Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Brave
My husband and I thought it was more humorous than anything. We pretty much felt like our dog played us. Now we know to wait a bit before hitting the panic button when she goes into drama mode.
I know too well the cost of maintaining a physically ill pet. I had to put down my 12 year old cocker spaniel last September. Unfortunately, cockers have a lot of problems that are inherent to the breed. Cancer, skin tumors, deafness and blindness finally got the best of him. He had three major surgeries over his lifetime and we probably spent over $2000 just to have benign tumors and skin growths removed every so often. He also suffered from terrible ear infections which a former vet never properly treated him for. Factor in his general vet care over the course of 12+ years and that's quite a chunk.
Would I do it all over again? You betcha. Would I ever have another cocker spaniel again? No way.
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Each breed of dogs are prone to a whole mess of different inherent problems.
I've even seen a pug that a guy had thrown thousands of dollars into so it could have multiple back surgeries. And the dog hadn't even reached 8 years old yet.
I think there are a few steady breeds that, when they get older, won't be a complete mess. Labs, golden retrievers, boxers and big working group dogs (Dobermans, Sheepdogs, Newfies, Rottweilers) tend to hold up very well so long as you keep them in shape and don't overfeed them.
I've never owned a dog, but I've worked with them for over 2 years and I can understand that bond between people and their pets. It's just like having a kid (to a point). If your dog needs something, I can understand an owner pouring almost as much money necessary into making sure it gets good treatment.
But I do think vets gouge on what they wanna do for pet owners. I know a dog that is on medication for separation anxiety. Come on... Is that really worth medicating your dog over? I can see if he's just freaking out and biting people when he's away from his owner or something.. But I really don't think it's worth spending money on a dog for medication for separation anxiety. Maybe it is? I just don't understand it myself.