Pets in Recession
In these hard financial times we are all having to make cut backs but does that mean abandoning our best friends?
I was horrified to read how many pets were being abandoned on the streets, taken to rescue centres on a daily basis. In some cases reports of owners killing their pets has been reported. Not surprisingly the larger pets such as cats, dogs and horses were the main recipients of this unloving trait that some pet owners obviously have.
There is a great strain being put on the rescue centres and the RSPCA through lack of funds and space caused by this trend of mass abandonment accompanied by fewer public donations, again down to the financial mess.
Smaller animals, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and mice are being spared, no doubt a few hours on the lawn and a few discarded lettuce leaves cost nothing.
As an animal lover and devoted dog owner I cannot comprehend what makes people give up their pets so easily. Duke, my Border Collie, costs approximately £1.00 to feed per day and he is not neglected. After his operation for mouth cancer he went onto a different diet, a product called Naturediet, produced by the firm of the same name. One packet of their natural food containing all the necessary vitamins and made with meat and vegetable products fit for human consumption, retails at £0.75p and is sufficient for an entire daily meal. Add to that an occasional treat or biscuit, which is not absolutely vital, and your food bill amounts to approximately a pound a day. Surely that is affordable for anyone?
Ok I hear people screaming ‘what about the vet’s bills?’
I agree, vets are not cheap but then we must consider they are highly skilled professionals who have studied longer and harder than our own doctors and therefore deserve the money they earn. Depending on how you view the NHS we are lucky, we only have prescription charges to pay unlike other countries where health insurance schemes have to be paid for to get medical attention.
Similarly with our pets, we can take out pet insurance, an added expense yes but well worth it should your pet require expensive treatment. I have been lucky with Duke during most of his life, visits to the vet have been annual occasions for a check up and booster jab costing no more than £30.00 for the annual visit. Add to that the necessary worming and flea control and the entire annual bill is probably no more than a hundred pounds, which when broken down is less than 30p per day.
Last year when Duke developed cancer, my vet referred us to the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, his five day stay and treatment came to just under £3000.00 however, thanks to the pet insurance I took out ten years ago the actual amount I had to pay was £200.00 which was the excess payable on all insurance policies. His follow up treatment back at the local vets has not cost me anything, hence I consider pet insurance very worthwhile.
There are many companies offering pet insurance and normally I would not advertise one in particular, however, the cost and service I have received from Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance has been second to none. To ease the burden I pay monthly which makes it affordable although slightly more expensive than paying the premium in full. Obviously as your pet gets older the premiums rise, but it is also the time when your pet is more likely to have health problems and when you will benefit from the insurance. Whichever company you choose, my advice is to read first what they actually cover and whether they cover recurring illnesses in future years.
If you would like to know more about the Naturediet foodI mentioned earlier, contact me through the usual channels. It is a food I have encouraged several friends to try with their dogs and the dogs just love it. There are several choices, lamb, chicken and turkey plus special mixes for puppies, protein sensitive diets and senior diets. Give your dog and your wallet a treat!