Thinking of getting a pet? Check out costs first!

Wisco

So I spoke to a lady today who had just adopted a dog from a local rescue, which is a fantastic way to get a pet.
However, when she found out the cost of vaccinations, microchipping and neutering she was totally shocked and appalled and obviously had not asked about, or even considered, these costs before getting her pup.
So I just want to say to everyone, please please please, do a bit of research before you buy or adopt a dog or cat. If you cannot afford routine care (ie, worming/fleaing, vaccinations, neutering) DO NOT get a pet. Pet ownership is a privilege and not a right. Make a budget, save for a few months, then get your dog or cat- both you and your new pet will be the happier for it. And then get yourself some pet insurance or make a savings plan to pay for unplanned vet visits.
Just had to get that off my chest.

Whispered

Surprised it wasn't all done through the rescue. Most wont let a dog go until he's vax'd and if old enough neutered. Is he holding onto the pup?

Fingers crossed this is her only big spend on him. Routine vax etc wont cost that much. And to ad to the op's warning, I'd suggest getting your pets insured to help cope with big bills should they arise.

PaulieBoy

My current pair of kitties have set me back close to a grand all in so far! Only had them for about a year and a half. All the usual stuff and one had an accident that cost a few quid to fix up.
Worth every penny mind, but yeah, darn expensive so I would agree you need a small war chest at your disposal if you have a pet.
Has to be a consideration.

Tranceypoo

Would highly recommend pet insurance, our last dog had a serious heart condition and the diagnosis and subsequent medication would have cost us a small fortune.

Surprised the rescue hadn't chipped & neutered and vacc'ed before letting the dog go, that's fairly standard practice.

poconnor16

Wisco wrote: »

So I spoke to a lady today who had just adopted a dog from a local rescue, which is a fantastic way to get a pet.
However, when she found out the cost of vaccinations, microchipping and neutering she was totally shocked and appalled and obviously had not asked about, or even considered, these costs before getting her pup.
So I just want to say to everyone, please please please, do a bit of research before you buy or adopt a dog or cat. If you cannot afford routine care (ie, worming/fleaing, vaccinations, neutering) DO NOT get a pet. Pet ownership is a privilege and not a right. Make a budget, save for a few months, then get your dog or cat- both you and your new pet will be the happier for it. And then get yourself some pet insurance or make a savings plan to pay for unplanned vet visits.
Just had to get that off my chest.

+1 +1 +1 and then some

THINK people - can you afford it? do you have the time to spend?
I think anyone thinking of getting a puppy should try fostering one for a while to get a bit of an idea.

Wisco

Tranceypoo wrote: »

Surprised the rescue hadn't chipped & neutered and vacc'ed before letting the dog go, that's fairly standard practice.

Sadly it's not at this particular rescue (I know there are issues with overcrowding, among other things, at this place- I personally will not donate to or support it myself).
It had had parvo vac only, so will need a couple more injections, and is only 3 months old, so too young for neutering.

But animal 'rescue'/shelters that are badly run are another rant altogether and I know someone else covered that the other day on here!

I just hope she makes the right decisions for the pup's health.

Tranceypoo

Wisco wrote: »

But animal 'rescue'/shelters that are badly run are another rant altogether and I know someone else covered that the other day on here!

.

Very true!!

Graces7

Many have like us stopped vaccinating; it need not cost a great deal and would hate to see eg old folk losing out on the benefits of pets if reading this. All our critters were spayed /neutered on vouchers.

Sigma Force

Not everyone is entitled to vouchers though that's the problem, can't stand certain rescues that don't at least fully vaccinate dogs as the dog is at risk until fully vaxed dogs can become ill or even die as a result so that's not proper rescuing in my book but again as said that's another rant.

Dogs do cost a lot, I've stopped vaccinating against kennel cough and will only do it now if I know my dogs are going into kennels and even then I hate getting it done because 1. the expense but more importantly 2. it doesn't even guarantee anything because there are various strains.
Vets are charging way too much for vaccinations.

Not only dogs though, cats and rabbits cost a lot both need neutering and vaccinations, worming etc. etc.

My cockatiel has cost me as much in vet fees as the dogs with various problems he's had. So people really need to think twice, before they get an animal because many are rehomed once the owner realises and sadly then if they don't spay they end up with an even bigger problem with more dogs to feed and vaccinate etc.

They certainly aren't cheap, pets are a luxury and if you can't afford it then don't get them. Even hamsters cost, because of their housing if housed correctly of course so many are chucked into tiny cheap cages sadly.

Pet insurance is good to have but if you have multiple dogs it can cost a fortune.

EGAR

If I would no longer be able to vacc, neuter/spay etc before re-homing then I would close my rescue. It defeats the purpose and one becomes a conveyor belt *rescue*. A rescue who doesn't neuter, vacc etc is not a rescue IMHO and should seriously be looked into.

Also, I always talk to all potential adopters about costs which they will incur by having a pet.

