Post #6 By the numbers

All of the time people ask me “How much does it cost to take care of a dog with epilepsy?” I usually come up with some sort of witty response like “It’s priceless because he is priceless” or “The costs really aren’t too bad if you spread the bills out.” But, today I really got to thinking on the actual costs of caring for Baron. How much do I spend in an average month to care for him? Are there areas where I could cut down on some of the expenses? In this post I am going to try to break these costs down. In my 4^th post I mentioned that Baron had to have a 5-day stay at the emergency Vets office; that bill came to a total of $4000. By controlling his diet and maintaining strict adherence to his medication schedule as well as following other steps I have been able to avoid making that trip again. Below is a breakdown of the average expenses for the month:

·         One month supply of Phenobarbital tablets $72

·         One month supply of Keppra tablets $31

·         One month supply of Valium suppositories $45

·         One forty-pound bag of grain free, limited preservative, low fat, dry kibble type dog food $32

·         One five-pound bag of frozen wild caught salmon $20

·         One five-pound bag of frozen chicken breasts $10

·         Five pounds of ground chuck burger $0 Lucky for me and for Baron this one is free because we raise our own beef and the freezer is always full

·         One 32-ounce bag of frozen organic mixed vegetables $6

·         One 32-ounce bag of frozen organic blueberries $9

·         Five pounds of fresh sweet potatoes $3

·         One five pound bag of russet potatoes $3.50

·         One 32-ounce box of instant brown rice $4

·         One gallon of 2% milk $2.50

·         I don’t add in the cost of vaccines because Baron doesn’t get them. Vaccinating tends to trigger seizures.

·         Heartworm preventative $10

The total of all of the food costs should be divided by three, because all three of my dogs eat the same food.  The total food costs for all three are $90; therefore Barons cost for food is $30 per month. If I add in all of the other costs the total for me to care for baron comes to $188 per month. That is a huge difference compared to the vet bill. Of course it is does cost me more to care for Baron than it would an otherwise healthy dog, but O wouldn’t change a thing about my boy!

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