Having a dog is VERY expensive proposition! I am probably way up there on the “guilty” list as, in addition to the usual stuff people buy for their dogs, I buy show equipment, agility equipment, books, videos, etc. But that’s just the beginning. What I find most expensive are the vet bills. Sadly the older your dog gets, the more those bills grow, but even regular check-ups and vet care for a healthy dog is expensive. For instance, had to take all three of my munchkins to the vet this past weekend to have their heartworm tests. Out vet is very helpful and works with me but he cannot prescribe heartworm preventative, a necessary evil in New York during warm weather days, without running this test first (even though both he and I would be willing to put money on the fact that none of my dogs have the condition). Each dog was a $78 bill (and then I sent the scripts out to Foster & Smith, purchasing a number of other items for dogs and parrot, for a total order of $180).
If your dog gets sick, boy can you be in trouble! When Bun had his Addison’s crisis, I ran up nearly $4000 worth of vet bills. He will now be on meds for the rest of his life. $150 worth of DOCP a year and prednisone every day for the rest of his life. You may need to have a real sit-down chat with hubby if you haven’t done so already.