SophieSakura

I don't get how people don't think about it and realise a pet will be expensive. It's a living creature, it needs to be cared for. And when people think neutering is too expensive . . . but it's not as easy as they think, they're getting surgery, that's going to be expensive. People can buy their own vaccinations and vaccinate their animals themselves a lot cheaper, but if they are new to having pets, then they should really go to the vet so the pet gets a check up too. But that's just once a year, and neutering and microchipping are one off things.


I breed rabbits and sell them a lot cheaper than pet shops, but so many people try to get me to lower the price because they're on a budget. And they say cages/runs are so expensive . . . but how do they expect to pay for food, bedding, hay and vet bills then.


You also see a lot of people using Dog's Trust vouchers (under someone else's name) for neutering really expensive dogs like Maltese's or Pugs, which is kinda annoying. If they can afford a dog that was at least €1000, they can afford to neuter them.

taram

I have guinea pigs, even they cost a fortune if they need vet/medication! Pellets, bedding, hay, greens, runs, cages.... this is why I have no money :P

Outkast_IRE

taram wrote: »

I have guinea pigs, even they cost a fortune if they need vet/medication! Pellets, bedding, hay, greens, runs, cages.... this is why I have no money :P

You should consider changing to a fleece/towel/newspaper system for bedding , i changed a year or more ago and its saved me a small fortune in bedding costs. And more importatntly the guinea pigs like it too , they dont seem to cough as much either as no dust from wood shavings etc.

taram

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

You should consider changing to a fleece/towel/newspaper system for bedding , i changed a year or more ago and its saved me a small fortune in bedding costs. And more importatntly the guinea pigs like it too , they dont seem to cough as much either as no dust from wood shavings etc.

I had washable mattress protectors with fleece on top, worked a treat, pigs used to snuggle into it all the time, but my current housemates think it's "dirty", so it's back to megazorb at 10 quid a week. I don't mind paying out for things for them, but paying that for annoying bitty crap that they wee in, and then takes up half the black rubbish bin... agh!

SophieSakura

taram wrote: »

I have guinea pigs, even they cost a fortune if they need vet/medication! Pellets, bedding, hay, greens, runs, cages.... this is why I have no money :P

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

You should consider changing to a fleece/towel/newspaper system for bedding , i changed a year or more ago and its saved me a small fortune in bedding costs. And more importatntly the guinea pigs like it too , they dont seem to cough as much either as no dust from wood shavings etc.

taram wrote: »

I had washable mattress protectors with fleece on top, worked a treat, pigs used to snuggle into it all the time, but my current housemates think it's "dirty", so it's back to megazorb at 10 quid a week. I don't mind paying out for things for them, but paying that for annoying bitty crap that they wee in, and then takes up half the black rubbish bin... agh!

If you have space somewhere in the house or in a shed or garage, then you can get huge bales of wood shavings for horses, which are like at most €10, and last forever. I know some people say wood shavings are dangerous for guinea pigs and rabbits but I find these fine and not too dusty. It's so much cheaper, the bags in pet shops are way overpriced.

I tried fleece last summer but I found it too dirty, I didn't like putting it in the washing machine . . . though I loved that I could easily clean it out twice a day, and the guinea pigs cages should stay clean for once. I love when it's all clean, but then they mess it up so fast. My rabbits are littertrained so they don't use much bedding.

Same with hay, you could get a square bale, but then it might have lice in it. But on zooplus.de (the german one) you can get 14kg of hay for €15 and it's good quality, mine love it and can get huge piles of hay to eat all the time, and it lasts for ages.

I also buy their food in bulk so it's pretty cheap. I buy all cheap veg or reduced price and am going to grow herbs and carrots now and maybe some lettuces.

I have 5 rabbits and 5 guinea pigs, plus babies, so really have to buy everything in bulk!

bitter_lemon

i was thinking about guinea pigs for ages. can't seem to find a thread on it. so if someone could bump it for me if there is one that would be super.

was in a pet store today and asked all about it. i went away to think about it. i saw a decent sized cage for two. it will probably cost about e150 to get started properly. i saw two i liked. they are in quarantine till saturday.

does anyone know if i put them somewhere to get looked after like if i go away on holidays? like dogs go to kennels and cats go to catterys.
my friends and family members either all have pets or don't like them so its not really an option to get them looked after by anyone when i am away.

taram

bitter_lemon wrote: »

i was thinking about guinea pigs for ages. can't seem to find a thread on it. so if someone could bump it for me if there is one that would be super.

was in a pet store today and asked all about it. i went away to think about it. i saw a decent sized cage for two. it will probably cost about e150 to get started properly. i saw two i liked. they are in quarantine till saturday.

does anyone know if i put them somewhere to get looked after like if i go away on holidays? like dogs go to kennels and cats go to catterys.
my friends and family members either all have pets or don't like them so its not really an option to get them looked after by anyone when i am away.

Don't bother buying a cage, make one! guineapigcages.com Much cheaper, and much bigger, mine cost me about 60 quid for 3 cages for 7 pigs. I know there's plenty of places here in the UK that take them, usually specialising in small animals.

