Pets are not for the frugal, just spent $450 at the vets!

[hatredisnotavalue]

For a check up for a dog and a cat and some meds! (frontline and heartgard) Of course this comes on the heels of my final car payment. So I just made a car payment for May for a car I already own. I just can't get ahead!

But these two give me so much joy, so I just have to look at it as paying a little over $1 a day for the next year for their companionship, so I guess that ain't so bad. The Siamese goes next month. Which will be June's car payment for a car I already own. Sigh....

[MonkeyFunk]

1. well

they're all gorgeous and worth every penny!

I love that 200# tabby cat!

[bigwillq]

2. But they're so cute!

:)

[VenusRising]

3. Your tabby has the biggest paws I've ever seen!

I do feel your pain about the vet bills.

We found a lump on our cat, and the vet wanted $1000 to remove it before we even know anything about it. I love my cat, and I would do anything for him, but we can't put ourselves into the poor house. I hate being like that, but my husband has to have his heart medications. We finally decided that if the vet took out the lump and there was nothing wrong, we would be out a thousand dollars. If the vet took it out, and it was a malignant tumor, then we are still out the money because we couldn't afford extra treatment. So, we decided in the long run it's better to monitor him, and if the lump changes or gets worse, then I'm going to find a different vet. (He was far more concerned about cleaning the cat's teeth than the lump on his side.):grr:

You have the cutest fur-babies!! :loveya:

[Reciprocity]

10. I'm sorry to hear that. You may want to try the Pet Group.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=243
It may be only a fatty tissue tumor.

Not All Tumors Are Created Equal
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=487

[VenusRising]

15. Thanks for the article.

I may find a vet willing to do a biopsy instead of a full on lumpectomy right off.

[Sanity Claws]

4. The tabby's face is very tigerish.

Something about the stripes and shape of his head and eyes is very tiger-like, much more so than the average tabby.

[Nicole]

5. They look like they are worth it.

I love that second pic! :)

[lizerdbits]

6. Mine is worth it to me too

I had to take him to the emergency vet on a Friday night because he was blocked, they said he hadn't peed for almost 24 hours! It was over $1000 for the weekend but they charge by the hour for a stay. My regular vet put him on prescription food and he's fine now.

Is that tabby a polydactyl or does he just have big paws? My parents late cat looked like that too. Not a polydactyl, just big paws.

[Fran Kubelik]

7. So beautiful!!

:loveya:

[Critters2]

8. I'm grateful for pet insurance.

When the beagle got into some of my meds, and was REAL sick, I thought I'd have to mortgage my soul to pay for all the care. Nope. After what the insurance paid, my bill was just over $100.00. Made me a believer!!

But they are worth it, aren't they?

[hfojvt]

17. what does the insurance cost?

and plus does it cover things like frontline and heartgard?

[Critters2]

18. I'll check, but I think it's like $20 a month per pet.

Well, that's not exactly right, because you get a discount for additional pets after the first one. I'll have to check, because it goes on my debit card automatically every month. But it's about that. I got the policy that covers preventative care, so heart worm meds and vaccines are covered. Flea stuff isn't, so I just get Bio-spot at Farm and Fleet. Prescription foods aren't covered, either, which annoys me because Leon's flutd food is my biggest pet expense.

But it has come in handy. I have VPI,(http://www.petinsurance.com) which my vet recommended, but there are other companies.

[DeepBlueC]

9. oh man, are they SWEET!

At least you don't have to buy school clothes and shoes for them.

[Reciprocity]

11. All your pets look happy and healthy. Your doing a great job!

[GenDem]

12. What a beautiful family

It is mighty expensive to take care of them.

:hi:

[NJCher]

13. buy frontline, etc. online

You can save a lot that way. I will pm you with a great site that's the least expensive I've seen and I did a lot of comparison shopping for it.

Also there's a coupon on now for a free package if you buy from a vet. Go to frontline.com and I think you'll see it. You should ask your vet to honor that and pony up the extra packge.



Cher

[astral]

14. They are adorable!

Yep, I had to shell out more than $450 for my cat last winter, he had a big marble-sized red bulge sticking out the side of his face! Turns out he had a smaller one on the other side too I hadn't noticed yet.

Sometimes stuff happens. My cat's fine as ever now. I never did know why those things popped up either. The bill hurt, but I survived!

[KT2000]

16. I have the best vet in the world

Just had a checkup for my cat and it was $40. She got checked out, weighed, shots and they even shaved some of her furballs!
He does the low-cost pay neuter clinics too.

He wants more animals to be healthy.

He also has excellent prices on the flea meds and worming pills.

It is good to remember the ways in which we have good things in our lives.

[Polly Hennessey]

19. Pets Cost Lots

I agree pets are not for the frugal. Looking at your photos I would say every penny you spend is worth it. I have two Goldens and three cats and Devon, one of my Goldens, caught her toenail in the car door when she jumped inside the other day. Well, that cost me over three hundred dollars and all of my cats are on medication --- they are aging ladies. It is the one expense that I pay gladly. Life would be no fun without the fur kids.

[ThomCat]

20. Look at the size of the paws on that first cat!

Wow. How big is that beast? :wow:

All three area adorable. :)

[lukasahero]

21. $5,343.94

That's what I just paid to T***'* Emergency Animal Hospital. On the other hand, I wheeled my dying dog in there last week and brought him home again today. (He's sleeping peacefully in the bed room next to his "dad" right now.)

He is worth every f*in' penny. :)

And your crew is adorable.

Oh, and for anyone ready to jump on me for a) having that kind of money or b) spending it on my dog - don't. Or you'll make me say something that will have my posts deleted. Just give me tonight to relish my old boy sleeping by my side again, ok? Please?

[Connonym]

22. Anyone who would jump on you for that would be an asshole

So fuck 'em. But damn those emergency vets are highway robbery. I don't even want to think about how much I've spent on vet bills this year with my dog breaking her leg. Worst part is, it happened in January and we still haven't been able to get it to heal completely and there's still a danger she might end up losing the leg :'(

[lukasahero]

23. I'm so sorry and thank you

But you know, dogs adapt. On the chance she does lose her leg, and I will pray for you she doesn't, there are a lot of stories out there about dogs doing just fine on three legs.

I was lucky in that I had access to one of the best emergency animal hospitals in the country. I plan to send the surgical resident and the ICU staff flowers tomorrow. (Yeah, I know, more money but damn they treated my guy with such care and kindness, I really want them to know how much it meant to us.)

Oh, and thanks for voicing the words that I would have used if anyone said anything about it - I hate having my posts deleted. ;)

I'm just absolutely on cloud nine tonight. I've got my boy back home with me. :)

[Wcross]

24. Whatever it takes.

I can't fault somebody for doing what it takes to save their friends life. As a matter of fact I have nothing but contempt for those who would let their friend die so they can save a couple of dollars.
You're good people lukasahero.

[lizerdbits]

25. That's about what my parents spent on their cat over a few years

He had diabetes that was hard to control and took a while to diagnose. They didn't put him down until he started wasting away because he almost stopped eating. Vet said "Think about doing it while he still has his dignity" which he was losing. It was so hard for him to just lay down it was painful to watch. I can't tell you how much I'd spend on my cat before I gave up.

[stuntcat]

26. relish away!

I'm glad he's there with you.

[stuntcat]

27. beautiful pictures!

omg they're worth any amount of cash