Interesting facts on Vet costs

[Acts5:41]

In 2003, when Bush was president, I took a male cat to be fixed. It cost $40, pain meds were free.

Today, I took a female cat to be fixed. For the exact same procedures, it cost $80, plus $13 for pain meds.

Thank you, Mr President.

[Since they also had a wellness clinic I had her done up on shots and an ear mite treatment, for an additional fee]

[MidnightCry]

Isn't spaying a more complicated procedure than neutering?

[IamHis]

To neuter a male animal is a relatively simple process.
To spay a female animal is much more complicated, hence
the higher cost.

[icebear]

yes, a spay costs more than a neuter, simply because of the more complicated procedure

[hsmommy]

Things are cheap in your neck of the woods. I'm in central Alberta. In February, it cost $325.00 to get my Dane spayed & shots done. Even the cheap SPCA sponsored cat spaying/neutering program is expensive by comparison. You have to submit you tax returns to prove eligibility (which I find very intrusive) & the reduced rate is still $50.00.

I know we live in what is probably the hottest economy in North America, but sheesh. (I love my dogs, I love my dogs ...).

Lorna

[Acts5:41]

The clinic USED to have a flat rate for spay or neuter. They used to care if someone was low income.

That same clinic basically told Ron to give the cat to the pound, to be put down, if he couldn't afford the $300+ they wanted to charge.

We found another clinic, instead. They did an excellent job, I'll give them out, but let's just say I'll be eating a lot of lentils for a while. The "new" clinic had a $20 difference between spay and neuter, and EXCELLENT feral cat program (deworm, ears cleaned and notched, fixed, shots for $55).

Sadly, Baby Girl could not pass for feral.

[BelovedChild]

Last time I had a cat spayed it cost me $140 and that was 4 years ago. This is in Australia. To me, your prices seem cheap.

Yes, spaying is more expensive. I know it is more expensive for dogs than cats in Australia, and the bigger the dog, (depending on the vet) the higher the price.

[Acts5:41]

Ouch!

Well, I have to say, she is worth every penny. She loves to curl up in Ron's neck and purr for hours.

[IamHis]

It also costs more for the procedure, either one, if the dog or cat
is older, as opposed to having it done when they are still very young.
If you decide when you get a kitten or puppy that you are definitely
going to spay or neuter them, have it done early. But I do agree that
vet costs are really high. I very seldom visit a physician myself, but
my last doctor visit was only 80.00 for a check up and a chiropractic
session. It costs me 50.00 just to walk in the door at the vet for
a checkup, then add the cost of the vaccinations, etc. and it's easily
a hundred dollar bill for a well animal visit.I got a German Shepherd
puppy in August, and the guy I got him from told me a local Tractor
Supply store has the 5-way puppy vaccines. ( 7.00) So those I am giving
to the pup myself. They need a series of 5 of those,starting at 6-8
weeks and runs through 18 wks old. Can you imagine
the cost if I ran to the vet for just that and had the 50.00 office
charge each time? Have to see the vet for the rabies and lyme, though.

[IMSAVED]

Pets are very expensive.That is why I would think twice before having another pet.You have to consider the vaccinations,food and the vet bills.

[Walker]

I pay $60 for a 10 lb bag of hypoallergenic food for my cats. The canned they eat is $2.10 per can. This is with the 10% discount I get as an employee of the University where the vet school is. The dog is on Joint Mobility food, which is cheaper at $90 for 32 lbs. The one cat has issues and her pills are not cheap, not to mention having to take her back for blood work all the time. The dog is on all kinds of stuff (holistic and pharmaceutical) for her joints to keep her moving and to keep her chronic ear problems from surfacing.

I spend more in month on food and medications for my pets than most people spend all year on their pets and I wouldn't take a dime of it back if it meant my animals had to suffer for even a second. My son heard me tell my husband how much the testing was for the cat and he brought me his piggy bank and said he wanted to give it to Sunshine so she wouldn't be sick anymore.

[IMSAVED]

I pay $60 for a 10 lb bag of hypoallergenic food for my cats. The canned they eat is $2.10 per can. This is with the 10% discount I get as an employee of the University where the vet school is. The dog is on Joint Mobility food, which is cheaper at $90 for 32 lbs. The one cat has issues and her pills are not cheap, not to mention having to take her back for blood work all the time. The dog is on all kinds of stuff (holistic and pharmaceutical) for her joints to keep her moving and to keep her chronic ear problems from surfacing.

