To feel that soon , dog ownership will just be for the well off? And thats not fair.

[Tunamelt]

We had a family dog and as a child I really benefited from it . As did my own dc when we had our beloved dog.
When the dc had a hard day she cheered them up so much and it was such a good experience for them.
We have just adopted a dog.
She needed the vets in the first week due to upset tummy.
Ist vet appt £75 and then x2 meds.
She now needs a stool sample and a further vet appt to
check her health.
stool sample test alone will be over £100.
We had appt with behaviourist at £90 ph .
Her food is £60 pm.
the vet thinks she may need fluxotine for anxiety and those meds are around £80 pm
So thats come to a good amount and she has only been here a few weeks.
Its made me realise that these sort of costs are just not do able for
many - and a concern to us -and it seems so unfair that the joy of a dog may be beyond reach for many these days .

Your original comment can still be seen.

Vets prices are astronomical

IMO the robo dogs will largely replace old-fashioned dogs in the coming years. They don't get sick or old, you can turn them off when you get bored with them, and they cost nothing to feed.

Realistically if you can't afford a dog you shouldn't get one. Yes, they are expensive but so are so many things and people need to prioritise as we do with everything that is not essential.

I don't see how that is any less fair than the fact we all live different lives, some earn more, some earn less.

If you have just got your dog, then it is understandable that they will be anxious for a while.
Have a look at the 3-3-3 rule regarding adopting dogs. I think your vet needs to read up about it too instead of charging you silly money for things that are normal for a newly adopted dog.

All because of unbridled capitalism I'm afraid.

It makes you appreciate the free treatment for humans from the NHS all the more doesn’t it, when you know thr true cost of things.

I don’t think pets are affordable right now!! And pet insurance is one of the most annoying things to come from modern day life- you get practically nothing back

I disagree about pet insurance. My previous cat's vet bills ran into thousands and the insurance paid out with no quibble. We'd have found the money for his treatment somehow but it was a relief not to have to worry about it.

it should always and only ever be for those that can afford it - for the sake of the pet.

Only if you never claim. Some people claim a lot and have got their money's worth.
I claimed twice during my dog's life. Once for a broken bone that needed an op, and a bank holiday visit when she was bitten by another dog.
I cancelled her insurance once she reached 9 as it was over £110pm by then and set to keep going up and up. Overall, I paid more in premiums than I claimed.

But that is the same with any type of insurance really. It is there for the just in case things.

if you have multiple animals isn't it more cost effective to save the insurance money every month yourself for future treatment? I know it is a gamble but...

Yes money saving expert is good on pet insurance - it is good in the unlikely event you have one big expense.

Possibly, but the risk is the money you ‘should’ be saving every month ends up getting used for other stuff, so when you need to rely on that nest egg, it isn’t there.

As I’ve said, I’m lucky enough that I earn well and can afford to pay up front for bills and then claim it back. Not everyone can say the same, which is sad.

@Sausagescanfly
The other issue that might be causing high vet bills and over treatment is unrealistic expectations of animal life expectancy. The RVC did a study recently that included the average age at death of guinea pigs. It was just over 4 years old. But most guinea pig advice pages say 5-7 years and there's a bias in social media posts with people talking about their 8 year old guinea pigs. I think that encourages people to aggressively treat older guinea pigs.

I think you might be mixing up two issues there. The realistic lifespan of well looked after animals is longer than the average which includes neglected animals chucked in a cage and barely looked at.

Rabbits, for example, have a short "average" lifespan due to high levels of neglect, but properly looked after rabbits can easily live 10+ years. This isn't due to invasive medical treatment on very ill/elderly rabbits, but basic treatment for things to avoid them getting seriously ill. Also decent living conditions such as suitable diet, temperature, and rabbity company to keep them happy, as well as neutering (females are v likely to get uterine cancer otherwise).

That's not to say sometimes an animal is very ill at a younger age and PTS should be considered. But not the same as a surprisingly long healthy lifespan for well looked after small fluffies!

When I had multiple pets insured I just used to feel that I was throwing money away, especially when young, but you get caught up in it. I eventually stopped and it worked for me, but I appreciate it can massively backfire so it was a genuine question. Thanks

Don’t worry, it was answered as a genuine question my lovely.

I think the decider for me is down to the breed of dogs I have, especially my Kangal, Stanley. As a giant breed you can double or triple most costs for meds etc, so it can become a false economy to think just putting a bit away each month will be sufficient to cover an unexpected vet bill.

To put this into perspective, last year Stanley and Fiona my female Malinois had some rough play which led to him missing a chunk of fur on his cheek. Despite cleaning and antiseptic powders etc, the wound became infected and needed antibiotics and steroids from the vet. As the dosage is often dictated by size/weight, tablets that would have cost £50 for a shitzu or £100 for a lab cost £300, not including the consultation fee or the following check up 10 days later.

Good job he’s a handsome brute and worth every penny isn’t it! 😂

Humans can't go to the doctors because there are no appointments. We treat animals far better than humans in this country.

It’s not just dogs that are expensive. We have 3 rabbits with insurance and the last time we needed a vet it was £1500 for an overnight stay plus IV. I spent 200 quid (which you can’t really insure) on a guinea pig with a UTI. If you are a good pet owner that’s just how much pets cost. Sucks but all pets need money putting aside.

I'm not convinced about this for guinea pigs - that the survey was done by RVC implies that these guinea pigs did see vets at some point, so were probably well cared for. The ones chucked in a hutch at the bottom of the garden don't make it to the vet.

We took on some neglected guinea pigs from a local family and they certainly didn't have the same life span as the ones we've had from babies.

Not the same at all. Vets are private practices. You are comparing NHS with private.
If you have a private GP, you will be seen straight away.

There is a misconception that small pets should cost less because they are small.
Some small pets tend to be classed as exotics, and attract more specialist care and the prices to go with it.
My dog's vets do not deal with birds at all. They have to go to a vet that deals with exotics, and that is expensive.

Perhaps people had fewer expectations for their pets. Our family Lab in the 70s had a grass seed allergy and was at the vet frequently in the summer. Fortunately parents could afford it (or prices were lower). He also had hip issues - poor breeding. Overbred pets are sadly not new. There were far fewer treatment options, people had their pets put down rather than months or years of treatments.
This is just as I remember it rather than historical fact.

I am not a vet, but if you decide to go down the medication route for anxiety, ask about trazodone. They sometimes use it to keep dogs calm after surgery when they are hospitalised. I swapped my dog from fluoxetine to this and it works so much better in a low long term dose for her, no side effects (awful side effects from fluoxetine). No more worry about fireworks night as an added bonus!! It is much cheaper to ask for a prescription from the vet and take it to the pharmacy, as it is a human medicine.

Also, many dogs are intolerant to chicken but ok with turkey, I haven’t read all your posts so apologies if this has been discussed, but do try a turkey and rice based food, and stick to the same diet for a couple of weeks as you won’t notice any real changes before then.

Not had time to read all of this but completely agree with op. If we want to get more animals out of rescue vet bills need to be cheaper. I would rescue a second dog if this was the case.

Our insurance for 6 year old mixed breed is almost 200 a months now due to a relatively minor ongoing condition we are trapped.
Not having insurance is too risky as even the simplest visit is so expensive.