View Full Version : How do the elderly afford their pets?
Few people doubt the affection and happiness that comes with having a companion animal. The health advantages of lowered blood pressure when stroking a pet are well documented.
All kinds of medical interventions are available to give our dear companions a long and healthy life.
But little is said about the cost of keeping a pet when one is living on a fixed and limited income.
First is the cost of food for the pet. Our local Meals on Wheels provides daily meals for elderly in need but found that many were eating only half their meal and sharing the other half to their pet because they did not have the means to buy food for the pet. (I understand that Meals on Wheels now will provide donated pet food to those who need it.)
Then there is the yearly registration and vaccinations. I've read that some vaccinations can be given every other year. And we found a Veterinary mobile clinic which gives vaccinations and registration at about half the price of our usual vet clinic.
Lastly, there is the problem when they get sick. How does one afford veterinary care for a sick pet? We ran up a $500 veterinary bill for our cat yesterday and are not sure if the treatment we gave him is going to cure him or not. We have the money to pay it because JMM is still working but when he retires, $500 will be a good chunk out of our retirement income.
I am wondering how does one afford companion animals in retirement?
Good topic.
For one thing, we in the U.S. have tiered medical care for pets. (Of course you know this.) So some pets will be euthanized due to lack of funds while the same pets, if with a different family, would not be and would receive excellent top end care. I don't think tiered healthcare is a terrible thing and some version of that is ok with me for human care. But that is a digression and hope that doesn't turn the entire course of this thread.
There are still vets who recognize the inability or unwillingness of some pet owners to do a lot of care. My two vets at my "basic" clinic both retired recently. They were rock bottom in price, beating the Humane Society by a mile in prices. Their vet clinic was paid for long ago and they didn't have modern equipment. They had no functioning x-ray machine. They had a balance scale (not electronic.) etc. I liked them because they provided simple basic care at rock bottom prices and not much beyond that. I used them for the simple stuff and then ran off to my back-up vet or specialists for the more complex treatments. And they were decent diagnosticians.
Too many veterinarians IMHO are opting for Cadillac care. Not everyone will pay that. The young female vet who took over their practice wanted to do a heartworm test on my 14 year old dog. She had not had such a test in their record. I say, why!!!!!?????? She is 14 years old!!! If she has heartworms I will not treat it anyway. But I acquiesced and had the test, but told her it would be the last such heartworm test for this dog.
I've got a rescue dog we are fostering right now with wicked skin problems. Already I am in nearly $1,000 for him at the skin specialist and I can't see that we've made progress. I may keep him (which means we stop fostering dogs) but I am looking at the next few years when I will be working, and am trying to figure out how long he will live. He will need lifetime expensive care which I can afford while working but when that stops, I don't want that commitment. Mind you, I am NOT advocating this for most dogs or for rescue dogs, but this bulldog is uber sweet and I am hopelessly in love with him. Hopelessly. How can I resist a big silly male dog with testicles who lets every tiny female dog in this house boss him around? I can't! And then, when one of them was in heat, all he wanted to do was sit on the sofa and kiss me, had no interest in that girl dog. I am hooked!
Expensive veterinary care is a relatively new thing--whatever the market will bear, lots of "preventive medicine" and wildly unnecessary immunizations, etc.--just like human health "care." I believe in treating when necessary, not pumping animals (or people) full of expensive and potentially harmful chemicals. I can afford mid-tier pet care easily and would consider paying extra for treatment if it made sense to me to do so--not just prolonging suffering. That said, I'm between cats at the moment, though if someone leaves a Selkirk Rex on my doorstep, I'll scoop it right up. Go ahead, do a Google image search.
ETA: http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/cats-101/videos/selkirk-rex.htm
Respectfully, the question is not about the elderly. It's about how do poor people afford their pets. Yes, retired and/or elderly people may have limited incomes, but many do not.
And they have the usual options - decrease their costs when possible, scrimp in other areas, not provide appropriate care, euthanize or give away pets they can't afford. Pets are quite the luxury and I wish more people would realize that.
Respectfully, the question is not about the elderly. It's about how do poor people afford their pets. Yes, retired and/or elderly people may have limited incomes, but many do not.
