How my dogs vet bills fixed my finances
Tomorrow will be mine and Daisy's 10 year anniversary.
On July 4th 2023, if you had asked me to rate my finances, I would have said they were fine. I didn't know much about finance. I knew I rarely used my emergency credit card. I knew from various headlines that x% of Americans had less than $1k saved. I had $2k, so I thought I was doing good.
But on this same July 4th, my dog got very, very sick. She couldn't keep anything in her stomach. If she even tried to drink water, she would throw it up 20-30 minutes later.
Now, the ER vet in my area apparently charges extra for weekends and holidays, holidays that fall on a weekend are even more. But I was rightfully concerned so I took her anyway. There are few places more depressing than an ER vet on July 4th. A few dogs that came in died of heat stroke, others where unleashed when fireworks went off and ran out into traffic. As far as I could tell, we were the only ones there for an unforeseen medical issue.
Four hours later we finally get seen. The run their tests and determine that she has pancreatitis. They tell me the can treat her and most likely she will live a normal life with some diet changes after treatment. They also tell me they are not a 24 hr emergency vet.
Apparently in my area, we do not have a 24 hour vet. We have a daytime ER vet and a nighttime ER vet. I would have to Uber my dog each morning and evening to take her where they will care for her. With each trip, I will get a new bill. That first bill was over $2k. My dog ended up needing care for three days.
Long story short, I go from have $2k in savings to being over $2k in debt. My biggest fear becomes that something else will go wrong and I won't be able to afford whatever care she needs. I started a GoFundMe which got a total of $50 even after I shared it on all the socials.
So I decided to learn what I could about how to handle my $$. I track my spending and I make a budget. I start trying to build my savings back up. Like a good millennial I watch a bunch of youtube videos. A lot of it didn't/doesn't apply to my current situation (ie investing, real estate), or was just obviously dumb. But most of the ones that talked sense said about the same thing: get out of debt, have six months worth of expenses in savings, and save for retirement. Sometimes they got real fancy and mentioned saving for your kids college and parent's retirement. I don't have to worry about kids or parents, just me and Daisy. So in place of that, I put future vet bills.
I buckle down. I stop doordashing, I don't go out to eat except about three times a year for select friends birthdays. Other than that, I am cooking everything I eat. I don't buy fancy food, I eat a lot of rice and beans. (I've actually lost about 30 lbs and improved my general health doing this too). I only buy clothes once a year from second-hand stores. I don't pay for streaming services. I take on what side gigs I can. I have been out of debt for a while and am *hopefully* on track to have an emergency fund by the end of the year.
When I'm not working, I am just trying to enjoy what time I have left with my Daisy dog.
She will be thirteen next month. Her breed typically lives to 12-15 years. While I know rationally I can't stop the inevitable, there is some part of me that still thinks.....maybe. Maybe I can find the perfect alchemical formula of love, time, sacrifice, and money that will keep her with me. Once more medication, one more tweak of the diet.
But even when the inevitable happens, I will be better off for having had her in my life. Not just for my improved financial standing, but for the love she has brought to my life. For giving me a reason to sacrifice, for opening me up to connecting with others.
Happy ten years, girl. I hope to get many more with you.