Costs of owning a pet

Kim Carvalho, DVM Veterinarian, breaks down the costs of owning a family pet and the importance of accounting and budgeting for a pet before purchasing one
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Costs of owning a pet

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The cost of owning a pet – whether it’s a bird, a dog, a horse – can be staggering. In a recent LA Times study, the cost of owning a pet in the first year is about $1,500 and that does not include the actual purchase price of the pet. We know some Labradors can cost $2,000. In an urban city like Los Angeles, if you factor in veterinary care, nutrition, day care, grooming, hikes, behavioral training, you could look at up to $300 to $500 per week. It’s really important if you decide that you are going to get a pet, sit down with the family, plan a budget, adopt if you can rather than purchase and obtain pet insurance so that you can provide the best veterinary care for your pet without breaking the bank.
ALL PARENTS, Family Life, Family Pets

Kim Carvalho, DVM Veterinarian, breaks down the costs of owning a family pet and the importance of accounting and budgeting for a pet before purchasing one

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Kim Carvalho, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Kimberly Carvalho attended the University of California at Davis for her undergraduate studies, then went on to graduate from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992. She completed a small animal medicine and surgical internship at California Animal Hospital in 1993 and went on to become a partner at Brentwood Animal Hospital in West Los Angeles. Dr. Carvalho became a Board-Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2002 and is a Clinical Associate Professor at Western University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, California.

Dr. Carvalho has served on the Medical Advisory Board of PetDrx Corporation, is currently serving as a member of the Medical Advisory Board of Veterinary Centers of America (VCA corporation), and donates a lot of her time and resources to the Friends of Animals Foundation. She also currently serves on the board of The John Thomas Dye School Parent's Association.

Dr. Carvalho is a native of Hawaii and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. When not working in the office or at her children's schools, she enjoys the outdoors, traveling and golfing.

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Transcription: 
The cost of owning a pet – whether it’s a bird, a dog, a horse – can be staggering. In a recent LA Times study, the cost of owning a pet in the first year is about $1,500 and that does not include the actual purchase price of the pet. We know some Labradors can cost $2,000. In an urban city like Los Angeles, if you factor in veterinary care, nutrition, day care, grooming, hikes, behavioral training, you could look at up to $300 to $500 per week. It’s really important if you decide that you are going to get a pet, sit down with the family, plan a budget, adopt if you can rather than purchase and obtain pet insurance so that you can provide the best veterinary care for your pet without breaking the bank.
ALL PARENTS, Family Life, Family Pets