today we are off to the vet for the annual heartworm/flea/tick test and prevention. Harlow is also due for her Lepto and Bordetella vaccine. Feel for me as I shell out $500 today, I will try not to cry as they swipe my debit card. Thank goodness I have a healthy dog. Ticks are pretty bad here, thankfully I haven't pulled any off her yet. We started tick/flea prevention last month but now I will do the all in one.
Ouch! That's a lot all at once.... BUT I was just visiting friends in Minnesota last weekend and they were telling me that they had to put their dog down last year because he got Lyme's disease. So... it's totally worth it to keep your dog safe! Too bad you couldn't put your dog under your people insurance.
there is a Lyme disease vaccine but we don’t get it as Lyme is not prevalent here but ticks are abundant. My friend lives up north and is the opposite, she does the Lyme vaccine but does not need tick prevention. Clean bill of health. Ears, weight, joints, and teeth are all excellent (Labs have a tendency toward ear infections, joint issues and obesity) but I keep her pretty active. Done until next year . I joke about that often, lol. There is pet insurance but I never did it other than the 6 weeks the breeder provided when she was a pup.
Glad your pup is well, @jaye! We had to take our Yorkie to the vet quite a bit in a 2-3 month period. Think the bank was hurting after those lol.
Oh, I feel for you! I live in fear of the annual vet visit, or at least, of the $400-500 bill for the annual vet visit (and I have, thankfully, a healthy dog ...). Ticks are really bad here, too. My dog Lucas gets the Lyme vaccine, along with monthly tick/flea prevention treatments.
Truthfully the meds are what gets you, $285 for those and the heart worm test is $50, there goes 300+. Exam was $66, 2 vaccines, $50. I too am grateful for a healthy dog. I often joke that Labs seem indestructible. Hard heads, iron stomachs and hearts of gold. It’s the only breed I’ve ever owned.
Totally feel your pain! The ticks in our area are bad this year! I'm constantly checking our dogs & kids! Our two Bulldogs are always at the vet it seems! Our oldest one (Lucy, 7yrs old) has a lot of skin allergies so she's always getting a steroid shot & creams/sprays etc for her skin. Our pup (Nelly, 1.5yrs old) has a torn ACL and a luxating patella- oh vey! The surgery to fix is just about $10k!!! We're hoping & praying with meds & rest she can heal it herself without surgery but man... At least they're cute right!?!?
It does take money to keep a pet healthy, that's for sure! So glad your pup is in great shape and protected against ticks. We've only been dog owners since 9/2020, and before that we were a cat family. Jay and I did have a dog when we got married, but we ended up having to rehome him. Cats are expensive, too! But like @LivyBug said, we shelled out quite a few dollars for dental treatment and other issues for Piper. She's too cute, though. It was all worth it.
Fingers crossed for you ... my pup had to have knee surgery on both of her hind legs and it was pricey, even with my granddaughter's employee discount (she's a vet assistant). And this reminds me, I need to give Zoey her monthly combo med ... heartworm/tick/flea.
I have to get it all for my two dogs and I gulp each time I have to pull out the debit card. It's pricey but worth the peace of mind to keep our pups healthy. I found 2 ticks on Taz last year but b/c of the flea and tick treatment the ticks weren't able to do any damage and fell off of his groin. @amien1 hope surgery won't be necessary. We just got thru spending about 10K on Remi and I cringe at the drain in our savings but luckily we were able to spend the money and survive it but sure hope things settle down as we can't spend that kind of money all the time.
they are so worth it!! I don't know what I would do without my Harlow. The heartworm test came back negative so we started the heartworm/flea/tick this morning just have to copy her vaccine receipt to take to puppy camp for their records and confirmation of her Bordetella (Kennel Cough).
