The rising costs of owning a pet in Montreal.
My dog, Loki, is a high-maintenance creature. He loves to eat grass and sticks in secret, so he always comes down with a stomach ache; he also gets seasonal allergies and licks his paws raw due to the itchiness and has chronic ear infections. For that reason, our vet bills have increased exponentially since his arrival.
My cats, on the other hand, are very low-maintenance. I feed them pretty expensive food because I prefer sticking to veterinarian-approved brands, but besides food and snacks, they don’t cost me half as much as my large dog.
According to the Association des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (AMVQ), the average yearly costs for pets vary depending on essential and preventable needs. If you plan to have an outdoor adult cat, for example, you will need to pay more for vaccines, annual preventive screening, and more.
George Korizis is a Greek Montrealer and building manager, and he has been a dog and cat owner for 14 years. For an elderly cat like Korizis’, the AMVQ approximates expenses of $1673 per year. His large breed adult dog should cost him around $1117 annually, which includes medical consultations, health examinations, vaccines, and insurance programs. If we include premium dry food, the total will rise to $2307.
Korizis doesn’t believe higher costs relate to a better life for his pets. He often puts affordability first in an effort to save money.
“If we can buy our food from Kirkland, then we can buy the dog’s food from Kirkland,” Korizis said.
Valérie Prince, a veterinary technician since 2016, is on the other side of the debate. She believes pet owners should stick to veterinarian-recommended food brands studied and approved by animal health professionals. Since a pet’s diet is vital to their health, she says that many arrive with medical conditions when supermarket food is part of their diet.
Beyond food expenditures and insurance, pet owners often avoid veterinary procedures due to their costs. The price of veterinary equipment is an important factor in the high bill after an operation.
For pet owners who don’t have the funds to pay to neuter their pet, the City of Montreal has a program to offer the procedure free of charge, as long as the individual filing the request fits under specific categories.
“[Neutering] is also recommended by veterinarians to prevent health problems such as tumours and infections, as well as several undesirable behaviour patterns (scent marking, running away, bleeding, meowing when in heat, etc.),” states the City of Montreal website.
The SPCA recommends pet insurance to help curb veterinary costs for pet owners. For a cat, the AMVQ states that the insurance cost is around $450 per year; for a dog, the price can vary from $600 to $1020, depending on size.
Being a pet owner in Montreal is a huge investment. As a cat and dog owner, I know first-hand how fast vet bills accumulate, especially with a dog that keeps coming up with an ailment – it’s a never-ending list. And for this reason, I decided to follow my vet’s recommendation and get pet insurance, to avoid going bankrupt. If adopting a pet is part of your plans, you need to consider the expenses and, still more, very carefully.
