The cost of things: June 2013

Tags

budgeting, honest kitchen, pet finances, primal raw

After a long weekend wrapping up a house sitting gig, an abstract submission, and a live streamed conference on canine science (if you missed SPARCS 2013, a DVD of the best online dog-thing to happen in 2013 will be available later), it’s time to return to the real world…

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for June 2013:

• Food: $14* [previous month, $67]
• Treats: $28 [previous, $16]
• Grooming: $0 [previous, $0]
• Accessories and misc: $0 [previous, $0]
• Vet & Medical: $0 [previous, $54]
• TOTAL: $42 (running average for 2013 ~$139/month)

Food was a special case this month. I actually spent about $58 which included a box of The Honest Kitchen Embark, some chicken organs, eggs, and yogurt. However, I’m counting the Natura Pet Food Settlement as a credit in this category, even though it took years for the check to come in, and even though it’s a very atypical, one-time occurrence.

After some debate, I decided it counts because this bonus income did encourage me to spend a bit more on treats than I otherwise would have. Picked up several bags of Fruitables, Zuke’s, and Isle of Dogs treats on a buy three, get one free deal to stock up.

Meanwhile, we got a bit of food assistance for this month and the next from the folks who first initiated us into raw feeding, Primal Pet Foods. Stay tuned…

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The cost of things: May 2013

Tags

allergies, budgeting, goat's milk, heartworm, honest kitchen, iverhart, joint supplements, pet finances, petmeds, soloxine, sparkle, wapiti labs

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for May 2013:

• Food: $67 [previous month, $66]
• Treats: $16 [previous, $11]
• Grooming: $0 [previous, $7]
• Accessories and misc: $0 [previous, $0]
• Vet & Medical: $54 [previous, $0]
• TOTAL: $137 (running average for 2013 ~$158/month)

For food and the Bows’ daily diet, aside from the usual yogurt and fresh meat here and there, this month was mostly about supplements. A free shipping offer from The Honest Kitchen allowed me to stock up on a couple canisters of Sparkle at a reasonable price. I added this skin, coat, and digestive supplement to their daily meals around this time last year — right at the cusp of Bowdu’s spring coat blow, and into the summer allergy season. Though he’s got some patches of black skin on his legs now (as has been typical for the past few years), he got through last summer quite nicely, so I’m implementing the same regimen again.

The Honest Kitchen also sent us a complimentary grab bag of supplements to try out, including a couple packs of their brand new goat’s milk supplement, Pro Bloom. I’m trying to dig up info on goat milk for dogs, which they are selling as a formula rich with digestive enzymes and probiotics. Will report back in due time…

One last biggie purchase also came at a significant discount from the Pawalla shop — a 30 gram bottle of elk velvet antler extract from Wapiti Labs, which I’ll be alternating with liquid glucosamine supplements for a while. I prefer joint supplements in additive forms, as opposed to tablets or chewable treats, because it seems easier to add the amount I want directly to their meals.

Treats included a round of Honest Kitchen Beams and a couple pounds of chicken hearts and gizzards for the dehydrator. This is one of RJ’s favorite thing to do for the Bows… and by this point, I believe the dehydrator has finally paid for itself!

Finally, for medications, I stocked up on another 250 days worth of Soloxine (0.4mg pills broken into two halves, twice a day) for $20 via PetMeds. They’re usually slightly more expensive than that, but PetMeds does have a price-matching guarantee that they’ve always been good to honor, when I point out that Drs. Foster and Smith sell the same pills for less.

I also seriously considered stopping heartworm medication for the Bows, given the very, very low incidences of heartworm in our local microclimate. Basically, as my vet explained when I was discussing this option with her, the nightly fog that creeps over the area drops temperatures below a level that allows mosquitoes to propagate. However, we had a couple heat waves, and the buzz of a single mosquito one night made me paranoid… So I figured that if I were to take the Bows off heartworm medication, summer is not the time to do so.

I got Iverhart. It was cheap. Cost is a concern at the moment… which is why budgets are necessary.

Next up: Reporting on the Novato Shiba Picnic 2013!

The cost of things: April 2013 + Packlove.com invites

Tags

budgeting, fromm family dog food, fromm's dog food, grooming, pet finances, taste of the wild, tick removal, ticks, zukes

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for March 2013:

• Food: $66 [previous month, $72]
• Treats: $11 [previous, $9]
• Grooming: $7 [previous, $8]
• Accessories and misc: $0 [previous, $0]
• Vet & Medical: $0 [previous, $265]
• TOTAL: $84 (running average for 2013 ~$162/month)

Kibble-wise, we seem to be swimming in a constant stream of Fromm’s. It helps that I’ve accumulated quite a few nice coupons, including the latest one for a free 4-pound bag of Salmon Tunalini with the purchase of any 12-pound bag. This happens to be my favorite Fromm formula (see review), so we stocked up on sixteen pounds of this grain-free, fish-based kibble.

