Pets are family. Pets are those ride or dies in our lives that don't judge us, yell at us, think we're irresponsible, or tell us to call home more (ahem, mom). Pets complete our families. Sometimes pets are our only family. They are a great addition to life, but they come at a cost. As a pet owner, it's important to budget correctly for their life. If you're like me, you may splurge a bit here and there on your pooch (for good reason!). Here are five things that are definitely worth the splurge.
1. Food
A photo posted by ThreeDogBakery Plaza & Leawood (@threedogbakery_plaza_leawood) on Jan 4, 2017 at 4:59pm PST
Pets can have special dietary restrictions, too. My dog has a super sensitive stomach and months of regular pet store food (grains and all) meant he could never get regular. We finally went to a specialty pet store where we found some amazing (but expensive!) food. For the love our pet's poop, we had to splurge on food.
2. Vet bills
A photo posted by Furiends Forever Inc (@furiendsforever) on Jan 4, 2017 at 10:16am PST
This is a hard one to save on. We do have a premium plan for our dog, Miles, which is a monthly fee in exchange for discounts on vaccinations, checkups, and medicine -- but what happens when he swallows something he shouldn't have? You have to get x-rays. Hello, $400 totally justifiable expense!
3. Day camp
A video posted by ohteffymae (@ohteffymae) on Nov 2, 2016 at 2:35pm PDT
My husband and I both work during the week and can't always get home to take our pooch on walks. Enter: Doggie Day Camp. Doggie camp is pretty much a giant warehouse with fake grass and kiddie pools where our dog goes twice a week for 8 hours. He then sleeps for the other 5 days of the weeks. It's magical. It's expensive. It's worth it.
4. Treats
A photo posted by MOCHI | dog model in NYC (@mochiandthecity) on Jan 4, 2017 at 7:00pm PST
Milkbones aren't super great for dogs. The synthetic bacon treats for dogs have cancer causing chemicals in them. They're cheap, but they're dangerous. Better off sticking to more organic, natural treats (They're affordable if you buy bulk) that will make your pet strong and healthy.
5. Grooming
A photo posted by Sydnee's Pet Grooming (@sydneespetgrooming) on Jan 5, 2017 at 12:08pm PST
The lazy person in me thought of this one. We've tried 100 times to get our dog into the bathtub to give him a bath. He fights and shakes and wiggles out of our grip every chance he gets. The amount of effort it took to get our pup a proper bath on our own was out weight by the cost of a proper grooming at the pet salon. Worth it!