Money Tips for Caring Pet Owners

Well, here is another installment, and its actually only a week following the last one!!  Go Me!!  I have time this week because I'm having all my floors redone at my house and have nothing else to do while the crew works!!!  LOL!

I saw this article from the AVMA, in my inbox and realized it's full of very useful information!  It explains so much that I try to convey to people everyday about routine-preventative wellness.  I picked out the stuff I thought was most important but also put a link for the article in full. 

Just so you know who the AVMA is:  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), established in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 82,500 veterinarians.  The AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.  The mission of the Association is to improve animal and human health and advance the veterinary medical profession.

Money Tips for Caring Pet Owners
By Julie Ciaramella
Web/New Writer
AVMA Communications Division
Everyone is trying to save money these days, including pet owners.  Providing your pet with regular preventive care is the key to a healthy and long life for your pet. And an investment in preventive healthcare can reduce your long-term pet healthcare costs. How? Preventive care does just what its name suggests – it can prevent diseases that can put your pet’s life in jeopardy and be costly to treat. Regular exams also often catch budding health issues that can become bigger problems if left untreated, saving you hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars as a result and possibly even saving the life of your pet.

First Things First
We recognize that cost is a major concern for pet owners.  There are several factors to consider when you choose a veterinarian.    Cost is often a factor, but it may not be the most important factor to consider. While some veterinary medical services may be offered at very low rates, remember that they also may not include comprehensive services. Make sure you compare “apples to apples.

And what about “Dr. Google?” More and more, people are resorting to the Internet to find information and guidance on health issues – for both themselves and their pets. Sorting out reliable from unreliable information online can be challenging, and the Internet is certainly not a reliable substitute for hands-on evaluation by your veterinarian or physician.  Don’t get us wrong. Not all information on the Internet is wrong or misguided. But the AVMA urges you to be very cautious when relying on online information for decisions regarding your own health or your pet’s health.


A Penny Now or a Pound Later?
All of the veterinarians interviewed for this article emphasized that annual preventive healthcare exams and regular preventive care – such as vaccinations, heartworm testing, fecal parasite exams, dental evaluation and more – save pets’ lives by ensuring they’re healthy.  Regular exams can also detect problems early, before they become more serious…and probably more expensive to treat. In a nutshell, spending the money upfront on preventive care will can save you a lot more in the long run.


Dr. Nan Boss, who owns the Best Friends Veterinary Center in Grafton, Wis., shares a story about a cat named Gabby that hadn’t been to the veterinarian in years and came into her clinic with neurological problems. Gabby was so weak she couldn’t even walk.

“She’d had a stroke because of high blood pressure caused by hyperthyroidism, which can lead to a number of other health problems including weight loss, and heart and kidney disease. If we had been checking her thyroid level regularly, we would have caught the disease earlier and had her on medication, plus we would have been monitoring her blood pressure. She would never have had the stroke,” Dr. Boss says.

Doing the Right Thing
Vaccinations, along with spaying and neutering your pets, will also cut down on medical bills and keep your pet healthy by likely reducing long-term costs. One thing to remember, however, is that pet owners shouldn’t try to vaccinate their pets at home. That job should be left to a veterinary healthcare team.

Although adverse reactions to vaccines are rare, they can occur and may lead to potentially life-threatening anaphylactic (allergic) reactions. Most reactions are mild and resolve quickly with little to no treatment, but some (such as anaphylactic reactions) require immediate emergency care, and any delay in treatment could be dangerous.

Dr. David Highsmith, of Highsmith Animal Hospital in Wilmington, N.C., said he once saw a patient, a puppy named Stella, that was vaccinated at his clinic and, in a rare reaction, collapsed approximately five minutes after receiving the vaccination.

“I am convinced that if this had happened at the owner’s home or some other place other than a veterinary office, that Stella would not have survived. While (severe) vaccine and medication reactions are rare, they can and do occur, and they can be devastating,” Dr. Highsmith says.

A Hard a Pill to Swallow?
Maybe not. One area where you may be able to save money is on your pet’s medications. Pet owners always have the option of purchasing their pet’s medications from a variety of sources, including large grocery or pharmacy chains, online pharmacies or your own veterinarian. But you should be careful when buying medications from any source other than the veterinarian you trust with your pet’s well-being. If you choose to purchase your pet’s medications from an online pet pharmacy, purchase only from reputable pharmacies with a valid license in your state. You can check license status with your state pharmacy board.

Never purchase prescription medications from a pharmacy that tells you that you don’t need a prescription. Don’t purchase medications from pharmacies outside the U.S., because they may be selling medications that are not FDA-approved, which is illegal in the U.S. and could pose a health risk for your pet. They may also be selling counterfeit medications or marketing pills that don’t contain any medication at all. For more information on safely obtaining pet medications from online pharmacies, visit the FDA’s “Buyer Beware” page.

When it comes to purchasing pet medications, it could pay to check with your veterinary clinic first. Your veterinarian might provide the medication at a cost that’s very similar to the price charged by local or online pharmacies. So don’t be afraid to ask about the cost; you might be pleasantly surprised. And keep in mind that some manufacturers will only guarantee their products if they are purchased from a veterinarian. Add in the convenience factor of taking the medications with you, eliminating additional stops or time spent getting the prescriptions filled, and you may save more than you originally thought you would.



A Simple Solution Is Sometimes Cheaper
Dr. Hill also spoke about the importance of preventing obesity in pets, saying the condition often leads to a multitude of health problems.

“We see obese pets that have broken a leg or become paralyzed from a ruptured disc just by jumping off the couch,” Dr. Hill says. “Oftentimes, just by losing weight a pet can avoid having joint replacement surgery or having to take lifelong pain medications.”

Obesity also increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and joint disease, including arthritis, so keeping your pet at a healthy weight is a great preventive measure that keeps costs down throughout your pet’s entire life.

Help!
Even though you make sure your pet receives exercise, proper nutrition, vaccinations and regular veterinary exams, it can still get sick. And in an emergency situation, it’s best to remember that cost-cutting measures could mean the difference between life and death. The best ways to save money on emergency care are to 1) provide good preventive care, so that problems are caught early, before they become more difficult and expensive to treat; 2) prevent emergencies by being cautious and minimizing your pet’s risk of injuries, poisonings or other situations that can be avoided with some forethought; and 3) recognize true emergencies and don’t delay treatment.

If you end up at a clinic or emergency facility with a sick or injured pet and you can’t afford treatment, ask the veterinarian about financial options. Dr. Boss says veterinarians are often willing to help clients find solutions.

“For most serious problems there is a spectrum of care, and we need to have a discussion with the client as to what their financial status will allow them to do and what they are comfortable with,” she says. “It’s wonderful how much specialty care we have available these days, but we also are fully aware that not everyone can afford an MRI for their dog’s injured shoulder or endoscopy to look for inflammatory bowel disease. We are all very used to coming up with a solution that works.”


“I do think it’s sensible to tell your veterinarian when you truly can’t afford something,” explains Dr. Hill. “Oftentimes they can come up with a less expensive ‘Plan B’ that may not be quite as good but is still better than taking your pet home and doing nothing.”

Bottom Line
“Even if you feed your pet the best food, provide the best preventive care and are alert to any problems early on, you still may end up with a sick or injured pet” Dr. Boss says. “But you lower the odds if you are proactive about preventive healthcare and set aside some money or invest in pet insurance. That way, should the occasion arise, you can afford the technically advanced care that is available to your pet today.”