pets in slp grad school

[ENFPslp]

Some people told me that having a dog or cat to come back home to is nice and that it helps you keep to a schedule, but others seem to have no time for pets. What do you guys think? 

[DeWi]

I already have a cat, and I'm bringing him with me. Since I'm making a big move, I think having him with me will help me settle into a new home a bit faster. I already work 10 hour days right now, so I'm not thinking grad school will make a big difference to him. Thankfully cats are pretty easy to deal with (much more low maintenance than I think a dog would be). I don't think a pet is a bad idea, but having one IS adding that much more to your plate. 

Edited March 24, 2016 by cosmicmorgan

[RFutureSLP]

I already have a cat who I love very much, I'm hoping to bring him with me to graduate school. Cats are super low maintenance pets and can be left alone for long stretches of time and be perfectly happy. It also depends if animals/pets stress you out. For example, I would never get a dog in graduate school because my family dogs stress me out and are always getting into trouble and need constant attention which I cannot handle in graduate school.

It all depends on the person!

[lillklebenow]

I fostered dogs all throughout my undergrad, and when I move to grad school I'm going to foster cats instead. Much less maintenance, and you don't have to worry about walking them and letting them out. Plus fostering is an amazing experience, highly recommended!

[OverCaffeinated]

i have 2 guinea pigs, they are coming with XD they squeak real cute and they're low maintenance 

[Jolie717]

Our dog is (of course) coming with us, however he is limiting our housing options and increasing our housing costs as well.  Aside from a pet deposit the monthly rent is increased by anywhere from $25-45 per month.  If we get family housing the cost doesn't seem to be any different, however there is a 6-18 month wait, so our chances are slim.  

Dogs are high maintenance, require exercise and training and can cause quite a bit of damage when left alone.  And there is potential for complaints from neighbors about barking/howling.  I would never consider getting a new dog while making the transition to grad school - I think a cat would be much easier, but they also require attention.  If you're more of a homebody it might work.

[esheshesh]

I have a cat that I plan on bringing with me to graduate school. I enjoy the company, and I really can't imagine giving up the little guy since he's been through most of undergrad with me (although every time my friend's parents watch him over break they remind me that they're more than happy to keep him.  ). Cats are relatively low maintenance though I've considered getting a 2nd one so they can keep each other company when I'm away. I'll probably wait until after grad school, however.

 

[SLPgradstudent]

We have 2 cats, although one still acts like a kitten.  We're not moving (yay!) for me to go to grad school, so it's a non-issue for us.  I would add though, cats can be destructive too.  Our "kitten" (2+ years old now) likes to chew on everything and anything he can and generally likes to knock things over.  Probably still not as big of a problem as some dogs, but it's not a given that cats will be behavior free.  I love our kitties though, and wouldn't give them up for anything!  Great stress reliever. 

[MangoSmoothie]

I foster cats, and I feel have enough time. I foster formerly feral cats, and it's been good to give them so much time alone in my apartment, so they get used to the place before acclimating to me. If you live alone though, please do not get a dog. Dogs need much more attention and interaction, and you will be far too busy in grad school to handle it, especially once externships start. Will you be able to get home to let it out to even go to the bathroom at least every 6-7 hours? My friend is married and has a dog, and they're both in grad school (she's SLP), and they have a hard enough time making sure he gets out enough, and he gets three long walks a day. Dogs will also really restrict the types of places you can live as mentioned above. I do have a friend in SLP grad school with a dog (foster actually), but she has two roommates, and it's works out just right. She knows she wouldn't be able to if she lived alone or even with one other roommate.

I really enjoy having a pet to come home to, especially because I do live alone. I do recommend getting a pet, but only if you think you have the time and money. Fostering is nice, because you don't have to front the vet bills, and you're opening up space in the shelter for another animal. So make sure that if something comes up medically, that you have money around (at least $1,000, but that won't  be enough if it's serious) for that. My friend's cat in my program was really ill, and required thousands in vet work, and it's lucky she had her family to help her out, or the cat would have suffered and probably died. My current foster even needed an $1800 surgery, which the animal shelter paid for.

