Doing the math part 2: Unexpected pet expenses
When our family was ready to make the lifetime commitment of owning a dog, my husband and I, as responsible adults, did our homework and made plans.
We selected a rescue organization that had a higher adoption fee ($350), but it included vaccines and spay/neutering, and all the dogs were socialized and crate trained. We set up an appointment to meet an older, housebroken, short haired, medium sized terrier named Pharaoh.
Unfortunately, before we arrived, Pharaoh fractured his left leg trying to jump a 10-foot fence. Not surprisingly, my daughter and husband wandered into the puppy pen. A 20-lb white, tan and black spotted puppy trotted over, sniffed their feet, wagged his tail and flopped on his back waiting for a belly rub from my husband.
That was it. Spotty found us.
We left the rescue center with a 4 month-old puppy, who thankfully was very smart and picked up the whole “going outside not inside” thing within days.
We patted ourselves on the back for planning ahead and making a responsible choice.
Then about two months in we also learned he had mange. (At least it wasn’t the contagious type of mange.) Our adorable little puppy now had just a tuft of fur left on his back and was wearing the cone of shame around his neck – and the entire neighborhood was steering clear.
The damage to our family budget was even worse than his appearance. Some $4,800 later we were told his immune system simply couldn’t fight off the mites in his bloodstream. Then my husband informed us all that Spotty’s financial meter would run out at $5,000. Some serious research for alternatives was required.
Luckily, Spotty qualified to be part of a clinical trial at the State University Hospital. In four months, our Spotty was mange-free, sporting a luxuriously thick spotted coat. And, the medication doubled as a 12-week flea and tick prevention treatment, which represented a quarterly $40 savings!
The lesson? No matter how prepared you think you are, expect the unexpected. Here are three tips to do that:
- Make sure your emergency fund includes at least $2,000 for unexpected vet bills. It will happen.
- Look into whether pet insurance is the right solution for you. Do your research and read the fine print, because not all plans are created equal.
- The monthly maintenance expenses of heartworm pills, flea/tick medicine, food and toys add up. Think about how they’ll affect your current budget. Are you willing to give up something to make it work?