I am intrigued by Fromm’s new grain-free Pork & Peas recipe, which we’ll probably try with the next coupon I’ve reserved. This month, I made the mistake of purchasing a small bag of the new Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon formula, which hypes the Wild! Boar! in the recipe. In my mind, I had cleared it as a “pork-based” kibble, when it’s really no such thing. You’ve got to get through beef (first ingredient) and lamb meal, as well as several other ingredients, before you even get to the wild boar…

Wild boar mentioned 3 times. Beef, lamb, ocean fish, etc. not mentioned at all until list of ingredients.

Though it’s my fault for not looking carefully, I hate it when pet food companies do this. Grr…

Not that the Bows have been complaining. I’ve been feeding it in low ratios, generously cut with Salmon Tunalini. What a ridiculous protein medley though! The Bows usually don’t get beef at all (except a bully stick or some tendon every now and then, and some buffalo kibble for training). So far, their digestive response has been okay, so maybe this will work after all… but I still wouldn’t use it for our regular rotation.

Some yogurt, raw organs, and turkey parts rounded out the food purchases this month, as well as treats for the dehydrator. Also bought some Zuke’s dental chews that were half off on clearance. These are the first commercially produced treats I’ve purchased all year!

The most important, though slightly overpriced grooming item this month was this tick key.

After years of hiking, sometimes even in deep woods, and only two ticks in all our years, we ran into three ticks in the course of two days — one on Bowpi, one on Bowdu, and one on RJ. When I saw the first one, I drove directly to the nearest pet store and picked this up. It really does do the trick with minimal fuss, which was particularly important for Bowdu. Hopefully now that I have one, I won’t have reason to keep using it.

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In other news, looks like the floodgates have been opened on Packlove.com, a new design-oriented social network for dog lovers. Lots of people are handing out invites lately. We have quite a few left too, so if you’re interested, just leave a comment with your e-mail filled out in the form (the e-mail will only be visible to me), and we’ll send you an invite ASAP!

The House of Two Bows can be found at:
http://packlove.com/Bowdu
http://packlove.com/Bowpi

Bowpi is also planted on the site somewhere other than her profile. Did you spot her yet?

The cost of things: March 2013

Tags

budgeting, canine dental, coconut oil, glucosamine, grooming, jarrow formulas, pet finances, supplements, vet, virbac

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for March 2013:

• Food: $72 [previous month, $135]
• Treats: $9 [previous, $3]
• Grooming: $8 [previous, $15]
• Accessories and misc: $0 [previous, $12]
• Vet & Medical: $265 [previous, $0]
• TOTAL: $354 (running total for 2013 ~$188/month)

Well, if it wasn’t for Bowpi’s vet visit (regular checkup) and box of prescription flea meds, we would’ve been in the double digits this month… Alas, it’s not like I get to arbitrarily decide, “Hey! This month my dogs will get NO vetting even if it’s an emergency!” If it’s time to pay those bills, you just gotta pay up…

At least we had quite a bit of food socked away from last month. March’s total includes about $50 worth of supplements that will average out over extended periods of time. I got a couple 16 oz. jars of Jarrow Formulas Coconut Oil, which I’m guessing should be enough to last a whole year. A 32 fl. oz jar of Liquid Health K-9 Glucosamine was also purchased for $25.95 with prime shipping on Amazon. The last container (different brand, pictured below) lasted almost five months for Bowdu at half daily dose, alternating with other joint-friendly things some days.

Meanwhile, keeping our treats all raw and homemade really controls our costs in this category. This month’s expenditures included a couple pounds of chicken hearts (dehydrated at home) and two rounds of lamb bone chews. Kibble sample pouches and other freebies kept us stocked for the rest of the month.

