As someone who has worked in a pet hospital, I’ve seen too many pet owners who try to save money in daily pet – raising but end up spending a large amount on medical treatment. Their pets suffer from various issues such as ascites, kidney failure, infectious diseases (like parvovirus, canine distemper, etc.), and parasitic diseases (roundworms, fleas, ticks, etc.).
Fortunately, I also have a Bichon Frise. She’s one and a half years old now and in good health.
When I first brought her home, she was extremely small, just the size of a palm, with a cute, baby – like voice. She was super adorable. (๑•. •๑)
For the first – time vaccination, she received three doses of Vanguard 8 and one dose of Revolution, totaling 440 yuan. Deworming is done every three months, and each time (both internal and external deworming) costs 60 yuan.
After she became an adult, she gets two doses of Vanguard 5 and one dose of rabies vaccine every year, which costs a total of 200 yuan. Deworming is done every six months with the same medicine.
The puppy food comes in a 6.8 – kilogram bag that costs 448 yuan. When she was a puppy, she ate less, and one bag could last for three months. When she was eight months old, I switched to adult dog food. A bag of adult dog food costs 428 yuan and can last for about two and a half months. Dog snacks cost 40 yuan per month. Since I also eat fruits, yogurt, and vegetables, we can ignore their cost for the dog.
The toy ball cost 20 yuan. She played with it for half a year, and then one day it suddenly disappeared. Since she didn’t seem to like it much, I didn’t buy another one. Ordinary toys can either be bought or made at home. You can cut old, bite – resistant clothes into strips and braid them together. When they get dirty, you can throw them away and make new ones without feeling bad.
The dog bed is the kind that can be disassembled and washed. As long as it doesn’t break, it can really be used for a long time. Just wash it regularly. Plastic dog bowls are nice – looking but not durable, and ceramic ones are easy to break. I highly recommend a small stainless – steel basin, like a smaller version of the ones used for washing vegetables at home. On Taobao, one only costs 50 cents. OMG, it’s so cheap! The leash, collar, and a customized dog tag on Taobao cost no more than 50 yuan. I’m afraid of cars and other ill – tempered small dogs, so I always take her on a leash when going out (mainly because I’ve seen a lot of car accidents and dog – bite incidents).
I bathe and groom her at home. The initial cost of tools was a bit high, but in the long run, it saves a lot of money. Hahaha. If you bathe her at a pet store once a week, it costs 30 yuan, and grooming once a month costs 120 yuan.
I spend more on dog food, vaccines, and deworming to ensure her healthy growth. I treat her like a child, so I want to provide her with good food. As for the things she plays with, as long as she has fun and likes them, whether they’re homemade or bought, in her eyes, they’re just something to bite. Whether they look good or not is actually a subjective human opinion.
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