This is our family dog Hilton. The kids love playing with him and even dressing him up at times. Hilton is very friendly and a good sport so he acquiesces to the kids plans like did for this photo.
Pets are fun but they can get expensive with vet care, food, grooming etc. One of my patients this morning told me that she calculated that over the past 7 years for various ailments she had spent OVER $50,000 ON HER DOG!!!
She isn’t alone. In fact many people will without hesitation spend thousands to help a sick or injured pet, not to mention hundreds a month on special diets such as raw food.
I like to challenge people when I hear these stories by saying: “You have no problem spending whatever it takes to to keep your pets healthy. How much however would you spend to keep yourself healthy and feeling well?”
We have a bit of a unique situation in Canada where we aren’t used to paying out of pocket for healthcare (of course we do actually pay for it through our taxes). It’s terrific that things like medical doctor visits, surgeries and hospital stays are covered by the government health plan. Many vital services however are not covered such as dental, chiropractic, fitness memberships and more. Spending on one’s health however is an investment that brings very good returns now and for the future. Many of my patients choose spend between one to two thousands dollars a year to maintain the health of their spine and nerve system with chiropractic care. So compare spending $100-$200 a month to keep your body (where you live!) healthy, against other expenditures such as pets, vehicles, vacations, dinners out etc. Many of you reading this spend between $500-$1000+ on a vehicle payment monthly. Cars are nice but in 5-10 years they will end up in the scrap yard! You certainly can’t afford the same for your body in the next 5-10 years!
I hope this post makes you think about prioritizing your health from a financial perspective. By the way – it’s also a lot cheaper (and less painful) to maintain one’s spine rather than wait for problems to become fully developed. Be proactive with your spine just like you are with your teeth – start care when young and keep it up your entire life! Your pets will be happy that their owner will be feeling up to playing and going on walks because they’ve been spending on themselves!!
Have a great day
Dr. Pete
