords, etc)
Yeah. He's a cat, they're 'cheap' and he cost me something like $500 te first year
Ah...thanks, hadn't considered adding destroyed property to the equation...that bumps me up a few thousand. (Seriously, a few thousand.)
We had been lucky in pet expenses until this year with some abnormal liver blood work - it adds up fast, and we didn't even end up with an expensive treatment or diagnostic process!
And don't forget pet sitting/boarding - I'm in the process of finalizing a last-minute trip and I think our pet sitter bill will be more than my flight.
Except for the year that Reese got attacked by my foster dog, she's been really low-maintenance. Annual check-up, vaccines . . . that's it. She's not destructive, so no destroyed property to replace.
Carl on the other hand . . .
We definitely haven't had a year where she has managed to make it a year between vet visits.
We also have many similiar victims to the above: every piece of a nice wooden betset, a vast quantity of shoes, BOSE headphones (while DH was wearing them), clothing, textbooks, and USC paraphanelia (I may have praised her for that one). For recurring costs, there is pet rent and the ridiculous cost of bringing her with us during our annual trips home.
Of course, it's impossible to stay mad at the soft, warm, bundle of fur and her oversized brown eyes, and she is worth every penny.
Yeah, last time we flew with G her ticket was more than DH and mine combined, and it was still (slightly) cheaper than boarding her would have been.
We only had our puppy for almost 3 months and we have to re-carpet the lower level of the townhouse we are renting
Add the wall that need to be patched and repainted and the window sill that I have no idea yet how to fix (I am hoping a patch will do). So far that is it, all these damages where from within the 1st month he was home!!
So far the vets are pretty standard except for the worm issue...fingers crossed! He has some other issues related to a medical mistake but the vets office covered all the extra tests and medication. Right now our biggest cost is daycare! My H thinks I spoil him by buying him too much toys and treats! He has a lot to occupy himself now and we figured out the longer walks get him out of trouble so hopefully we will slow down a bit on the toys and special treats.
Funny you say that...Booker's breeder has a page called "What do Swissies cost?" and in it she says that she's always leary of people who are too concerned with the purchase price, because it's a drop in the bucket compared to what you'll spend over the lifetime of the dog. Which is so true. Griffin didn't cost me one red cent to bring home, but in the end, if he'd cost as much as Booker, it would have been, like, "just add it to the bill."
Smart breeder.
I would be worried by that too.
Lucy's been to the vet twice for non-routine things. Once she ate chocolate and I got scared and took her to the vet, only to learn that the amount and kind she'd eaten were not an issue. And the other time was when she had a weird skin thing.
Other than that, it's just shots and teeth cleaning and those are all covered by her insurance.
Now that we've gotten Dot on a good diet and her stray problems are fixed, she only goes to the vet once a year. At least so far.
See the lovlies below? They just cost me $800 in yearlies. Yep, 5 animals, just yearly checkups/vacc's.
And I'm in a LCOL area.
Pets ain't cheap, that's for sure.
I've had 3 cats in my adult life, and 2 have had major medical issues which required thousands upon thousands of dollars in vet bills, overnight hospital stays, etc. I seriously freaked out about possibly not being able to pay for my wedding when I had to pay $6000 less than 5 months before to the vet hospital!
Nimbus: recurring herpesvirus infection in right eye (many opthalmologist visits), hepadic lipodosis (requiring 5 weeks on an esophogal feeding tube), congenital heart failure. I *think* that's it, but those are 3 expensive things I wouldn't wish on anyone. Not to mention the 7 or so medications he was on at the end of his life.
Samson: inappropriate urination issues, polycystic kidney disease (he was a rescue and this is entirely due to bad breeding/lack of genetic testing in breeding stock), leading to his current diagnosis of early Stage III renal failure, and a secondary issue of severe weight loss, which we are currently working on. He's on 4 medications, including 2 for blood pressure, one potassium pill, and 1 stomach acid reducer, in addition to having to be given subcutaneous fluids (with an IV bag and a bigass needle under the skin!) every 3 days. Oh, and I have to feed him by syringe twice a day now and monitor all of his food intake to make sure his calorie intake is sufficient. He will also be going to the vet at least every 3 months for the rest of his life for blood work (about $400), provided he's doing well.
We're having Delilah tested ($400 ultrasound) to see if she has polycystic kidney disease in the next few months, so we'll know to watch for symptoms of kidney failure in her some day. I hope not. It would be really nice to have a "normal" cat!
And people think cats are cheap, and how nice it is that you can leave them at home for the weekend! Not when they require medicine every 12 hours and you have to weight their food when you get home.
And we spend over $100 a month just on pet supplies. Food, litter, flea prevention and medication. I have $150 in my monthly budget, but that doesn't include vet stuff!
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