Finally, in grooming supplies, got another tube of Virbac C.E.T. toothpaste, seafood flavored. Yum. Dog toothpaste is not cheap in comparison to human toothpaste! By the end of the year, I should have a pretty good idea of what I spend just to maintain Bowpi’s dental health (Bowdu barely needs any help there). Whatever the total, it can’t be as bad as having to dish out hundreds all at once on a full dental checkup with extractions…

The cost of things: February 2013

Tags

budgeting, canidae, dog food, grooming, honest kitchen, kurgo, pawalla, pet finances, pet food express, wag.com

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for February 2013:

• Food: $135
• Treats: $3
• Grooming: $15
• Accessories and misc: $12
• Vet & Medical: $0
• TOTAL: $165 (running total for 2013 ~$133/month)

Just when I thought I was on my way to saving some money this February, a major household appliance like a refrigerator craps out…

Luckily, we really didn’t lose that much frozen dog food. I was able to shift some stuff over to my sister’s nearly-empty freezer — thank goodness she had space in her new home! and I basically let the Bows gorge on what I couldn’t really save. I think the evidence of this month’s refrigerator crisis is still evident on their torsos…

Anyway, we only lost about $20 worth of dog food (we won’t talk about the human food though), mainly in the form of cheaper and replaceable items like the ostrich frames that I still had leftover from a Creston Valley Meat purchase back in 2011. In purging the freezer inventory, I learned a lesson: we can’t really go through an entire case until I have a bone saw. We also sacrificed a heap of sardines and chicken liver (approx. $2/pound), which I was reluctant to feed too much of at once. However, most of the meats survived!

So this month’s food purchases actually aren’t due to the necessity of replenishing raw stock. Rather, we were out of Honest Kitchen, so I put in a big order with Wag.com, taking advantage of their free shipping and a 20% discount for first-time orders with a reference code from Maya. I remain resistant to mail order dog supply services, preferring to support my local businesses whenever possible. On the other hand, I’m willing to milk an offer when it’s available. I got a 10 pound box of Honest Kitchen Keen (turkey + oats, one of their cheaper formulas), 7 pounds of Preference (meat-free premix), and a small bag of Canidae Pure Sea, the grain-free, fish-based recipe that I’ve wanted to try for some time. That was $120, and will certainly get us through March and more. The rest of the month’s food expenses came from various sale meats and the usual supplements like fish oil and yogurt.

Treats were more chicken hearts and gizzards thrown into the dehydrator. We got a bit of a boost this month from another round of freebies from Pawalla.com and their new Mini box, which we’ll be reviewing shortly.

Grooming was the surprise expense this month, thanks to that unfortunate encounter with horse poop on the trails.

Usually, we handle all grooming at home, but the horse poop this time was so bad and so stuck to both dogs, I decided to try out the self-service bathing stations at the local Pet Food Express chain. For $15, you get the works — your choice of Earthbath shampoos, a raised, tiled wash station with handy clips built into the surrounding walls to secure your pets, a blow dryer, all the quick-dry towels you need and plenty of time to hose down your pets. I was able to do both Bows on one token, taking about 20 minutes. Apparently the station shuts off after 25 minutes, but I didn’t reach the limit. The best part was not having to pluck Shiba coat out of the drain or washing heaps of towels! I’d definitely spring for this again if a similar situation arises…

And knowing the Bows, it will happen again, whether any of us like it or not.

Last accessory was a Kurgo Shorty Bucket Dog Car Seat Cover, purchased on clearance at $12 instead of the regular PetCo price of $29.99. I wouldn’t have paid full price for it, but with that steep discount, I was willing to replace the dusty towels I’d been using for the [futile] purpose of keeping Shiba hair out of the crevices of the Mazda seat. Is it worth it? We’ll see… Bowdu doesn’t seem to notice or care, but he’s not the one vacuuming out the car every few weeks for sake of “presentability”…

The cost of things: January 2013

Tags

budgeting, dog food, dog treats, great life, pet finances, plaqueoff, taste of the wild

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for January 2013:

• Food: $92
• Treats: $8
• Grooming: $0
• Accessories and misc: $0
• Vet & Medical: $0
• TOTAL: $100

For food, I thought I had scaled back by purchasing a larger bag of our most cost efficient kibble brand. $27.99 for 15 pounds of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream gets us through this month’s breakfasts and most of next month. But then add another $30 jar of PlaqueOff (Amazon still has the best prices on this after our years of using this stuff), and some 20 or 30 pounds of meat on sale… it still adds up.

At least the treats were within reasonable limits this month… just chicken hearts thrown into the dehydrator and a trial pack of Great Life buffalo kibble that I’m using as low value rewards.

Finances in review for 2012

Tags

budgeting, pet finances

For two years now, I have tracked our pet expenditures at The House of Two Bows in order to get a concrete sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs at my personal standards in one of the most expensive regions of the country. I had a lot more to say last year when I broke down and analyzed my expense categories in detail. I’m paring it down to just two charts this year.