And they have the usual options - decrease their costs when possible, scrimp in other areas, not provide appropriate care, euthanize or give away pets they can't afford. Pets are quite the luxury and I wish more people would realize that.
Good point.
I spend $300 for the usual annual maintenance care of health check and needed shots for my foxhound that I bought from the local humane society for $50 - neutered, microchipped and a sweetheart nature.
I am spending $1250 to give him a safe run so that I can do some things taking me away from home for 12 hours. I send him to wonderful kennel for overnight stays at $23 a day.
However, I will not pay for over the top expenses anymore than I will pay for my over the top expenses for questionable benefit.
Quality dog food is $30+ per month so all this adds a lot to the cost of a pet.
Benefit - I have a reason to walk 2-3 miles every day. Those twice daily walks provide structure to my day. I have someone who is always glad to see me now that my DH has passed on so provides good companionship. Any gym membership would start at $50 or more a month and I would have to drive there.
I am grateful that I can afford the costs as he is worth them all.
Kestra, of course, you are correct it is a problem for anyone with limited means.
I am going to check around and see if I can make up a spreadsheet of costs of the various veterinary clinics within reasonable driving distance.
Thank you to all who shared your thoughts and experience.
Where the elderly are concerned, as important than affordability might be questions like "Are you going to be able to crawl under the bed and pull Fluffy out when she's sick and hiding and needs to go to the vet?" "Are you able to drive to the vet?" "Can you pick 75-pound Brutus up and hold onto him long enough to give him a bath?"
I am wondering how people of all ages afford what veterinary doctors charge these days. The whole culture around having pets has done a 180. It used to be that people kept their pets outdoors and fed them table scraps. I recall that when there were too many kittens on his farm, my grandfather would put them in a burlap bag and toss them in the irrigation canal. There are all sorts of animal specialty clinics going up around here so I guess lots of folks can and do shell out for expensive treatments. We were shocked recently when we had to pay hundreds to have some of our Dachsund's teeth pulled. I guess I am a bad pet owner but we don't do all the routine stuff like heartworm pills, vaccinations (other than required rabies), flea treatment etc - I imagine our pets will die of old age (the Dachsund is 14 now and has had very little vet care except for the teeth business); we won't go to extraordinary means when that happens. But you're right, it is something to think about - when this dog goes, we won't get another due to the cost and other factors like not being able to leave for trips easily.
I am still doing well enough that I can buy the necessary food and litter for my cat. My budget allows me to care for him, cover our basic costs, and I am hanging on to the Internet because I need to work for my clients at home.
CoolCat's health care comes before my own. Not a great plan, but so far it means that I am not having the regular, maintenance-type tests and such. Our humane society provides low-cost vaccinations, but no other care or health checks. For that, I have a vet clinic that will allow me to gradually pay my bills there.
He is old, like me, and it is clear that he is slowing down and that his arthritis is becoming more of an issue for him. When I fled my home last year, my other cat was neglected by my ex, and I spent many hundreds of dollars trying to save her. In the end it was for naught, and whilst it is my hope that I will somehow find the money to do the same for my cat, should the need arise, if he becomes chronically and expensively ill I think that I might have to let him go.
It seems like having survived the past couple of years that there should not be any barriers to providing the absolute best for him, but it is unlikely that I will be able to provide the care that I would love to give him. Every day we have together is precious, and I make certain that we spend as much time doing what he likes, which is mostly letting him play with a particular necklace, cuddling and grooming him. He now sheds like crazy, but it does not bother me because I know that someday finding his fur on something or pulling a dust bunny from under the bed is going to be bittersweet and a wonderful opportunity to remember how cool he is, or was, at that moment, I guess.
goldensmom
5-30-13, 11:32am
I am wondering how does one afford companion animals in retirement?
Priorities. I am retired and recently when I renewed a prescription for my dog (seizures) the cost had gone up 500% so I checked around and sure enough, that was the right price. Like every other area of my life, I have to prioritize. My dog is inside and when she goes outside, she goes no further than the back porch so I did research and decided to stop giving her monthly heartworm medication. Also, the yearly vaccination cost has gone up plus the vet visit ($40 total) so I am considering whether to buy and give her the shot ($12) myself or, again after research, just not vaccinating. With our own health insurance going up 300% in the last 3 years and who knows what the near future hold in that area, we just have to prioritize.