I spend more in month on food and medications for my pets than most people spend all year on their pets and I wouldn't take a dime of it back if it meant my animals had to suffer for even a second. My son heard me tell my husband how much the testing was for the cat and he brought me his piggy bank and said he wanted to give it to Sunshine so she wouldn't be sick anymore.

How thoughtful of your son.What a sweetheart.My cat's last years were expensive.She had thyroid issues and had to have medication which was expensive and routine blood checks.That is why I told myself....NO MORE.

[Walker]

How thoughtful of your son.What a sweetheart.My cat's last years were expensive.She had thyroid issues and had to have medication which was expensive and routine blood checks.That is why I told myself....NO MORE.

He is quite the empathetic little man, he has a very sweet and caring nature about him, especially when it comes to animals. We call him our little Diego (as in Go, Diego, Go). For those without children, Diego is a cartoon character who rescues animals in trouble.

When we told our son that it would be ok and Mommy and Daddy were going to pay as much as it takes to get her better, he lightened up a bit. He did insist that we take some of his money to buy her a new mousie to keep her company as she healed. Sunshine is only four, I just couldn't see not spending the money to get a proper diagnosis to give her a long, happy life. She was the runt of the litter and had problems at weaning and other digestive issues when she was a baby, so this wasn't a total surprise.

I grew up with lots of animals, my sister was always bringing something home. I can't imagine not having *something* furry in the house. My sister passed her "rescue" instinct on to me and I can't turn away an animal that needs help. Before the baby, we fostered cats and dogs. Now I just give money and time instead of fostering...

[IMSAVED]

He is quite the empathetic little man, he has a very sweet and caring nature about him, especially when it comes to animals. We call him our little Diego (as in Go, Diego, Go). For those without children, Diego is a cartoon character who rescues animals in trouble.

When we told our son that it would be ok and Mommy and Daddy were going to pay as much as it takes to get her better, he lightened up a bit. He did insist that we take some of his money to buy her a new mousie to keep her company as she healed. Sunshine is only four, I just couldn't see not spending the money to get a proper diagnosis to give her a long, happy life. She was the runt of the litter and had problems at weaning and other digestive issues when she was a baby, so this wasn't a total surprise.

I grew up with lots of animals, my sister was always bringing something home. I can't imagine not having *something* furry in the house. My sister passed her "rescue" instinct on to me and I can't turn away an animal that needs help. Before the baby, we fostered cats and dogs. Now I just give money and time instead of fostering...

OH YES,how I love animals.I always wanted to have something furry in my house.I love both dogs and cats.My son likes cats more.I have just had to take a hard look at the costs.With only being able to work part-time because of my sons disability I have had to watch my budget.Animals are spendy if you are a responsible pet owner and you do it right.

[Walker]

OH YES,how I love animals.I always wanted to have something furry in my house.I love both dogs and cats.My son likes cats more.I have just had to take a hard look at the costs.With only being able to work part-time because of my sons disability I have had to watch my budget.Animals are spendy if you are a responsible pet owner and you do it right.

The rescue I volunteer with pays for all vet care for foster animals, so all you need is time and space. Many shelters and private rescues need temporary homes for animals where the foster parent pays very little out of pocket. One rescue here has a "foster buddy" program where people who want to foster animals, but can't afford the extra expense are matched with people who can't foster, but are willing to chip in for food and supplies. Maybe something like that is an option for you?

[IMSAVED]

The rescue I volunteer with pays for all vet care for foster animals, so all you need is time and space. Many shelters and private rescues need temporary homes for animals where the foster parent pays very little out of pocket. One rescue here has a "foster buddy" program where people who want to foster animals, but can't afford the extra expense are matched with people who can't foster, but are willing to chip in for food and supplies. Maybe something like that is an option for you?

That is a nice idea but you only have these animals temporarily?

[Walker]

That is a nice idea but you only have these animals temporarily?

