[puppylove2009]

I have a few questions that maybe you can help me with.

First off I lost my job a while back and the job market here is finally starting to pick up so that is a real blessing but my husband was laid off on Friday and we have a dog Zackie that requires special care (which isn't cheap) He has Chronic Pancreatitis

I don't want either of my dogs to suffer from this hard time and hopefully we will manage to land back on our feet very soon.

First question:
Our poodles (Zackie) healthcare. We have been paying out between $150-$300 dollars a vet visit everytime he has had a flair up (which is now every 6-8 weeks). Will most vets be willing to work with us and be understanding?
I mean he has to have treatment but we don't have the money to pay that out all at once.

2. Dog food.
Both our dogs eat the same food but our Zackie needs this specific food more than the other one. Would it be more cost effective to switch our healty dog Sasha to a cheaper lower quality food so we can make the food Zackie needs last? I am afraid I'll feel guilty though giving her a lower quality food while I give Zackie the good stuff you know.

What would the pros and cons of that be?

Would it end up costing us more?

(We currently buy 1 bag a month and it costs 25 dollars)

Last question:

Flea and Tick

Its time to order more and We can't afford it.

How should we handle that? We are thinking of just giving a flea bath as needed

Like I said I hope we can land on our feet soon (My husband has a masters degree and we are both actively looking for new jobs)

Please keep our family in your thoughts and/or prayers

We've already cut everything but internet (20 bucks a month) because most jobs apps are online these days.
and that was before he lost his job

(We've cut cable, we got rid of our phone line, and we downgraded to the lowest internet speed. We've sold old items as well.

Our phones are cell phones because I communicate with my family in another state and its the only way to talk to them without it costing

Sorry to hear about your financial struggles. It is hard and certainly increases the stress level for everyone in the house.

I don't know if "most" vets will work with you financially. All you can do is talk to your vet and see what you can do. You might also want to talk to local animal rescue groups, they may have a program to that could help.

Food: if you need to switch one dog to a lower price food temporarily, don't feel guilty about it. Do the best you can do. Some of the lower priced commercial foods are just as good if not better than the more expensive ones. Pick wisely and it shouldn't hurt. It's better to do that than to end up having to give up one or both dogs.

Flea and tick prevention: Personally, I've found that the "Frontline" et al are not terribly helpful around here. I still end up having to use dip, etc. Perhaps that's just our area, I don't know. But, if I had to cut costs, that would be the first place I would cut. There are other often more effective methods of keeping the creepy crawlies away.

Heartworm preventative: not an option. You must provide this. I know you didn't mention it but other's might consider it and frankly, I did when I was out of work for 3 years--there were times I did not buy the preventative. DUMB DUMB DUMB choice...it was a choice that I and my dogs paid dearly for. So, don't skimp on this item.

[puppylove2009]

Oh I would never cut Heartworm. we live in the south and that is a must. We still have 6 months left for each dog (and its only about 45 dollars for both)