Critter Alley

Critter Alley

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Get Out the Checkbook



Brady in his chubbier days.

Our son's dog, Brady, is back at our house to stay for a few days while he's out of town on business. Yep, we are still the doggie hotel.

He's had the dog for a couple of months now, and is spending a small fortune on vet bills due to various health issues. First of all, the 4 year old Cairn Terrier was extremely overweight. So Brady's food has been cut back and he's being walked regularly. The pounds are slowly coming off.

His allergies are not so easy to solve. Brady went to the doggie dermatologist and after testing, it was determined that he is allergic to 17 different things (grass, mold, dust, etc., etc.). So, $450 later, the vet recommends allergy shots 3x per week to desensitize him. My son has to administer the shots. This treatment will run about $600 per year.

If the allergy shots don't work, not to worry. The vet has a new wonder drug that he'll try next. It only costs $100 per month to keep Brady from chewing his toes off.

Yikes! Brady seems to be on his way to becoming a pretty pricey pooch. Perhaps that's the reason why his previous owners decided to give him up.

I think he's a darn lucky dog to be where he is now.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How wonderful for Brady that he has such a caring owner with the patience to help him overcome his allergies.

The Word Place said...

Too many people who acquire "pets" don't realize that they are actually adding another member to the family and must treat said four-legged member like any other two-legged one. Fortunately, Lady doesn't have any medical problems, but her regular care is pricey enough---immunizations, grooming, etc. I don't begrudge it to her, however, and in fact budget it as a regular expense in the special account I keep for annual and semi-annual pay-outs, including property taxes, etc.

I'm sure Brady will repay every penny in love and loyalty! He's a real cutie!