Can you afford a pet?

DH says we couldn't afford a dog now as the Vets fees and insurance is so high. I would happily give up something to have a lovely dog as a companion- I'm hoping one will happen to us like a rescue dog I loved our Golden Retriever beyond words and would dearly love another.

We have an old dog. When she goes, we will not get another pet. The cost goes up and up, vets bills, grooming etc. She is quite a tie also. We have to ask our son to dog sit when we go to visit the DGC. He does, but grumbles about doing it. I would rather not be responsible for another pet.

It's no joke is it? DH and I are always harking back to the days when you could keep a couple of pets and unless something went drastically wrong, like a road accident, they hardly cost anything at all.

Insurance is a must and we have an excess of £125 to keep the monthly premium as low as possible but once you are in the insurance system the vets quite cheerfully run up huge bills and if you don't toe the line and have a spotless care record the insurers won't pay out.

A friend of mine has two dogs. They're not insured or vaccinated and have never had to go to the vet. It makes me spit

We have only had rescue dogs and cats, and always mixed breed mongrels. Our first cat had to have his jaw wired because our charmiming neighbours hit him with a spade- and then the next cost was for the vet when he was 18.

Our Gatsby only cost us money when the French vet mis-applied practic which she then licked and it caused terrible ulceration to her mouth and throat. The vet came to put her to sleep, aged 16, in our home so she would not have to feel anxious. I sat by her and she put her head on my lap and I talked to her and stroked her, whilst the vet did what he had to do. Total cost 118Euros including taking the body away and cremation. Our previous street dog never cost us a penny apart from feeding and flea/tick treatment. until the day our vet came to our house to put him to sleep when the time came. Our current cat, Pudding, also a rescue, is about 18- and does not cost anything apart from feeding and wood pellet litter stuff.

I think pets have become so expensive because too many people have pure bred dogs which have so many health problems, and because dogs are perhaps over treated. All our animals have lived to very good long old age- but we'd always said that if one had a terrible accident or suffered from a terrible disease, we would not put them through long and painful treatment. Our DD2 little dachshund, 16, alos a rescue, is costing us quite a bit now as he is diabetic and needs a special diet and insuling- but considering the number of pets we've had over the past 44 years- it is very very little indeed.

Just looked at some websites advertising the sale of pure breed dogs, and also those recent fashionable ones like labradoodle. The prices are eye watering... Amazed to see how much more people are prepared to pay for a chocolate lab (as compared to the already high prices of 'normal' labs)- wow.

We too had only movies and mongrels-some with very curious mixtures!
Most were rescued too. I think, after 30+ years of cat and dog owning that pure-breds are far more expensive regarding vet fees., my sister's dogs are ruinously expensive vet-wise.
Apart from neutering/spaying and routine jabs/flea treatment we only ever had one cat and one dog have an accident.

A quick head count = 6 dogs and 8 cats over 34 years, not bad going (nearly always had more than one of each at anytime)

Scary prices, sister1 paid £800 each for two Bichon Frise, sister2 paid £775 for a miniature Schnauzer
Ridiculous in my mind, but others will think otherwise......

I thought this thread was about the cost of keeping a pet, not what you actually pay for it.

Well yes- but if you pay 500 to 1000+ for a dog- you are well ahead in costs of keeping a dog overall, not? I don't think any of our pets have cost that much in all the many years we've kept them... even though they have all lived 16 to 19 years.

My rescue cat's insurance is £25 and pence each month which I think is ridiculous considering I have never tried to get a penny back. Tara had dental work done, apparently not covered by insurance. She is now around 10 so no other insurance company would want to know as she is "too old".

I've always liked dogs, and have had two in the past (lost the second one twenty years ago now).
Much as I'd like another, there's no way I could afford it with modern vets fees. Come to that, I'm not too keen on the idea of carrying around bags of poo either, so even if money were no object, I'd have to remain dog-less.

We lost our last dog, a beautiful Golden Retriever, 15 years ago almost to the day. We couldn't get another at the time because we were all working full time, and now we really wouldn't want the exorbitant cost of keeping a dog.
Besides, our son and daughter each have a dog, both of which we see very regularly as they live so close to us. Daughter comes to us every Sunday for the day with the dog. Son's dog always 'boards' with us when they go away (and that is very frequently, at least 4 or 5 times a year).
So we have the enjoyment of dogs, but none of the expense. Perfect!

Insurance can be helpful if you think you might not be able to cover the cost of an emergency- but on the whole, it is a rip off. Had we had pet insurance for our dogs and cats, the cost would have been 100x +++ what we had to pay in vet fees.