2012 pet expenses

• Food: $806
• Treats: $175
• Grooming: $56
• Accessories and miscellany: $215
• Vet & medical expenses: $648
• ANNUAL TOTAL: $1900

2011 vs. 2012 monthly average by expense category

The numbers, put side by side (2011 / 2012):

• Food: $84 / 67
• Treats: $26 / 15
• Accessories & miscellaneous: $15 / 18
• Grooming: N/A / $5
• Vet and medical expenses: $122 / 53
• Average per month: $247 / 158

Food and treats:

The Bows are typically fed a high quality, grain-free, fish-based kibble in the morning, and then either dehydrated raw, fresh or thawed raw meats, bones, and organs, or a home-cooked meal in the evening. They get various supplements with their meals, including fish oil, vitamin E, PlaqueOff, liquid glucosamine, and other seasonal bits.

Overall, we spent more wisely on edibles this year, and the payoff is evident in the numbers. My strategies:

• Limited purchases of pre-made frozen commercial raw food, one of the most expensive types of food I purchased last year. Instead, I put more effort into putting together our own home-prepared raw recipes.
• Limited purchases of edible dental chews (e.g. Terrabones, Zuke’s Z-Bones). Instead, we fed more raw bones and skin chews, which are more economical and hold a superior claim on being “natural.”
• Took advantage of grocery store bargains, stalking the 50% off sell-by-today corner. I still can’t buy much in bulk without a separate freezer though.
• Waited for sales, coupons and rebates, then milked them for all they were worth. We got several free bags of high quality kibble, Groupons and vouchers to online pet supply retailers, and alerts to significant sales on some of our favorite brands by subscribing to mailing lists.

RJ also became more proactive about dehydrating homemade treats towards the end of the year, a practice which I expect will carry into the next.

Finally, I have to give credit to Chewy.com, Patrick at Salmon Ears, Pawalla, Pets Love Toys, and The Honest Kitchen for knocking about $150 ~ $200 from this year’s food and treat expenses. I neither expected nor desired to make any revenue when I started this blog, so occasional freebies are nice. We don’t plug products for the sake of money, though these opportunities help us save some!

Grooming, accessories, and miscellaneous:

I love that I don’t have to spend much on grooming for either a Basenji or a Shiba Inu. I purposely stay away from primp-necessary breeds; it’s enough to contend with the constant shedding at home from Bowdu. So our “grooming” category overlaps with basic hygiene, and consisted of a Dremel purchased at the beginning of the year (and used with much success!), baby wipes for allergy season, and dental supplies.

Not much to add about the other accessories that I haven’t already discussed in previous monthly roundups. Unlike last year, I didn’t bother counting a cent towards gas or tolls. The enjoyment derived from traveling together really is shared; it’s not that I’m taking them places, it’s that they’re taking me places I’d otherwise not make the effort to explore.

Veterinary and medical expenses:

Regular meds include heartworm (Interceptor), flea medication (Comfortis), and thyroid medication (Soloxine).

So this is the biggest discrepancy between the past two years because we didn’t have to do a full dental, and we got through the year without unexpected medical emergencies! Well, Bowpi had a minor incident at the dog park that was fully paid by the other party. Though I’ve only been keeping track of our budget for two years, I’ll consider this an atypical year for veterinary expenses. I’d love to keep it this low every year, but realistically, I realize it only takes one nasty spell to knock those figures skyward.

Meanwhile, Bowpi’s dental health continues to aggravate me. I’d much rather spend an extra $5 a month maintaining her teeth than spending $500 all at once every other year on a full dental. Pet health is more than just a commitment of finances, but also time. Heading into 2013, the condition of Bowpi’s teeth and Bowdu’s chronic issues will continue to be major concerns. I just hope we can keep it all under control, even as we anticipate changes on the horizon at the House of Two Bows.

The cost of things: December 2012

Tags

budgeting, dog collars, dog food, dog treats, finances, honest kitchen, pet finances

This is part of my ongoing effort to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. Previous posts in the series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for December 2012:

• Food: $59
• Treats: $17
• Grooming: $0
• Accessories and misc: $0
• Vet & Medical: $0
• TOTAL: $76 (running average for 2012 ~ $157 / month)

Food was pretty simple last month. Stocked up on a bunch of chicken sales, and I went with a 4 pound box of Honest Kitchen Force, the grain-free chicken recipe, when our previous box of Embark was used up. Looking over my numbers, it appears that each $40 box lasts us about two months for two 20 ~ 30 pound dogs whose daily meals are intermixed with all sorts of other items. They also go through about 64 ounces of yogurt a month.

With food in abundance, I was not compelled to buy the Bows any special treats for the holidays. That’s right, the pets got NOTHING for Christmas — not from us, anyway. I did pick up a 6-pack of pig’s ears as part of their regularly scheduled pampering, and RJ dehydrated more chicken hearts as well.

