What One Veterinarian Has To Say About How To Save Money On Pets

You may already know that I have a dog. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen a lot of photos of him…he’s a common topic of conversation there. And I’ve written before about loving animals and how I incorporate them into part of my financial life. Pet owners also have to think about the costs of keeping a pet happy and healthy, something that is very important to me but not something I’m an expert on.

Today I’m bringing you a guest post from a friend of mine, Marianne Krumdick. She’s going to talk about how to save money on pets. Marianne is a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) who graduated from vet school in 2006 and has been practicing in a small town about 60 miles west of Chicago ever since. Marianne joined the Army Reserves in 2009 and was lucky to find a veterinary unit near Chicago. She deployed to Kuwait in 2014 and is currently in training for her next deployment.

Take it away, Marianne!

How to Save Money on Pets

Veterinary care can be expensive. If you are a pet owner, you surely know this. Vaccines, heartworm and flea prevention, emergencies….It adds up! The downside to paying for veterinary care is that (typically), you can’t just submit these charges to your insurance plan. So what do you do?

First and foremost, please don’t adopt/rescue a pet that you cannot afford. I know this seems obvious (and may be too late if you already have committed). If you haven’t pulled the trigger on an adoption, just stop and think this thing through. A kitten is a 16-18 year commitment. A puppy can be a 12-16 year commitment. Basic food/litter/veterinary care for a healthy cat could cost up to $1000 annually while basic food/preventative medications/veterinary care for a healthy dog could cost about $1200 annually. These estimates are bare bones minimum! One ER trip or serious illness could rack up a bill of several thousand dollars.

Veterinary Care Cost Breakdown

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty.  You may already have a pet and don’t know where to start. Believe it or not, I’ve been there too! Before I entered this field, I had a lot of questions. Do I have to give heartworm and flea prevention EVERY month? Do I really have to spay or neuter my dog? What do I do if I have an expensive emergency?!  What about these vaccine clinics? Are these vaccines really necessary? Can I buy preventative medications online for cheaper? Should I feed grain free? Here are my thoughts on how to take excellent care of your furry friend without breaking the bank.

Sign up for a wellness plan at your veterinary hospital

Our veterinary hospital offers wellness plans for all stages of life for dogs and cats. Each plan covers a bundle of services that is significantly discounted. Our puppy plan includes all of the core vaccines (Rabies, DHLPP, KC and subsequent boosters), deworming and spay/neuter (with preoperative bloodwork, IV catheter…the whole shebang for best medicine). It’s a GREAT deal! We have similar plans for older pets that need dental cleanings, etc. See if your hospital offers something similar.

Consider pet insurance

This is different from a wellness plan. Just like human health insurance, you can sign up for a catastrophic event type plan (i.e. my dog got hit by a car and broke his leg and now needs orthopedic surgery, etc) or all inclusive type plans that cover wellness type services as well. In this case, you may not need a wellness plan as listed above. I’m a fan of at LEAST being covered for those catastrophic events. These are the things that are hugely expensive and require a lot of effort to resolve. Make sure you sign up BEFORE you have a catastrophic event. They typically won’t cover preexisting conditions.

Stay up to date on preventative care

Treating a heartworm positive dog (depending on the stage) can run $1200-$2000 and weeks of cage rest for your pup. Instead, protect your dog from this disease by spending $8-10/month on heartworm prevention. Similarly, keep your pet protected from tick borne diseases and fleas with a good monthly preventative ($10-20/month).

Can you buy these medications online for cheaper?

I caution our clients that the product guarantee is only valid if purchased through a veterinary office. The reason for this is that these medications are not sold directly to third party pet medication discount companies.  Subsequently, the true source of these medications is unknown. Were they stored in someone’s garage for several months at warm temperatures and therefore, unknowingly, affecting the expiration date? I wouldn’t risk it.

Our office routinely has rebate offers that allow us to match or even come in cheaper than most online pharmacies. Just because it’s online does not mean it’s cheaper. Some clinics will even offer to match online prices if they are less expensive.

I would highly recommend spay/neuter for 99.9% of our pets

Purebred dogs should not be bred unless the quality of their temperament, genetics, and conformation is exceptional. Breeding should be considered only if breeding them actually IMPROVES the breed. This is a very, very, very small percentage of dogs and requires additional health testing to ensure that the offspring are genetically sound.

Let’s discuss vaccines and vaccine clinics

Most veterinary clinics have gotten on board with a 3 year protocol for most vaccines. Rabies, Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvovirus/Parainfluenza (or DHPP) can both be given every 3 years after the initial puppy series is completed. Leptospirosis, Lyme, Bordetella/Kennel cough and Influenza are all still yearly after the initial 2 vaccine booster series.

Can these vaccines be given at a vaccine clinic vs a normal veterinarian? You betcha. Is there any difference in the quality of these vaccines? Probably not.

So what’s the difference? The difference lies in having a good relationship with your veterinarian and being able to ask what is recommended for your pets’ specific needs. Vaccine clinics do their best to accommodate low income families. However, it is often a very assembly line type system that may not be best if you have any questions such as:

• Has your pet ever had vaccine reactions?
• What is your pet’s lifestyle?  If he/she is never boarded or groomed, he/she may not need certain vaccines (Bordetella, influenza).
• Perhaps the most important thing is a good quality history and physical exam.  What stage of life is your pet in?  Is it time for a dental cleaning and evaluation?  Any signs of gastrointestinal upset like vomiting or diarrhea?  Drinking more, urinating more?  Behavior problems? Osteoarthritis or signs of pain?  These are things that are important to discuss with your veterinarian that likely will not be adequately addressed at a vaccine clinic.

How to Save Money on Pet Food

Have you ever walked into a pet store and felt COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the colored bags of cat and dog foods all claiming to be the absolute best choice for your pet? You may ask the store clerk and they direct you towards a particular food. Your neighbor tells you to feed something different. dogfoodadvisor.com is rating your current food a 1/5. What to do!?

Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. There are certain ‘fads’ that tend to blow through every industry and pet food is certainly no exception. Raw food? Grain free? Limited ingredient? The scope of this topic could be a completely separate blog post.

A general recommendation is to look at the AAFCO statement on the side of your bag of pet food. You will get 2 valuable pieces of information from this AAFCO statement.

1. How is the food tested?  (Formulation or through Animal Feeding Trials)
2. What life stage is this food designed for?

So What Should You Look For?

Ideally, I would recommend a diet that is tested through Animal Feeding Trials and for a specific life stage, i.e. growth or maintenance, etc. I would not recommend a diet that is labelled ‘for all life stages’. This is essentially a puppy food and not meant to be fed to adults or seniors. The foods that fit these two qualities are often very reasonably priced pet foods. Not the cheapest….but also not the most expensive. Don’t be afraid to ask your veterinarian for his/her recommendation and what they feed their pet. It’s a great place to start.

Summary

I hope some of these tips are helpful.  Different veterinarians may have slightly different points of view, but I think most would concur with the above.

One bonus tip for military… Use the VTF (veterinary treatment center) on post for wellness services if you can.  These veterinarians are either stationed at the clinic for 3-4 years or civilian vets that may have been there for many years.  You can develop a good relationship with the VTF vet and save quite a bit in the process.

Thanks to Marianne for writing this post! I know I’m always questioning the best way to care for my dog while also learning how to save money on pets. It’s good to see it all laid out by somebody who knows what they are talking about!

And if you want to see a post about choosing a good value dog food, let her know in the comments!