I want to give the right amount to my church. Here’s a breakdown of our monthly finances.

Total monthly net income: 00
Our spending:
Total for morgatage , phone, utitlities, water, propane: 0
Child Care: 0
Groceries for two and baby: 0
Fuel: 0 (both of us commute to work)
Health Insurance for three: 0
Student Loans: 6
"Other" (diapers/wipes, car repairs/maintance, home repairs, dog food, clinic copays/hospital, prescriptions, clothes, infrequent eating out, etc): 0

The "other" category is normally high one month and low the next. WHo knows when the car will break down or if we’re having to see the doctor…

Add it up: 800+(350*3)+250+126+600= ,826
Our surplus is less than 0 on a good month. What of that 0 should go to church, especially if we’re trying to save up for a new home (we live in an old farm house that is falling apart on us)?

Thank you Christian brothers and sisters!
I was thinking half of our surplus. If you think about it, the cost of living was probably quite low when "tithing" was a new concept…
My "emergency" funds were "swallowed up" on April 15th (taxes) and after my emergency c-section (hospital bills). We are down to zero.
Yes, we deduct our total annual church offering. I am assuming that our tax situation next April should be better than this year’s situation because of our child tax credit, and we have upped our offering from per week to per week.

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He was 7 years old when we adopted him from a rescue center. His previous owners had him since he was a pup, however were moving and couldn’t bring him with.
Within the week of adopting him we found out he had a bad tape worm. Then we found out that he had several teeth surgically removed due to gum disease.
We put him on a pet insurance plan to help pay for any medical issues that might arise, and we enrolled him in a basic training course.
The worms were taken care of, the vaccinations were brought up to date, and we had a minor dental surgery performed to try and save the rest of his teeth.
He graduated at the top of his training class and is very well behaved, he is great with our 6 month old son. (Kid kicks him, pulls his ears, dog just licks him and takes the abuse. Only time he has ever shown any aggression was when a stranger leaned into the stroller to touch the baby, he growled at the stranger. He is very protective of our son and generally follows the baby around the house, keeps an eye on him like a furry nanny.) However he does have a little problem with separation anxiety and sometimes pees in the house if left alone for too long. We are working with him on that issue and have seen much improvement.
We are also working with him on his hygiene- when we first adopted him he didn’t like to be bathed and wouldn’t allow his teeth to be brushed, but now after 8 months we are having a much easier time with performing basic hygiene.

Last week he got sick- he couldn’t hold down any food or water for 3 days. Horrible diarrea, constant vomitting. Even started vomitting blood.
We took him off dog food and water. Started giving him controlled amounts of pedialite. And after a day of keeping down the pedialite we started him on plain rice to eat.
He was very listless and seemed to be in alot of pain but now he’s back to his normal energy level and seems content, if not happy at moments.
Our vet was sure he would need surgery to get through this, however we couldn’t afford the 0-1,200 estimated for exploratory surgery on his digestive tract.
Now he seems to be doing fine without the surgery, whatever it was seems to have passed. Though I won’t lie, he had us all very scared.

His recent illness has brought up the topic for my husband and I…and after much discussion we agree that it may not have been what we were hoping for however we don’t regret the ammount of work nor the ammount of money we put into a dog that we have only had for 8 months. At this point he is part of the family and we would hate to loose him.
However, we were wondering if most other people would have given up by now?
What would you do if this was your dog? With all the unexpected health concerns and the need to re-socialize him…would you have given up?

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I love dogs. In my home country, in the "poorer" parts (imagine a place where people primarily ride bicycles around, wear sandals instead of proper shoes and don’t bother to lock doors at night), there are many dogs running around. Some are stray but MOST belong to someone.

These dogs are given the freedom to run around the whole town and they never eat proper dog food (kibbles, canned etc.) They only eat scraps and leftovers from human meals.

The dogs have NO distinct breed. Because of their running around, they have become so mixed it’s impossible to tell their breed (but they are generally LABRADOR size).

My question is: Why are these dogs, with very poor living conditions, so strong? My grandmother’s dog lived to be ~16 (believe it or not) and he died from old age. Never once did he take medication to prevent heart worms or fleas or hook worms or any type of worm. He just ran around, ate scraps and rubbish and lived life. Occasionally, my grandpa would pick the ticks off the dog and that’ll be it.

Why do our pets get so sick easily? We spend heaps every month on quality kibble, worry about this and that, vaccinations, pills etc. And they only live to be 10 -14 or so (on average).

