Pets in retirement, pros and cons (2 year old, troubles, adoptions, senior)
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Me personnel I could never give up my dog(s) To me it would be like giving up a child. I would have to be on my death bed before that happens . Some people treat pets like they are trash. I have met some like that and come to conclusion that they have a heart of stone and I usually do not get along with them. Senior pets for Seniors people is a great idea,the only problem that I have is it takes me a very long time to get past that awful day, but I would always try to help a dog out and save them. What you give to them or do for them you will be paid back a million times more in return.
MY problem with fostering is having no control over where the animal eventually goes... With a very strict, responsible rescue, that's fine, but I would (by then) be attached and worry to death about them if I couldn't personally approve the placement. Pairing senior pets with senior people seems to be the best idea yet. Adopt the oldest, saddest animal in the shelter, give them love, then arrange to have them put down in the event of your death or disability (don't send them BACK to a shelter). That seems like the perfect combination. Either that or get a hamster; it'll be dead in two years anyway.
Last edited by otterhere; 11-17-2017 at 07:31 AM..
Anyhoo, yep the cost can be insane. I kick out 140 bucks a month on insulin and needles alone for him. Now it's especially hard to find someone to care for him on vacation because the person has to know how to administer his meds.
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if you have a walmart close by i get the insulin for $25 dollars for a 100 mg bottle and a 100 needles for $13 dollars i hope this helps reduce the cost for you
Anyhoo, yep the cost can be insane. I kick out 140 bucks a month on insulin and needles alone for him. Now it's especially hard to find someone to care for him on vacation because the person has to know how to administer his meds.
if you have a Walmart close i buy the insulin and needles there the insulin is $25 a bottle and i get 100 needles for $13 this might help reduce the cost for you i hope this helps
It’s getting to the point where owning a pet is a luxury item, which is entirely backwards....
Took my dog in to the regular vet Tuesday with irritated eyes. 100$ to simply send me off toa vet opthamalogist. The opthamologist wouldn’t even schedule the appointment until I paid $330 over the phone to keep the emergency appt. I go there, eyes get examined, blood panels taken, diagnosed with anterior uteitis, sent off with antibiotic and eye drops, blood results pending. Additional $1030.
Get the blood results...simply shows Systemic inflammation, no specific cause. So now I’ve spent $1460 to have no answers. Suggestion is that the uteitis may be a symptom of a cancer somewhere. Any guesses how much the recommended ultrasounds and X-rays may cost? I’ll find out today.
All this while the dog has had Lyme disease, which I suspect is the cause of the systemic inflammation. But these vets, much like human doctors, know little about Lyme disease, so I’ll probably spend thousands more looking for a cancer that doesn’t exist, while the problem is the Lyme disease.
I am lucky because I can afford all this. But how in the world can the average retiree do it? My parents never could have.
We are in our late 50's, retired and have three 60 pound mutts. Based on life span, we will be in our mid sixties when they pass. I may be dogless for a year or two to travel where dogs would be difficult to travel with, but will have a smaller dog or two once we've done the 3 trips we want to do (yup, we have a bucket list) that will be easier to travel with (although even smaller dogs create challenges for travel).
I get far more enjoyment from my dogs than I feel limited by them for travel - and they do limit travel options and length of trips. For the once or twice a year we do a vacation type trip, it is easier to work around the challenges than be without the companionship the rest of the year.
Don't let a human ruin your life (replied the dog).
Dogs are not paying for their food and care. It amazes me how much it costs to own a dog or even a cat. The ASCPA estimates annual costs at about $1000 for a dog and about two thirds that amount for a cat. As pets age, it is common to have vet bills adding up to many hundreds or thousands of dollars. People who otherwise need to watch expenses and who give up many wants to pay for the needs do not seem to hesitate taking on the expenses of pet ownership.
I cannot help but think about previous comments about traveling in an RV and having a couple of very large dogs. Not only are those dogs going to cost a $1000 plus each for routine care, but the owners are going to need a very large RV. That will typically mean staying in expensive RV parks plus the cost of owning and fuel for that large RV.
I cannot help but think about previous comments about traveling in an RV and having a couple of very large dogs. Not only are those dogs going to cost a $1000 plus each for routine care, but the owners are going to need a very large RV. That will typically mean staying in expensive RV parks plus the cost of owning and fuel for that large RV.
Yeah, but here dogs cost more than 1K per year, heck food alone is $120 a month. We are staying with a 35 foot 5th wheel (our plan). With or without the RV or the dogs, the costs are mainly the same for each. We may board them on occasion depending on what we do (which adds expense), or my Mom will come out and house/dog sit.
Everyone chooses what they want to do in retirement, and there is no right or wrong decision.
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Everyone chooses what they want to do in retirement, and there is no right or wrong decision.
I did not say there was a right or wrong on the pet issue. I did say that pets can be very expensive.
There is no right or wrong choice on RVs either. Some want RVs as big as many houses. Others, like me, want something smaller and easier for travel. My wife and I just finished 3 months, 10000 miles and 10 National Parks. Most of the time we stayed in places that would not accommodate a big 5th wheeler. Nor did we have to tow one for all of those miles. I don't think that means our choice is the right decision for others. Quite a large number of people who use RVs do not have much interest in giving up household comforts or spending time in remote locations. Heck, most of the people I know would not even consider an RV trip. They want to stay in nice hotels with gourmet dining and drinking.
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