The cat shelter where we volunteer has a fostering program for the elderly: they give the cat a home, and the shelter pays for medical and food bills.
I hear you on costs going up. Costs of everything have increased by about 30% over the past 3 years, without corresponding income increases.
thinkgreen
5-30-13, 12:41pm
I don't know how people on limited means can afford their pets. My kitty had a stroke last month and they put her on high blood pressure meds. The cost was $50 for a one month supply. She will have to stay on this the rest of her life. Fortunately a friend told me about an online pharmacy for pets and I was able to purchase a year's supply for less than a month's supply locally. You have to be creative and you have to shop around.
poetry_writer
5-30-13, 1:54pm
Some may disagree with me, in fact many may.....We used to have pets before there was such detailed vet care as there is now. The dog, or cat, got a rabies shot. Period. If it got sick we would take it to the vet. We didnt get its teeth cleaned or treat heartworms. And the dogs were healthy , happy and enjoyed life till they died. Routine meds for a pet was unheard of. I dont have a pet now because of the ridiculously high pet deposit where I live......
I don't know how some afford it. I do know that some folks really need to think twice about whether they have the resources to have pets (or children, for that matter) Currently I do. And having just poured huge amounts of money into relieving my namesake pug's suffering (he's fine now) I was grateful every day for having the resources to do what I could for him. If I couldn't, I would have to let him go, and I'd have to think twice about having a pet. As it is, we live simply and build up a special savings account just to pay for our three guys' care when they need it. Having a companion animal is a crucial part of my happiness, so I do what I have to do. I'll give up cable TV, netflix, smart phones, power-everything in a car, a fancy lawn. I won't give up my "pack." :)
I might be very unpopular for saying this, but many folks really don't think all of that through, and when something happens that causes their pet great suffering, they don't have a way to pay for even basic palliative vet care. Or even feed them sometimes, as stated above. I find that kind of thoughtlessness to be a form of cruelty in and of itself -- I wish they would not take on the responsibility if they are not able to be humane caregivers.
I'm between cats at the moment, though if someone leaves a Selkirk Rex on my doorstep, I'll scoop it right up. Go ahead, do a Google image search.
Wow! What a crazy cool cat!
I think that one reason "the elderly" might be part of the question is that pets may serve some very important functions in the well-being of older people. So even though the question is about how people can afford to keep pets, for some people pets are very important to overall well being. I liked what Rosemary said about her shelter offering older people an opportunity to foster.
I have been looking at the retirement idea and it is pretty clear that there won't be a dog in my retired future unless my financial picture changes a lot. The dog is great, he's fine now and he's also five, so his demise and my retirement may neatly coincide. But in getting realistic about the costs of having a dog has been enlightening. I wish I could find quality food for $30/month, for example.
Maybe I'll get to foster pets when I am retired. That does seem like a good solution.
jennipurrr
5-30-13, 3:10pm
I think the size of the pet plays in to overall cost and ability for someone who is not in top physical condition to care for also, which is maybe why you don't see many elderly folks with large dogs. My small dog is much less costly than my big ones. A $50 bag of premium food would last him months, whereas the labs go through a bag in just under a month. He can also be easily bathed in a sink, etc.
I would say an indoor cat is a pretty low maintence pet...but with all the litter changing that might not be something the elderly are particulary up for. Inside/outside cats may use less litter but my cat who goes outside has had numerous health issues of his own making...one time he ate garbage and got an infection, cat fight that required stitches, dissapeared for two weeks, etc.
Tussiemussies
5-30-13, 5:09pm
Jilly, you post is so filled wit love it gave me joy just to read it!
We also give our dog the best of everything and do take her to an excellent, expensive vet. My husband will be part-time working through most of his retirement so we don't have to worry. I love my dog so much it is hard to explain. She has been diagnosed with canine Alzheimer's so we have her on medication that has helped to a small degree and are enjoying every second with her. I don't know what I would do without her. At least I have my husband.....
