Blame Fido for the recession. It's all the rage!

Before you start reading the world's longest blog post, let me just begin by stating I do not have children of my own. Many will argue that if I had children, my stance on my position would change. I regret to inform you that my position would NOT change, because I am NOT a wishy washy kind of girl. Everyone, including the four-legged variety, has blood running through their veins, they have feelings, and they communicate. Just because an animal does not manipulate words and sentences in the same manner humans can, that doesn't make them less worthy. If you think otherwise, stop reading NOW and go back to your internet porn....or whatever you were doing previously. Meanwhile start chanting....

...repeat after me: unemployment is not my pet's fault. Unemployment is not my pet's fault. Keep chanting that until it finally settles deep inside your brain.

I know the economy is bad. I am well aware that people, including myself, have lost jobs due to the disparity that is the recession. We all have to make due with what we have, fix what is broke as opposed to buying new, clip coupons, and eliminate frivolous spending. I do not consider any type of care for your pet as "frivolous." It saddens me greatly to hear about people giving up their pets, as they don't have the money to care for them any longer. After all, as far as our society is concerned, it's easier to dump your pet to a place where they will receive "better" care. What our society doesn't realize, "better care" equates to eternal peace. Is it really fair to take your supposed once-loved four-legged friend to a strange animal shelter, and cut the pet's life short? To the people who have given up their pets because they could no longer afford them: can you HONESTLY say you have exhausted all measures of money-saving methods? Did you make the switch from Merrick's dog food to Purina? Did you eliminate the bonus treats from your pet's diet? Most importantly...did you take the time to speak with the veterinarian for advice on the care and well being of your pet during these rough economic times? Have you even thought about/discussed arrangement of a payment plan with the veterinarian so that the pet can get the care it deserves? That's not possible, you say? I say that is BULLSHIT. I am willing to bet that most people did not go the extra mile. That just infuriates me, because the mentioned alternatives are indeed POSSIBLE. Here is my story....

In April of 2007, my cat (Pookie) was diagnosed with feline diabetes. At that time, I had an advantage, as I was working for the animal clinic at the time of his diagnoses. That meant I got all exams, treatments, and medications half-price as an employee discount. At first, he was put on Glipizide, but that didn't seem to do much as far as regulation. After a month of very little progress, I decided to go full force and go the insulin route. Naturally, my veterinarian was elated over my decision, and immediately prescribed a beef/pork insulin at $40 a pop. With insulin, syringes are needed, which is $30 for a box of 100. Then comes the frequent initial glucose screenings (glucose screenings are mandatory to adjust the dosage). By the way, all mentioned costs include the employee discount.

Fast forward to December, 2007. Due to personal reasons, I had to quit my job at the animal clinic. Now add 50% more in veterinary costs. It was steep for awhile until I got a contract position with AT&T. Now, I'm able to swallow the costs, my animals are happy and healthy, and all was right with the world. That is until AT&T decided to rid of their contractors last July (Please note: the business solutions firm I was employed with gave me NO indication as far as the length of the contract. There were conflicting reports of anywhere from six months to two years. I will never, EVER go the contracting route ever again).

My layoff came at a really bad time. It was during a point where I had too many abominable events taking place all at once, and really needed the extra cash to be able to tolerate such events without resorting to a nervous breakdown (not that I've ever had one, but came damn close). Just a month before my layoff, my husband and I went to Las Vegas for a bowling tournament. I left very explicit instructions to my pals who was overseeing my zoo's care, including Pookie's insulin instructions. In retrospect, I realize that my instructions comes off as highly anal. Now, with no job, I am forced to re-think my strategy for my quest in maintaining good health for all my pets.

The PZI insulin is now $80 every two months. At 3 units BID, it disappears pretty quickly. I decided to look for alternatives by feeding Pooks a very strict, diabetic-friendly diet, hoping that diet alone would regulate his glucose. It didn't.

Six months later, Pooks has lost weight, drinks water excessively, and is peeing like there's no tomorrow. EVERYWHERE. Clearly, he's miserable, and it breaks my heart to see him go through that much misery. My husband, meanwhile, is the most conservative, fiscally responsible man you will ever meet. In fact, he's so conservative, he is ultimately proud of his moniker, "Mr. Cheap." On the contrary, his majestic attitude can be really fucking annoying. One day, I said to him, "I need to take Pooks to the vet and get him back on the insulin." He asks, "How much is this going to cost?" That, to me, is the most fucking annoying question EVER in this universe, especially when it pertains to medical issues.

