1-800-Pet Meds

I've heard about pet insurance, but I've never actually given it much thought. We already pay insurance for our home, our cars, and our lives. Pet insurance just seemed like one more monthly bill that I would have to moan and groan about paying.

Freddie went for his yearly exam last week. He was going to be boarded while we were out of town, so I scheduled his exam at the same time. On top of the $20/day boarding fee, he needed his shots, some blood work, and his teeth cleaned. The whole thing was going to cost me twice as much as I was prepared to spend. I told the vet to keep him and give him his shots, but the teeth and blood work would have to wait.

We come back into town, bringing along with us our Dalmatian, Daisy, who my sister-in-law had been taking care of for the last two years. It was hard leaving her behind for that long, but Dalmatians and townhouses don't mix.

So it was now time for Daisy's check-up, making sure that she was all up-to-date so we could get her California license and registration. The state of California is very big on licenses and registrations and isn't afraid to smack you with a bunch of late fees if you drop the ball.

I took both dogs in--Freddie for his teeth cleaning and blood work, Daisy for a few shots. By the time I got out of the vet's office, the receipt was two pages long.

Turns out, Freddie had 3 rotten teeth that had to be pulled which cost an extra $65 on top of the $165 for the dental polishing. His blood work, necessary for the dental cleaning was $85. Thank God they don't make dentures for dogs or I'd probably have to buy them too since Freddie now has problems keeping his tongue in his mouth due to his lack of teeth.

Apparently, Daisy has a flea problem, which means Freddie now has a flea problem. So they were both left at the vet for flea baths which cost $30 a piece. Because of the fleas, they are now both on medication to prevent further infestations (are you itching and scratching yet?) which cost $50 a piece.

Are you feeling bad for me yet? All I know is that all of the money that I spent at the vet yesterday could have bought me a Gucci bag. A really nice Gucci bag.

Don't get me wrong. I love my pets and want to be the best pet parent I can be. But it's hard when your pets can't look at you and say, "Don't pay for that. I feel fine." Like with Freddie's rotten teeth. The vet said that I could either wait and let them fall out on their own or have him pull them. Well, there was no real way of knowing if his teeth were causing him pain, so we decided to pull them.

Now he's in pain for sure. I know because I was sent home with two bottles of pain medication that I have to give him twice a day for the next 10 days. Is there anything worse that trying to give a dog medication? I don't think so

So here we are--flealess, toothless, and $700 lighter.

Sorry, kids, no groceries this month. The dogs need their meds.