SophieSakura

bitter_lemon wrote: »

i was thinking about guinea pigs for ages. can't seem to find a thread on it. so if someone could bump it for me if there is one that would be super.

was in a pet store today and asked all about it. i went away to think about it. i saw a decent sized cage for two. it will probably cost about e150 to get started properly. i saw two i liked. they are in quarantine till saturday.

does anyone know if i put them somewhere to get looked after like if i go away on holidays? like dogs go to kennels and cats go to catterys.
my friends and family members either all have pets or don't like them so its not really an option to get them looked after by anyone when i am away.

taram wrote: »

Don't bother buying a cage, make one! guineapigcages.com Much cheaper, and much bigger, mine cost me about 60 quid for 3 cages for 7 pigs. I know there's plenty of places here in the UK that take them, usually specialising in small animals.

I love the c&c cages but they're not really cheaper in this country because the grids are harder to find and more expensive. £60 for 7 pigs sounds really cheap though! But my friend made a huge one and it ended up costing her about €600! :eek: So I don't know if they work out cheaper than normal cages here, maybe they would if you just made a 4X2 with no top.

Anyway, www.zooplus.ie have an indoor cage that's 4'X2' (big enough for 2 guinea pigs) and it's about €40 or €50. Really good value. oh here it is, €40 http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/146571


What pet shop was it? Some are not great and I wouldn't go to them, I got two guinea pigs from pet shops last year and one was pregnant and one had mange. And a girl on the irish guinea pig forum (http://irishguineapigs.findtalk.net/) recently bought a male and female that the shop told her were two females. She had to take the male back and her one could be pregnant now. Some pet shops are ok, but look on Donedeal too for breeders


If you live near Dublin, there's a girl who does guinea pig boarding She's young but has loads of experience with small animals and is really good. http://rodentminderireland.weebly.com/ She's in Clonsilla.

tatabubbly

I find as I work in a pet shop, people never think of how much an animal will cost, for example, for a dog :

Bed/crate
Puppy training pads
Puppy anti chew spray
Toys
Bones for chewing on
Food
Shampoo
Wormer
Dog spot on
Collar
Lead
Bowls
Feeding mat...

I could go on and on and on..

I have a dog and forked out a right amount at the start, eg. crate etc.. but now that she's older she doesn't cost as much as she's neautered and i get her booster vac every year!
People are always shocked when i have to explain to them about puppy proofing their homes and vet bills etc. Do people think these things come for free?

Sassy58

Also another thing people don't consider is that most pedigrees have breed specific ailments that affect that breed and you may be lucky and get a dog that shows no signs or you could end up with a dog that has a lot of health issues that have to be tended to.

We adopted as 14/15 week old rottie from a rescue - 4 months down the line when she was getting spayed we realised she had problems with her hips and her eyes - her eyes were sorted through medication but her hips have involved accupunture and weekly sessions of hydrotheraph and also medication - and this is the way it is going to be for the rest of her life.

Thanksfully financially we are in a position where we can give her the best of treatment but it doesn't come cheap and some months you go without just to make sure she gets her weekly hydrotherapy and thats just the way it is we took her on so its our responsibility - now if I could just teach her that our bed is not HER bed we would be all happy - thankfully the rest of the four legged furries in the house are all in good health

bitter_lemon

SophieSakura wrote: »

I love the c&c cages but they're not really cheaper in this country because the grids are harder to find and more expensive. £60 for 7 pigs sounds really cheap though! But my friend made a huge one and it ended up costing her about €600! :eek: So I don't know if they work out cheaper than normal cages here, maybe they would if you just made a 4X2 with no top.

Anyway, www.zooplus.ie have an indoor cage that's 4'X2' (big enough for 2 guinea pigs) and it's about €40 or €50. Really good value. oh here it is, €40 http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/146571


What pet shop was it? Some are not great and I wouldn't go to them, I got two guinea pigs from pet shops last year and one was pregnant and one had mange. And a girl on the irish guinea pig forum (http://irishguineapigs.findtalk.net/) recently bought a male and female that the shop told her were two females. She had to take the male back and her one could be pregnant now. Some pet shops are ok, but look on Donedeal too for breeders


If you live near Dublin, there's a girl who does guinea pig boarding She's young but has loads of experience with small animals and is really good. http://rodentminderireland.weebly.com/ She's in Clonsilla.

thanks for all the info. just saw this now
i saw those zooplus cages. i wasn't sure if they were big enough.
it was the maxizoo in finglas. it seems well run. better than any pet shop i have been in. i did say that to the guy about the male v female scenario. he said if they were wrong he would take responsibility for it.
i'll check donedeal out thanks. i would prefer to buy from a decent breeder who interacts with them well.

morganafay

bitter_lemon wrote: »

thanks for all the info. just saw this now
i saw those zooplus cages. i wasn't sure if they were big enough.
it was the maxizoo in finglas. it seems well run. better than any pet shop i have been in. i did say that to the guy about the male v female scenario. he said if they were wrong he would take responsibility for it.
i'll check donedeal out thanks. i would prefer to buy from a decent breeder who interacts with them well.

What county are you in? I know a few good breeders around and could put you in touch with some if you like.