[ENFPslp]

Thanks for all these answers guys! It definitely doesn't sound fair to have a dog during grad school but maybe a cat??

[intotheairwaves]

I agree with all the benefits of having a pet, but in addition to time constraints, please also keep the costs in mind. There's the recurring costs of food, litter, and routine vet appointments (these can be reasonably priced if you schedule the vaccines or spay/neuter with the SPCA or a similar clinic). However, also be prepared for the emergency bills. I was a veterinarian's assistant in college before turning on to this path and I can't begin to tell you the weird stuff that the vet had to surgically remove from the dumb pets who had swallowed them. Also, beware of the pets you find through Facebook posts. My friend recently adopted a cat that had been left behind by its owners, and then she discovered a week later that the cat had kidney failure. It was a lot of heartbreak and a hefty bill. Go through your local adoption or petfinder.com, since they will have screened the pets for health concerns and are honest about any special needs.

Not trying to deter you at all because I know how comforting pets can be, but definitely make sure you're in a place where you can handle those costs that unexpectedly pop up, especially when you're in such a financially unstable time during school!

[PinkSpeech]

I agree with @intotheairwaves, cost is likely an even bigger factor than time. My dog is coming with me because I already have him but man is he expensive! He's a tiny guy so he doesn't require a lot of food compared to larger dogs and the lower doses of heartworm, frontline, etc. are cheaper. But because of time constraints he costs a lot still - he uses a grass potty thing inside that I have to buy replacements for and he goes to doggy daycare once a week (and I pay a premium for one that separates tiny dogs from small and large ones). A puppy or more energetic dog would likely need more daycare or a dog walker. Plus my rent is higher and I pay for insurance for him because otherwise I wouldn't have the money if he got hurt. He's definitely worth it for me as both stress relief and a comfort since I live alone, but there are other things I can't spend money on because of it. I'd just get a cat if I were you.

[jpiccolo]

If you already have a pet I think you could make it work. Several in my cohort do. But most of those are married so they have someone else to rely on for pet duties. If you're considering getting a dog or cat I'd think maybe not. Especially brand new ones that need training. As much as I love dogs and want one I'd rather not have the responsibility on top of everything else until post graduation. Honestly sometimes it's enough to keep myself going with school and clinic. Plus if you have to move for externships...it can be hard with housing. I guess just decide if the benefit outweighs the time/cost. Or consider smaller, less attention needing pets

[esheshesh]

3 hours ago, MangoSmoothie said:

I foster cats, and I feel have enough time. I foster formerly feral cats, and it's been good to give them so much time alone in my apartment, so they get used to the place before acclimating to me. If you live alone though, please do not get a dog. Dogs need much more attention and interaction, and you will be far too busy in grad school to handle it, especially once externships start. Will you be able to get home to let it out to even go to the bathroom at least every 6-7 hours? My friend is married and has a dog, and they're both in grad school (she's SLP), and they have a hard enough time making sure he gets out enough, and he gets three long walks a day. Dogs will also really restrict the types of places you can live as mentioned above. I do have a friend in SLP grad school with a dog (foster actually), but she has two roommates, and it's works out just right. She knows she wouldn't be able to if she lived alone or even with one other roommate.

I really enjoy having a pet to come home to, especially because I do live alone. I do recommend getting a pet, but only if you think you have the time and money. Fostering is nice, because you don't have to front the vet bills, and you're opening up space in the shelter for another animal. So make sure that if something comes up medically, that you have money around (at least $1,000, but that won't  be enough if it's serious) for that. My friend's cat in my program was really ill, and required thousands in vet work, and it's lucky she had her family to help her out, or the cat would have suffered and probably died. My current foster even needed an $1800 surgery, which the animal shelter paid for.