I did not answer him. I made an appointment with my vet (now ex-employer) anyway. Because of my long-standing good relationship with them, I felt comfortable explaining why he was taken off the insulin to begin with due to lack of work and monetary concerns. She looked at me in disbelief. Her response was, to paraphrase:

"If you ran out of insulin, all you had to do was give us a call. If money is an issue, there is no problem in setting up a payment plan. We know you and your animals, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to care for your loved ones."

My vet then prescribed another type of insulin that was more budget-friendly, and together, we devised a payment plan that satisfies all parties involved.

Granted, I have the luxury of a good relationship, and plus, everyone knows me and I know them. However, this is not to suggest that veterinarians will turn away an animal because the client doesn't have the cash. The reason they entered into this field initially is because of their love for animals. Unless their name is Dr. Gregory House, they are in it for a lot more reasons other than the science aspect.

My concerns with my pets does not stop with the diabetic cat. In fact, 75% of my four-legged population have medical issues, mostly due to age. Beatrice, who is the first dog I've ever owned, is a highly loved, pampered pooch in the household. I've been her mama since she was 4 months old. Originally acquired from a shelter, she is raised with infinite amounts of love and adoration. As she is getting older (she will turn 9 years old in August), her medical problems seem to become more evident. She has several concerns: a bad knee, escalating liver enzymes, and warts popping up all over her body. Buckeye, the latest addition to the family, is in desperate need of a thorough dental procedure that includes extractions. I am running all this over and over in my head, while constantly worrying about how to pay for it all. With no job. Who knows how long it will be before I get the luxury of working full-time again. And then, a revelation: I distinctly recall signing an adoption CONTRACT when I adopted both Beatrice and Buckeye. The verbage was something like this:

• "Owner agrees that the adopted pet will be treated as a family member with loving care and attention..."


• "Owner will provided all required and/or needed veterinary care..."


• "Owner accepts RESPONSIBILITY and ownership..."

Hm. I see a dirty word: responsibility. What, pray tell, does that entail? A large part of it has much to do with cost. As you can see my example with Pookie, when there's a will, there is a way.

Granted, no one, not even pet rescue organizations, can predict the economic downfall, job loss, and foreclosures. I will be the first to admit that I was naive in thinking that I could never be affected by this. Luckily, I'm not in a foreclosure position...I'm just having a hard time finding a job. Also, there is a part of me that is a bit proactive, and have set aside some money anticipating the medical needs of my pets. But not everybody is that smart. Animal advocates are not talking out of their ass when they say pet ownership is a big RESPONSIBILITY. Most organizations will forewarn these responsibilities with "Plan on committing the next 12-20 years for your pet." That generally involves some future planning and envisioning different scenarios in the unfortunate circumstance where pet ownership will become challenging, such as:

• What will happen if I lose my job?
• What will happen if I have to move?
• What will happen if I get a divorce?
• What will happen if my kid becomes allergic?

Unfortunately, our society likes to live in the NOW, and not the future. *THAT* is why so many animals are up for adoption every year, this year more than ever. People don't THINK things through, and it's infuriating when there are other lives at stake. As much as I loathe the "What If" monster, desperate times calls for desperate measures, especially when OTHER LIVES are vulnerable.

Pets do not understand recession. They don't understand why all of a sudden they have to relocate to a different and strange place. They do not understand the pain and agony associated with job loss. And no, they don't understand the pressure of paying the mortgage and credit card debt. They don't understand any of it, but that doesn't make them "disposable." They only know love....unconditional love at that. You will never get that from another human being, no matter how in "love" you think you are. In the human race, it's love one day...out the door the next. Bear in mind, with the divorce rates at 50% in the U.S., (probably more than that by now) nothing is further from the truth. Everything is disposable when it comes to our own self interests. I digress. Continuing on...

Another thing that infuriates me is the constant reports by the media about people giving up their pets....but rarely do they provide tips and advice on pet care, and things to consider should the thought ever cross the mind of giving up your pet. I'm about to change that shit RIGHT NOW.

These are a good starting point. Run, don't walk, to the following links:

Caring for Your Pet During Hard Times
Online Resource for Pet Owners/Rental Managers
EXCELLENT blog post providing some good tips to reduce pet costs
Help with High Vet Bills

After all that said and done, if you can truly live with yourself in your honesty that you have done EVERYTHING (and I mean...EVERYTHING) you could possibly do to avoid having to depart with your pet during the recession, then I would wholeheartedly understand. Certain things cannot be helped. At the same time, NOBODY should take pet ownership lightly. But too many people do, and it's hard for me to sympathize with them. And I won't.