<$Monday, June 25, 2007$>
Pet Health: Love's Not All They Need
 If you have pets, you probably don't need me to extol the virtues of having these fuzzy (or feathery, or scaley, if that's your thing) critters in your life. I've always been an animal person, and as such have always had plenty of pets. I've been known to bring home needy strays or accept animals needing homes despite barely being able to take care of myself, always thinking I could just buy the cheap food for them and make it up with lots of love. While I may have been well-intentioned, I realize now that I was wrong-headed. Over the last month we've spent about $350 on our "baby," Fizzgigg, the toy poodle I rescued off the street seven years ago. His health is paying the price for all that cheap food I used to feed him, and we're more than making up for all the money saved on dog food with expensive veterinary bills. I actually figured this out a couple of years ago, when his stomach stopped tolerating the cheap stuff. I upgraded his food to Science Diet, on the vet's recommendation, and he can handle that a lot better. That stuff, though, is loaded with wheat and corn gluten which, as I've found out in recent research, is notorious for causing allergies. So now I'll be upgrading him again to an even pricier, organic and gluten-free dog food, and mixing high grade fish oil in to boot. I won't lie--it's not cheap, and it makes me cringe when I fit it in the budget; but if it takes care of his allergy problem, it could save me hundreds in vet bills. Not to mention that it will improve his quality of life and make him a happy puppy dog, which is worth every penny. Just as investing in your own health will probably save you thousands of dollars in medical bills down the line, investing in your pets' health can save hundreds, if not thousands, in veterinary costs. This has been an expensive lesson to learn, as well as a painful one for Fizzgigg. From now on, no matter how much it pains me to close my door to an animal in need, I won't take on any pets that I can't afford to provide with quality care. UPDATE: Since I wrote this, I found a small bag of Newman's Own at Wild Oats that should provide my little guy with at least a month's worth of healthy, gluten-free eating, and it actually cost about $5 less than what I normally pay for Science Diet. It's too soon to tell how much this new food will impact his allergies, but it looks like this is one case where going the healthier route actually saves money, and not just in the long run. Labels: healthy living, pets |