Yes, a foster parent for the animal is a temporary home where the animal is placed until a permanent home can be found. The animal lives with you like your own animal would, you treat it like you would your own (only the rescue or shelter actually "owns" the animal). Some animals don't do well in a shelter environment, so the foster home is a good alternative for them. Others need a place to recover from injuries or surgeries. I took quite a few dogs that just needed to learn some basic manners or need socialization. After six weeks at my house they had basic obedience down and where highly adoptable dogs compared to the ill-behaved messes they were in the shelter. Mothers and their litters are a common foster situation as well. The babies stay with you until they are old enough to return to the shelter or are adopted out. The rescue I work with (and many others) will even let you have input on to who ultimately adopts the animals.

We plan on going back to fostering once my son gets a little older and the cat is healthier. We had a bedroom specifically for foster cats at our old house, the new house has a room all ready to go for them as well.

[Acts5:41]

If things were different (I could drive and we had a bigger place in the country) I would foster.

Our HOA has a 2 pet limit, so we're full. Plus, I think a lot of rescues would object to the cat door.

Baby Girl loves to be inside, and only goes out to play for a couple minutes every day. Bubba is mostly outside, but if I go out he'll come over and say Hi. He is 10.

Bubba had digestive issues (vomiting) eating regular cat food, so I got some Evolve Grain Free cat food at Walmart. It is very reasonable, I think $1 a pound. He loves it. He's 10.

He also loves the kitten food, and Mr 14 pounds gained another couple eating the baby food, so I mix it half and half. Baby Girl will eat anything. I'm always yelling at Ron not to feed her people food!

I estimate Baby Girl at about 3 months. Her eyes were brown when she came to us, but she still has her baby teeth. I got a look at her tummy, and she healed up great from the surgery. I put a thank you on the clinic's Facebook Wall.

[IMSAVED]

Yes, a foster parent for the animal is a temporary home where the animal is placed until a permanent home can be found. The animal lives with you like your own animal would, you treat it like you would your own (only the rescue or shelter actually "owns" the animal). Some animals don't do well in a shelter environment, so the foster home is a good alternative for them. Others need a place to recover from injuries or surgeries. I took quite a few dogs that just needed to learn some basic manners or need socialization. After six weeks at my house they had basic obedience down and where highly adoptable dogs compared to the ill-behaved messes they were in the shelter. Mothers and their litters are a common foster situation as well. The babies stay with you until they are old enough to return to the shelter or are adopted out. The rescue I work with (and many others) will even let you have input on to who ultimately adopts the animals.

We plan on going back to fostering once my son gets a little older and the cat is healthier. We had a bedroom specifically for foster cats at our old house, the new house has a room all ready to go for them as well.

I am afraid I would get too attached.

[raml]

I have 2 cats 1 dog 1 guinea pig and 28 ferrets. I pay just for ferret food $170 every month not including their litter which is $32 a month then the cat food is just $14 a month their litter just $10 and the dog just $15 guinea pig is $16 every time I buy it maybe every 6 wks and it's bedding is about $5 every 2 months. My vet bills are not to be believed. Ferrets shots every year and cats and dogs can run over $1000 then their meds I have 3 ferrets with adrenal cancer which most ferrets get when they are 7 yrs old or older. I rescue ferrets in my area so about half of mine are rescues but I keep them. I try not to figure how much it costs me otherwise I may quit rescuing ferrets. I have kept my numbers at 28 now for over a year which I wanted to do. I have a trust that I use for the vet and I use part of my limited income for anything else if I can other wise I go to my trust for it. All the cages and bedding and cat litters and toys I am not including them due to you would think I was crazy and I am not I just love animals and since I retired I do this full time. My house smells great as I keep it very clean and change litters every night and clean cages every week. I have a ferret room I keep my ferrets in and I have 6 large FN cages for them and 2 small hospital like cages for when they are sick and a huge room to be out in for at least 8 hours a day. The costs of this have tripled since Obama has been in mostly in the last 2 years I just hope I can keep this up without using to much of my savings. Food for me has gone up as we all can attest and this comes from printing money like the Obama regime has been doing hopefully Romney can reverse some of this in may take some time but I have gone from being a anyone but Obama to a Romney fan just by listening and checking him out since he was made a candidate. I have some hope with Romney I have none with Obama.