Along with the discussion about veterinary care costs, it is worth noting that, even 15-20 years ago, domestic cats and dogs did not enjoy the long lives they do now. Proactive vet care, more properly nutritious foods and the majority of pets now living indoors has done much to increase how long they live, and how much their care and upkeep can cost us.
This aspect of longer life also means that our pets are developing health issues that previous generations of cats and dogs did not. They simply did not live long enough to develop expensive diseases.
Another significant aspect is irresponsible breeding, which is directly connected to some people insisting on owning rare or unusual breeds or animals with the proper pedigree. I am not saying that there is a single thing wrong with wanting what you want, it is just that the world is full of people who are willing to inappropriately breed animals with known health issues and then sell them to unsuspecting, although well-intentioned, people at mostly outrageous prices. More than 28 years in animal rescue and shelter work has left me with millions of words to share about how advantage is taken of people who simply want a pet to love and to buy or adopt the best pet for their family.
Whilst that is not supportive of my financial situation, my life is immeasurably improved by having my cat in my life, which is what others have shared about how healthy it can be for us old folk to have pets.
Jilly, you post is so filled wit love it gave me joy just to read it!
We also give our dog the best of everything and do take her to an excellent, expensive vet. My husband will be part-time working through most of his retirement so we don't have to worry. I love my dog so much it is hard to explain. She has been diagnosed with canine Alzheimer's so we have her on medication that has helped to a small degree and are enjoying every second with her. I don't know what I would do without her. At least I have my husband.....
I would bet a nickle (too wussy to bet more) that every single person here has pretty much the same deep and satisfying relationship with their pets as you and I do.
I love my cat more than I can express, just like you. Another thing we pet owners have in common. They all love my cat.:~)
I would bet a nickle (too wussy to bet more) that every single person here has pretty much the same deep and satisfying relationship with their pets as you and I do. ...
It's not just single people. Everyone among my friends and relatives--married, partnered, single, parents, old or young--loves their companion animals dearly. They make a commitment to them, don't abandon them when times are hard, feed them high-quality food, see to their needs for love, play, and exercise, make vet visits (including acupuncture, swim therapy, adjustments), and generally afford them the same care you would any loved one.
Others I have observed are not as responsible. I've called ahead and reserved a suite in hell for them.
By single, I mean each person, as in every single person...oh...you know what I mean.>8)
Oh. Nevermind... http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/standart/blush.gif
frugal-one
5-30-13, 8:43pm
We consider our dog .... our loving companion, exercise/workout equipment (ie walks), hoover cleaner, security system and blood pressure regulator. He more than earns his keep!!!
That dog deserves a raise.
It's not just single people. Everyone among my friends and relatives--married, partnered, single, parents, old or young--loves their companion animals dearly. They make a commitment to them, don't abandon them when times are hard, feed them high-quality food, see to their needs for love, play, and exercise, make vet visits (including acupuncture, swim therapy, adjustments), and generally afford them the same care you would any loved one.
Others I have observed are not as responsible. I've called ahead and reserved a suite in hell for them. This is how I feel about my critters and have even made huge lifestyle changes to accomadate them - including giving up or changing some long held dreams I've had. But yes those little rascals have been extremely expensive over the years - some with surgeries costing $6k or more. Hard to manage on a fixed income. So after the this last one - that I inherited and didn't plan on but have come to love dearly even if she drives me crazy - is gone, I won't get any more. But more for the fact that I am so tied down rather than the costs.
iris lilies
6-1-13, 1:46pm
Tying down is lately a problem: I've got a dog who bites so a pet sitter can't come here. She is fine at the kennel, though--she will not bite outside of her territory. My foster dog can't go to the kennel because he doesn't have shots, can't get shots, and needs medication at all hours so I can only count on a dog sitter and neighbors to help with that.
We are planning a simple trip out of town in June but getting the dogs situated will be complex. Probably 1 will stay home, 2 will go to a kennel, and we will bring along 1 of them.
Now that I'm down to one dog it's easier but puts a crimp in the grungy backpacker around the world life I want now. Oh well, she is cute. Of course that's what I say about the bf too. Messes up my plans but makes up for it in hunkiness. And he's not nearly as expensive as the dog and doesn't have as many fleas :-)
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