Thursday, October 27, 2011

We should've named her Cha-ching

As most of you know, I am a stay at home mom to my two kids...and my three dogs (and I guess my cat too).  It is one of those unpredictable jobs and every morning brings something new and sometimes challenging.  Yesterday our household contained one sick mom, two sick kids, and one sick dog.  This meant that the sick mom and kids had to go to the doctor...for the dog.  Yes, we were all sick but the dog was the only one seeking medical attention, and I completely understand how ridiculous that sounds.  But when your little dog seems to be suffering and can't talk, you take your furry baby to the vet!

Every time I take one of the 4 legged kids in for a problem there is a sense of  dread (except if it is Bug).  What is wrong?  What will the vet say?  And this is awful, but in the back of my mind I am thinking, is the vet going to say we have to put her down?  This is not something I worry about with the kids because the Pediatrician is never going to suggest we euthanize them...but it is a real thought with a dog (and more so with each passing year).

Fortunately, the verdict at the vet's was only impacted/ infected anal glands.  They cleaned them out and gave her some meds (I sincerely apologize if anyone was eating while reading that).  Vet's visit to clean out anal glands-$115.  Not having to do it yourself-priceless.

Even though it was a $115 well spent, it did get me thinking about how much money we have pumped into this dog.  Let me introduce you to Gidget- the world's most expensive dog.
We nicknamed her "The Money Pit"

This dog is constantly trying to die and continually draining our bank account.   Here is a list of all of Gidget's near death experiences, vet procedures, and other expensive encounters:

  • Pneumonia.  Almost died.
  • Electrocution.  Only slightly charred.
  • Chewed open a bottle of advil.  Got her stomach pumped.
  • Opened a backpack, chewed through a bottle of my husband's thyroid medication.  Got her stomach pumped.
  • Opened a backpack, ate medication.  Got her stomach pumped.  All these backpack incidents happened right before we were going out of town.  Both times they involved overnight vet stays.
  • Knee surgery.
  • Root canals (Yeah, you read that right, dogs can have root canals.  $800+ for 2 root canals)
  • Pulled teeth
  • Unsuccessful eye duct surgery
  • Hormone medication
All of this comes to a grand total of $3,862.81 (Bug's mishaps come in only slightly less).  Ouch!  If our kids ever wonder why they don't have a college fund, I'll just have them read this.    

So why do we do it?  Why do we pump so much money into our dogs?  Because they are a part of the family!  Gidget might be a curmudgeonly little thing who seems to be the dog incarnation of Maxine:
I swear, they are twins!
But she is our grouchy girl.  When she snuggles in, gives us a lick, and wags her tail...well, it is all worth it.  Plus, Gidget and I have a very special bond: our intense hatred of Bug!!

What would you give for your pets?

13 comments:

  1. Glad it wasn't anything too serious! This post made me giggle and I sent it to my sister who has a cha-ching dog or two of her own. :)

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  2. I am glad the little guy is ok and I hope everyone else is getting better as well

    Though I admit, I laughed at the priceless part

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  3. OMG, this post is giving me much more insight into your previous Bug post :)

    Because my dog's littermate lives across the street, we used to compare notes about which "sister" was costing more at the Vet's. And seeing as we visit the same Vet's as well, the Vet staff also sometimes made comments about it.

    Our worst experience thus far has been testing & treating Lyme Disease. The testing and retesting is so expensive, yet you know if the Lyme goes untreated, it's so much worse for the dog.

    They get us. Every. Time.

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  4. Oh man, I hate my cat Meatball as much as you hate Bug. He pees on clothing. We have had to completely reengineer our laundry strategy so that there is not a basket of clothing around ever or it will get peed in. My husband mistakenly left the bin of winter stuff open. Peed in that. I had to throw away Gavin's perfectly good ski jacket and snow pants that still fit him this year!

    I don't kill him because the kids, especially my 7 yr old loves him. They die for that piece of shit cat. While I throw out clothes. So I give lots of money towards new clothes for my pet. Ugh.

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  5. Glad he is ok! I feel the same way about our cats. They are a part of our family!

    I had a cat that was always at the vets. She once ate a shoelace and it got tangled in her intestine and she had to have surgery to get it removed. My parents always joked that she was a 'free' cat since we got her from a friend's litter. Free indeed!

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  6. Just found you via Changing from Fat to Fit. I can totally relate to the most expensive dog. I have a beagle that I have rushed to Louisville for emergency back surgery. Yeah, not cheap but wouldn't even consider the alternative. She also is on anti-seizure meds. Not cheap either! I too dread taking her to the vet.

    I am glad yours is OK & look forward to following!

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  7. Oh no, I am so sorry about your dog, he sure has been a handful!! Glad it's ok now. Classic example why I don't own a dog (I have a cat, he's pretty mellow). My kids never even asked me for a dog when they were little...but one day we found a stray puppy and kept him for a couple days until the owner could get him....I seriously thought we were going to have to own that thing, my son was sooooo attached. Broke my heart to give it back. Ha.

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  8. Oh...and thanks ?? for nominating me for the versatile blogger award...(I'm sorry I don't check blogs on a daily basis, but I do go back and read :)). I did this a couple years ago...I think that makes me immune, right? ;)

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  9. Hi there! Thanks for visiting my blog, I look forward to following you.

    I totally understand how it is with the fur babies! I would do anything for my dogs. I once had a dog that had constant ear infections, had hip dysplasia, thyroid problems, allergic to grass, and cancer. Bless his little heart, he was one good dog. The ironic thing was that his name was Champ. Man I loved that dog though! :)

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  10. I understand about fur babies too. My greyhound, Butterfly (God rest her soul--she's long gone to the happy hunting grounds), required a long stay in a fancy-pants veterinary hospital in Houston that cost my just-out-of-college self more than $1,000. But it was worth it. She went on to live a long cush life. And she deserved it! :^)

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  11. OMG!!! First off, you crack me up with your dogs. The stories, to funny!!! I couldn't imagine spending THAT much on a dog. When one of ours was sick though the doc said surgery, we didn't question the cost, we just said ok, we will be here in the morning. So I guess I understand but when's it stop!!! :) Just think about ALL those things you could have done with that $$$....all the shoes....

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  12. we had a kitty a few years ago who was so teeny tiny and he always got sick. After 3 years things were bad one night and the option was 5,000 in surgery to try and save him...that was the worst feeling ever because he was my man but I also had to be responsible..

    pets are so like family!

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  13. I'm definitely with you on dogs being part of our family. I feel like we should be able to add them to our health insurance. Since we can't, I got pet insurance for my little monster. I hope your little one is ok. They're so helpless when they're not feeling well. My girl has had an upset stomach for two days. I fed her plain noodles and greek yogurt for dinner. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in some chicken and white rice "just in case" for next time.

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