No money was spent in any of the remaining categories. Meanwhile, I know in 2013 we’re going to start out on top in the Accessories category because the Bows were given a very generous gift certificate to 2 Hounds Design, whose collars I’ve admired for a long time! I haven’t decided how we’re going to use the funds yet, especially since there are so many gorgeous specialty designs to choose from. Of course the Bows will show off their new duds when I finally decide.

Overall, we spent significantly less in 2012 (approx. $157 per month for both dogs) compared to 2011 (~$247 per month), and I’ll consider why when I review the annual dog budget in a separate post. Finances and other circumstances are changing a bit in 2013, so I’m not sure if I can keep up this regular feature through the next year. Nevertheless, I’ve found it an incredibly useful exercise for my own purposes, even if I’m not blogging every step of the way.

The cost of things: November 2012

Tags

budgeting, dog food, dog treats, finances, lamb, organ meat, pet finances

This is part of my ongoing effort to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. Previous posts in the series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for November 2012:

• Food: $51
• Treats: $10
• Grooming: $0
• Accessories and misc: $13
• Vet & Medical: $0
• TOTAL: $74 (running average for 2012 ~ $164 / month)

For food, I found lamb kidneys, and some good-looking liver from what appeared to be a very healthy pig! Confession: they came from a local hoity-toity butcher shop that I honestly have no business patronizing given my income. Further proof that I’m a Crazy Dog Lady: my dogs’ offal costs more per pound than most of the meat that I consume (sparingly, these days).

There was other stuff too, like two bags of Fromm kibble at BOGO Black Friday price, two packs of perfectly bite-sized turkey tails, and other meats. No, I didn’t spend $50 just on organs for the dogs this month!

Meanwhile, RJ’s efforts to make our own dog treats does seem to be paying off. Another round of chicken hearts were dehydrated and lasted the whole month, along with a small purchase of pork skin treats from the above-named butcher, and tendon chews at another place.

And for the third (and probably final) time this year, poop bags were purchased. I’ve always hated the idea of spending money on something that I’m literally throwing away… but this is one of those accessories that distinguishes modern pets as an economically vital and thus socially essential category. Considered in this light, paying for poop bags feels like a kind of civic duty to assert the relevance of dogs — yup, dogs do indeed count for shit!

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So, I’m not entirely “back” yet. Things didn’t go exactly as hoped last month… Despite everyone’s words of encouragement (much appreciated!), I half saw this coming. Nevertheless, I’m still working on Plan A, version 2.

What can proceed according to plan are the fabulous giveaways lined up for the month, starting with the next post. Hint: we’ll be featuring a food brand that the Bows are very familiar with and amply approve. Stay tuned.

The cost of things: October 2012

Tags

budgeting, dog food, dog treats, entirelypets.com, finances, glucosamine, groupon, pet finances, vet, zignature

This is part of my ongoing effort to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. Previous posts in the series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for October 2012:

• Food: $84
• Treats: $9
• Grooming: $0
• Accessories and misc: $0
• Vet & Medical: $255
• TOTAL: $348 (running average for 2012 ~ $173 / month)

In food news, we’re trying out a new kibble this month called Zignature, manufactured by Pets Global, Inc. A local pet store was running a promotion to drum up interest, selling 4 pound bags that would normally retail for $9.99 for only $4.99. We’re almost done with our first trial of the Trout and Salmon Meal Formula, and have another bag of the Turkey formula coming up just in time for November. It’s going okay so far, but I’ll post my thoughts later.

Also picked up a bunch of meat and supplements, including a large container of JointMAX liquid Glucosamine at a pretty reasonable price after redeeming a Groupon for EntirelyPets.com.

Topping off the Groupon deal ($30 worth of products for $15), I threw in a couple pouches of Fruitables treats. Meanwhile, RJ is suddenly on board with dehydrating our own treats more regularly, so he took the initiative to shrink down a big ol’ bag of chicken hearts, which the Bows are loving. This makes me happy, as I’ve not had the energy to keep up with treat-making projects to make the dehydrator purchased in May 2012 pay for itself yet.

The biggest hit to this month’s finances — and knocking the monthly average back up, dammit — was vet bills, obviously. I can’t do anything about this until I move to a less expensive part of the country/world. Ugh. We’ve gotten away with no major veterinary expenses for Bowpi this year (knock on wood), but I’d like to do a full blood panel at her next annual exam (she had a limited panel done in February 2011), so I’ll expect another figure like this in a few more months.