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i have to ask ive been off an on YA on my sisters account.

ive heard there are only two types of dog you are ALLOWED to get on here without getting a 6 page rant.

either
a. a shelter dog which not everyone wants because , you either cant show, dog could have mental or physical health problems , bad habits that arent always fixable. i should know uncle has a boxer mis he adopted its has training and behaviour classes…and is still messed up my uncle and his whole family try to train the dog consistently the same way.

2. from a reputable breeder who wants your yearly wages. think about it
how much does it really cost to have those genetic tests? a litter doesnt pay for itself? 5 puppies they sell each for 1500.00-50,000.00 i understand genetic testing for some breeds are necessary for instance GSD needs hip tests no matter what i dont however consider the ear and eye as important on them as those arent major problems in the breed. but that doesnt make a litter worth 250,00.00
.
why do we have to be rich to own a dog we want thats tested?

what is with this?

i talked to several breeders over the past month all breeder referals from the breed clubs. i asked them about this they say they want to litters to do more than pay for themselves some said they wanted to be sure the owner could take care of the dog….ok how is spending 2k + proving i can take care of it? i pay at most 60.00 a month on dog food and 30.00 on pet insurance that covers everything including genetic issues, bloat if he eats poison or hit by a car.

why spend that much? i mean i could get a healthy dog just as easily from a small time breeder that doesnt show but breeds for standard and does the health tests for 600.00 -700.00 ive seen them

ive met people that have dogs that meet the standards but they wont show the dogs because of the attitude of people at the shows trying to warn off and keep people out.

a lady i know that has pekingeses went to a show and someone put glue on her dog and she just flipped them off an left.
and genetic tests dont cost over 1 k per puppy

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My pet dog tinku was an orphan when i found him. I took him and made him my pet initially he gave me terrible nights by howling and not eating anything and extreame case of flea infestation…. But later and found a vet and he dewormed tinku and also prescribed some medicines for flea infestation. Also took his vaccinations He seemed to be fine for 4 days but the problem started yesterday…. I fed him one part of mashed rice and 2 parts of cooked fish ( sardine ) yesterday noon and some dog food at night with plenty of water. Today morning i was terrified to see his loose motion which is like melted icecream. He vomited all the puppy food i gave him and it was real mess. I walked him outside and still he is doing his business…. But he doesn’t seems week:-) playing like hell with me…. Could any body tell me what is the problem

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Vets can run anywhere from {content}-00 a year. It seems to average about 0, regardless of the size of the dog. A standard office visit, which you should have twice a year, runs about 0, depending on your vet. There are exceptions, of course, we had vet bills of over k one year due to surgeries and various other emergencies. It can add up.

Flea and Heartworm Medication – About /month.

Dog Food – for a premium dry food, this can run about a month for a large dog (we go through a 40# bag of food in about 3 1/2 weeks at our house with two dogs). If you feed canned food, this will be higher. Remember that they will have to eat more of a lower-quality food, so the cost eventually evens out.

Other stuff – we buy a ten pound box of dog biscuits once a month, for about . We also supplement with fresh foods and other vitamin and mineral additives. The cost for this is variable.

Dog License – required in most areas. -20/year.

Toys – about /month
I don’t mind if someone doesn’t get a dog because of this. One less to end up back in a shelter to be put to sleep because it’s now too old to adopt. I just want people to understand what things are really like. You can’t leave the vet with a yearly bill of . Shots cost a lot more than that…and you need a yearly heartworm/lyme test and blood workup. If you are denying your dog these things that is wrong.
Thanks for adding the part about training. That is another 80-1000 cost. Some can get away with only puppy kindergarten, and others who develop behavioral problems cost a LOT more! Just be responsable and don’t get a pet if you may have to deny it basic needs later in life.

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what do i do? i am no longer welcomed to stay at my mothers home. i have a dog (6 months) and we’ve both been kicked out. my borther and i got into an altercation and now i have a sprained foot. i dont have any health insurance. I’m fustrated i have no were to go and i cant think straight… i dont know what to pack up besides dog food for my pet that i’d never give up and water.. i have things to help me stay clean like a toothbrush, deodorant and soap etc.. because i need to make it to work somehow.. but im in deep trouble. i dont know what im gonna do but i know somehow ill make it eventually.. what do you suggest?? i’m in deep pain right now my foot is really aching me…!!!!!!! what shelters in nyc will allow me to have my pet? he’s real special to me.. i rather live under a bridge than to be without him. PLEASE SUGGEST SOMETHING i dont have much time. im leaving in a few hours.
i dont have much money

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Look, it’s all well and good that Obama gave me health care. I’m really appreciative, I am. But I already had health insurance.

What I need is health insurance for my pets. I just had to take my 11 year old cat to a Cat Cardiologist. Do you know how much that cost? A lot! It’s ridiculous that hard working people like me and my husband are getting taken advantage by cat cardiologists and the diet dog food industry. I want some relief.

