I'm going to be starting my Senior year of nursing school in the fall. So, I do wish someone would have warned me that dogs are expensive in ways beyond good-quality food (and well, toys, clothes, collars, beds... haha). I am taking Duke to the vet. tomorrow and I'm sick to my stomach about how much it is going to cost. I took him in two months ago for an ear infection and it was $120. I took my Mom's dog in at the same time (she just needed a shot for her skin), thinking since they saw the dogs at the same time by the same vet., they wouldn't charge me double the office visit fee... but, they charged full price for both (my Mom's dog's total was $50). So, my jaw dropped when they told me it was $170 for 10 minutes of their time and a $16bottle of antibiotics. Duke also had to have a femoral osteotomy (just had a bit of his femur shaved off so it would fit into the hip joint; walks just dandy now) five years ago when he was a pup to the tune of $1200 (for surgery and follow-up and note I did say five years ago!) The femoral osteotomy was with his first owner's though. For Duke's shots and check up this past fall it was $110. Tomorrow is for a hurt nail that may have gotten infected; it's just not healing right. But, I'm grabbing up my credit cards. I'd pay any amount of money for Duke, but it still does stress me out financially. And for the high cost of school... don't take it out on your customers.
You should be happy to be helping animals and not worrying about your students loans if your heart is truly in it. Nursing school (and I will start grad. school in the fall of '08), is costing a pretty penny... but, I'm wanting to take a job as a school nurse and in my rural area they get paid about as much as teachers. But, I think it will be worth the paycut to do what I want to do instead of a busy, stressful hospital (that I'm in now). And it is obvious which residents/doctors are in it for the money and which are there to really help people.