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 .

@Tunamelt i think the food at £60pm is cheap. Ours are £180pm each on food. Big dogs and granted they get the pricier end. But that should be taken into account when getting a dog. The vet trips are in line with most UK vets, I'm don't agree with the antidepressants. Upset tummy you can't beat chicken and steamed rice for a day or two to sort it out.

I agree that vet costs have become too high - largely due to the takeover of independent vets by chains. This same takeover has been responsible for a trend towards pushing pet owners into ever-more extensive treatments, investigations, etc.

Insurance is also to blame - - it's a necessity of course, but there seems to be a trend towards expensive insurance policies that facilitate over-treatment. We need more affordable policies that just enable owners to serve their animals' need to be free from pain and suffering.

I don't agree that it's 'not fair' that you need to be affluent to afford to keep a pet. Unless of course it's also 'not fair' that you need to be affluent to afford overseas holidays, a new car every couple of years, or any other luxury item.

Vet costs have stopped us getting another dog. I've heard too many stories of people paying out thousands - insurance doesn't cover everything. It's because most of the vets are owned by a handful of private equity firms. Big profits need to be made now so unnecessary investigations and treatments are recommended at over inflated costs.

The government are supposedly looking into it.

How do we even tell dogs are depressed. And if they are and as such big animal advocates surely you fix the problem I mean it’s a dog not a brain surgeon supporting a wife and 6 kids with a huge mortgage. Can’t be much to be depressed about 😅

BettysRoasties
She was re homed to us .
She is unable to
left at all .the charity suggested a behaviourist to help her to be left - eventually for a short time-at present , she is unable to
be left at all - we started with small steps to practice leaving her as you would a pup and stepped outside for seconds, returning etc. she screamed - panic.
The vet and the charity advised behavioural intervention as her response to us even touching the door was significant and panic mode .

Dog ownership is a privilege not a right. Far too many useless people owning dogs that they can't afford and neglect. It may be a good thing that pet ownership may be out of reach of some in the coming years as dogs deserve good homes not the people who rushed out in Covid to buy designer dogs they quickly gave up to rescue once their freedoms were restored. You might want to see if your vet takes Petplan which costs me £30 pm but covers all the routine stuff like worming tablets, health checks, annual vaccinations and much more. I would also look for an independant vet as they can be much cheaper.

Honestly I wouldn’t have taken on such a dog with known issues. She was always going to be expensive be that meds and vets, behaviourist or trashing you’re stuff when left alone anxious.

Also what life for you as a family that someone always has to be home because of the dog. Do family trip to a pool or movies because dog…. Makes the dog a negative.

Pets are a privilege not a right. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but it's the truth. We don't always get what we want, we're not entitled to anything. Maybe people will have to work more hours or do without some things in order to pay for pets. It's just budgeting. People can't live beyond their means.

There are some very reasonably pay monthly vet membership schemes, which covers all primary care. Cost is around £30 a month. If people cannot afford that, then they cannot afford a dog.

I think we can all agree that £6 a day is not an average dog food cost per dog. Mine is more like £1 a day.

BettysRoasties
we did try her on chicken and rice - she ignored the rice.
She had blood in her poo.
the upset tum has been a week now on promax .

Many vet surgeries are coorperate now. They are sales and target driven.

Pet insurance is a must. I really don’t understand why people don’t have it or at least the means to pay future vet bills. Having said that people’s circumstances can change during the lifetime of the pet. There is help available for those on low incomes. The animal charity I volunteer for runs these. Pets are expensive even cats. I reckon my cat costs about £60pm with food, worm and flea treatment and insurance.

I hate to say this but that first conversation with the charity would have been enough for me to consider if this was the right dog for me. If I were to go ahead I would have done so expecting a not modest bill from a behaviourist. Obviously that particular cost element could be available by choosing a different dog.

And the rehoming charity is I bet saying she had no digestive issues prior 🤨

Will look into a better type of insurance

she had No known medical issues before she arrived

hope its the new situation!

@BettysRoasties i commend OP for taking on a dog knowing this. Even when you get a dog as a puppy, do everything right, training, socialising etc you still don't know what you're going to get. Our oldest dog can only be left with certain people if we go away and never in kennels. Because several people tried to steel her when she was younger.

I’d support anything that reduced the number of dogs in the UK.

This has alarm bells all over it sadly.

Pets are a luxury

How much are they charging for the pro max aswell. Because most vets will charge much more than ordering online from the online pharmacist or even pets at home over the counter as well since pro max isn’t a prescription med.

You can buy Promax and ProKolin in Pets at Home without a vet visit for future reference

This indeed

I don’t think taking on a dog like this though is for people who are shocked at how much vets and stuff are though. They need owners who expect the unexpected knowing it’s already a problem dog.

UncannyFanny

this was after we got her .
were told she could be left 3/4 hours .
the charity say that this can happen due to
the move .
they themselves have admitted that this is difficult and hinted that it may not be sustainable.