So… what is Obama going to do about this?

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Does any one elses dog insist on sleeping as close to you, if not right on top of you? I have a 6 month old shepherd mix (we rescued her about 2 months ago for the pound) and she is so spoild! She has a huge nice puppy bed she has slept on like once, she prefers to sleep in the middle of the king size bed long ways so that I’m falling off one end and my bf is falling off the other? And if we move over she huffs and puffs and kicks! she is soo spoild, between puppy play dates, daycare and top of the line dog food (she loves canidae) and everything, you think she would be a little nicer to her people…but no…she is still a pain in the bum…(what’s even worse is my dog has health insurance and I don’t )….just a rant, feel free to share your own
i didn’t really post this as a question, im a dog trainer and also a groomer it was more a a rant. im very aware that i spoil my dog but she earns her keep as she is a working dog (avalanche search and rescue) and so she can be as spoiled as she wants, she is very loyal, at her age she is completely housebroken, she knows sit stay (i can walk down the block) heel come where is? (blanket, frog toy, other family members, my keys and phone) so she may be a "animal with germs" but i don’t care, she can sleep in my bed all she wants, she know that if i tell her to go to hers, that that’s where she is supposed to be. i didn’t mean this to sound like a stupid question (like many many others you see on yahoo answers) i just meant to blab on my puppy
and to leslie, if you take your dog to the vet regularly they wont have parasites and my dog gets a bath every few days, not to mention she has short hair and does not shed

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I can’t continue feeding my bullmastiff Eagle Pack Holistic… I am sorry. I love my guy and want the best for him… but with the economy the way it is, we have to cut cost (yes… even my family is eating generic food I would have never bought before… so… it’s not just the dog)… And quite frankly 0 a month in dog food is a bit much for us right now.

I am going to PetSmart tonight and getting him so new food…..

What should I go for?

Please do not say that if I can’t afford 0 of food a month that I shouldn’t have a dog. He is treated very well and has a great home life. I have health insurance and everything else on the guy. He is in good hands.
Is Blue Buffalo good for giant breed dogs?
My brothers boxer is on Dog Chow… And he is BEAUTIFUL…. beautiful coat and everything.

But I don’t know about all that.

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insurance. They will spend so much money on cat and dog food but not on health insurance. I gather if you get ill in America the care you get from your fellow citizens will be the complaints from the smell of your rotting body.
so if you are in the working poor or you lose your job you feel you should be abandoned? How much is spent directly or indirectly on dogs and cats?
Apparently some feel health care should not be a basic right because it is a basic need. Apparently they like their dogs but their neighbors/ well apparently he can drop dead. Is this part of why the damage after the huurican in Loiusianna is still there? Its sad. But the insurance companies must be thrilled.

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I went to Petsmart to get some food for the critters and noticed (how could I not?) that prices on Purina Pro Plan dry food had been increased a dollar. So had so had the Nutro Dry. We consumers are obviously paying for this past pet food recall, the pet store lost money so now the prices have been jacked. How fair is THAT? Its the store not the pet food companies on that I will bet! Has anyone else noticed this? and has the dog food price gone up as well? it really sucks, why do WE have to pay for their loss I am sure they have insurance against losses like this recall, any pet store owners know anything OWNERS OF INDEPENDENT SHOPS NOT THE CHAINS?
the first answer kind of exasperates me.. its like oh well.. but why sould we have to just take what they shove down our throats and up our butts , maybe we should boycott go to an independent store for awhile.i mean should we just lay down for being price gouged everywhere where is our backbone in the USA anymore?
is there no time for a backbone is that it?
ps i do not own a pet store

http://www.helpinganimals.com/oi_petsmart.asp

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What is the best brand of dog food for golden retrievers? And how many time should i feed her a day?

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I’m in a dilemma, I have been feeding my dog Nutro Venison and Brown Rice dry food. He has had some pretty bad skin reactions to other food in the past (he’s a lab), but the venison seemed to be very good for him. The problem is that Nutro has not shipped the Venison and Brown Rice food to stores for the past 3+ months, apparently they are having some "packaging issues"? So now I am almost out of his food. Does anyone have any recommendations for another brand of dog food that makes a venison food?

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I just rescued a 3 year old tricolor sheltie. He is the cutest guy ever and i want to feed him the right dog food so he doesn’t get sick. What dog food should i feed him? I know there are alot of crap food out there. What dog food do you feed your dog and they do awesome on. I would like to find something that he would like but has no corn and soy in it. Frist few ingredients must be meet. Preferabble fish or turkey. Meat that shelties would eat in the wild. He is about 15 pounds.

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