Comments on: Saving Money as a Pet Owner: Veterinarians

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:24:47 +0000

Pet care is definitely a major expense these days. Just have to make sure you have a vet you trust (much like a mechanic), and that they’ll do what’s best for the animal and your finances (without causing harm to the pet).

By: rmkhochare

rmkhochare — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:36:55 +0000

Shawn, you have really taken up a valid issue. I used to own a dog myself, but with the increasing cost, I decided to get rid of it. It was a tough decision, but I had no other option.

By: chb

chb — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:16:46 +0000

I’m with Neko. Our two year old mutt has needed about 3000 of emergency care this year, and this number doesn’t make me flinch at all (but $3000 extra of almost any other thing would! we’re not well-off by american standards!) The conditions should not affect the rest of her life but at this point I may look into pet insurance options. Even if they don’t cover anything related to what’s already happened to her, it would help in the case of a bad accident or cancer diagnosis. I have just asked a lot of questions of every vet & nurse we’ve met with. I ask what they would do for their own pet, what lower-cost options exist, what if we didn’t do the services, etc. I know we’ll be lifelong dog owners, no matter what the cost. Just make educated decisions and be a responsible pet owner, and try to encourage other pet owners to do the same! And good for people who realize that maybe they won’t get another dog if they’d rather not pay the costs.

By: Neko

Neko — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:44:36 +0000

Yeah it sounds like your vet is trying to cash in on you. When we choose a vet for our pet we went with one who had been open for many years and was located in the ‘cheaper’ part of town.

Also, when we suspec there is a problem with one of our pets we use ‘google’ to try and trouble shoot what it may be. It has worked wonders. For instance, one of our cats as allergic to Purina Indoor Cat food. We would have spent over $175 in vistis and tests to find out what a website was able to tell us. We simply switched the food and he got better instantly. Of course, if he were not to then I would have taken him to the vet.

Pet’s are not just animals, they are companions. They are the only thing in the world that will give you unconditional love and to me you cannot put a price on that. If I had a dog who needed thousands of dollars of surgery, it would be worth it. I could never put an animal down simply because I was too cheap. I’d find a way. I think that as pet owners we have a moral obligation to take care of our pets no matter what. If people cannot fathom this, then perhaps they shouldn;t have pets.

- Neko

By: Susy

Susy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:59:17 +0000

Every 6 months for shots are you kidding. Our dog only goes in once a year and they give her everything at that time. It only costs $33 and that includes most of the shots (sometimes they’re an extra $5 or $10). One thing I like about our vet is that she tries homeopathic remedies first, recommending easy DIY treatments instead of medicines.

We also make our own dog food which really cuts down on the cost of pet ownership. I’m like you though, I’m going to seriously consider not getting a dog to replace ours.