Ahh yea the vet bills are definitely something to consider. I adopted my cat from the ASPCA and my boyfriend and I discovered later on that he has stomatitis. It cost around $800 to remove most of his teeth, and now he can only eat wet food (another expense). He'll probably have to have the rest of his teeth removed even with regular dental care. But I honestly don't regret it. He's such a silly little fluff ball. 

If you're getting a pet, definitely keep expenses in mind. I never considered fostering, but that sounds like a great option as well.

[DeWi]

I have to agree with all the posts about remembering vet costs. My cat has upper respiratory problems, which can mostly be handled by meds that cost $20/mo, which isn't terrible, but he is prone to ear infections that easily lead to a $200+ vet bill, plus a check up visit later on. Emergency vet bills can rack up, so it's definitely something to be aware of.

In the end, I wouldn't trade him for the world, but I had not anticipated these costs in the beginning and was definitely unpleasantly surprised. 

[MangoSmoothie]

3 hours ago, flapjackal said:

Ahh yea the vet bills are definitely something to consider. I adopted my cat from the ASPCA and my boyfriend and I discovered later on that he has stomatitis. It cost around $800 to remove most of his teeth, and now he can only eat wet food (another expense). He'll probably have to have the rest of his teeth removed even with regular dental care. But I honestly don't regret it. He's such a silly little fluff ball. 

If you're getting a pet, definitely keep expenses in mind. I never considered fostering, but that sounds like a great option as well.

Hey, that's what my foster has! Big difference in price though! Her surgery was $1800, with the shelter discount, but she had to get it done at an emergency vet (even thought it wasn't an emergency), and they charge more. It was all her teeth too, and it actually hasn't resolved the issue, so we're still trying to find a way to manage it. She was feral, so it makes it hard to find things we can do to her that she's okay with. Another friend (in my program) has a cat with stomatitis, and at the same time unexpectedly had to get his final two teeth removed a week before my foster went in for her surgery, and that was around $600.

Another person in my program also had pet problems in the first semester, and it ended up also being over $1,000 for the surgery, plus all the additional care. So yeah. I can name at least 4 people in my program who had pet issues the first semester alone, and it wasn't cheap. So OP and anyone else, please consider it, and realize unexpected costs are unexpected, but you need to be prepared for them. If financially you can't be, put it off until you are.

The entire reason I foster is because I knew I couldn't afford the vet bills. Yes, I could open up a credit card for them, but I already have so much debt from school. So I help out by opening up a space at the shelter, and I do pay for food and litter plus toys (even though I don't have to). I strongly encourage fostering, if you can! Fostering a cat really doesn't take that much work, and it can really help out the shelters.

[amc91]

I'll be doing a distance program, so I know it is different  but still busy. We're getting a puppy in June, I know many would not consider this a "wise" choice, but I anticipate being very busy and stressed the next two years with little time for leisure, so I decided that by having a dog it will force me to take a mental and physical break at least twice a day for walks as well as provide a positive interaction every day. Again, I know with a distance program I have more flexibility, but I also feel like it will be well worth it! 

[jazspeaks]

I agree that a cat would be a better option than a dog.  My partner had a dog when he was working on his masters.  He said it was nice to have the company, but there were times when he would get stuck on-campus for long periods of time and be unable to get home to the dog.  A puppy would probably be very difficult.  I can imagine coming home to chewed up stuff and accidents during grad school (ahh!!).  Cats can be pretty self-sufficient though.  If you have to go away for the weekend, you can ask a friend to come over once or twice a day for feeding and you can deal with the litter box when you get back.  A dog requires 3x/day preferably.

[RMott]

I'm with @OverCaffeinated. I have two guinea pigs who keep me plenty of company and will be joining my fiance and I at grad school this fall. I would personally recommend small caged animals as they're easier to take care of, much cheaper and can be left alone for longer since you don't have to worry about them going to the bathroom in the house or chewing up things. Also, most pet-friendly (and even some not-pet-friendly) apartments allow caged pets without any extra fees or anything. They're honestly some of the cutest pets I've ever owned and I've been taking care of them throughout undergrad with no problem, so they'd be a good choice in my opinion.