I agree*granjura*. It would be, in many cases, much more cost effective to put the insurance money into a saving account. I have had 3 ponies and now a 4th cat in the last 40 years and non have cost more than the usual expenses. My first pony was put to sleep when he developed a bad case of laminitus. If he had been insured the vet would have wanted to operate etc etc etc which would have resulted in one very miserable pony. Quality of life, not extension of life, is what I want for my animals and myself.
'Normal' costs do add up though. Purdy Puss who adopted me a few months ago has cost about £200 so far excluding food etc. She had to be treated for tics, spayed, micro-chipped and had a stay in a cattery when I went on holiday shortly after she arrived. It would have been far cheaper to adopt a cat from a re-homing centre ! £200 well spent as she is an absolute delight.

I probably can't afford it but it's too late now. I transported three of them across the world at a phenomenal cost, recently paid $800 (about £400) for surgery on one, and have now adopted a family of waif and strays who turn up on the dot of six in the morning and six the evening to be fed.

It's no use putting the equivalent of a monthly insurance cost in a savings account unless you start it off with a lump sum of at least £1,000.

You can't tell when an animal is going to need treatment.

We think pet insurance is a rip off and choose not to have it. So far dog aged 6 has had o one major op costing £1300 and cat cost £1500 in 10 years for car accident and then for eye injury so we are probably quids in when you take into account excess on insurance and possible over treatment by vets when you are insured. I trust my vet completely to do the best for my pets and luckily we are in the position of being able to pay when these injuries have happened

I think you take a chance whichever way you do it. You might get off lightly and resent paying insurance for years but then you might have a young dog that needs expensive treatment and there's nothing to stop you cancelling the insurance once they've paid out.

You just have to cross your fingers that it doesn't happen again.

If any of you are on benefits, the PDSA do a wonderful job. Plus there is a new practice in our town where you only pay for the medicine the pet receives and not the vet's fees. They believe that every pet deserves affordable care.

Talking of which though, has anyone seen Noel Fitzpatrick on tele? He is a marvel, a genuis with the animals he treats, a lovely man dedicated to his craft. I love watching him, my little doggie not so much as she doesn't like to see the animals on the operating tables.

We have not had pets for 30 years. ( child had allergies ) Before that we had two half Persian cats. They were not insured but did have their vaccinations and de fleaing. I cannot remember it being very costly at the time.

When I was a child we had a Siamese cat and a Chihuahua. Neither of them were insured or hardly ever needed the vet.

The Siamese was a rescue cat and the Chihuahua was not expensive, from friend's dog's litter.

I suspect the initial high cost of pets results in the need for expensive insurance and vets. They do give a lot of pleasure and comfort. x

rubylady I watch all the episodes of Supervet and the work of Noel Fitzpatrick although he is a pioneer in his work I would guess most of his work with the animals are funded via Pet Insurance the average person would find his fee's very hard to find I think. (but he is amazing in his work)
We are fortunate to not have to worry about the cost of insurance for Poppy we have always paid it within our family budget for our animals,this past fortnight we have paid £55.00 for booster injection and kennel cough nasal drops for her as she is going into kennels for 6 days whilst we are away at end of the month.

Things changed when the old style James Herriott type vets all retired and the younger, trendier vets became the norm. Remember Trude Mostue of Vets in Practice fame? The insurance companies were quick to flog policies and the vets all thought, Kerrrrrchinggggg!!

When we were farming we only had the children's ponies insured. The dogs and cats hardly ever needed the vet because the vet wasn't constantly looking for problems. No compulsory health checks with their boosters in those days. You were sent a bill for any treatment which you were expected to settle within a month. I know vets sometimes had problems getting their money so I suppose you can't blame the new regime for having none of it.

If we ever have another dog (after the two we've got) I will do what DD2 does and stick any treatment on the credit card. You may have interest to pay if you spread it over a few months but you've probably already saved a lot of money on insurance costs.

Too late now. We're in the system and my beef is not with the insurance company because so far they've coughed up but vets are becoming greedy.

It has occurred to me that you hardly ever see loose dogs roaming around, as you did in the 50s and 60s. You had to have a dog licence and used to be dog catchers!

The dogs all seemed to be brownish mongrels with curled tails! x

GillT57- a very good point you make, Private insurance, be it for humans or for pets- do too often lead to over diagnosis and over-treatment.

Touch wood all our pets have reached a very old age with very few problems. When our first and wonderful dog, Pepper, was found romaing the streets of East Leicester- was diagnosed with a tumour to one testicle, aged 19- the vet wanted to operate. Fortunately he was a friend and neighbour and we just looked at him and said, thanks Mik will take him home and love him to bits, and call you to come to our home when the time comes. And he agreed that was the best.

For me, the very best money you can spend on a dog is to call the vet to your home when the time comes- so the dog does not have to suffer the pain and stress of getting to the vet. My neighbour took her dog to the vet recently to be euthanazed- he hated the vet and got really stressed every time- but she said calling the vet was too expensive! She then spent over £200 for a private cremation and urn!!!