We all love our dogs but sometimes financial hardship leads us to make hard decisions about their healthcare. Fortunately, there a number of ways that you can save money on dog vet bills without compromising the health of your pets and families. Most of these things are easy, too, once you have acknowledged your need to save money on dog vet bills.
Tips to Save Money on Dog Vet Bills
- Consider not renewing some vaccines yearly. Once the puppy series of shots has been completed, parvo and distemper vaccinations are now considered to be good for a minimum of three years. If your vet or paperwork indicate otherwise, consider a frank discussion with your provider.
- Talk with your vet. Let them know that you are needing to minimize the costs of treatment to save money on dog vet bills. Ask for explanations of treatments and ask if there is another way to diagnose or treat that may cost less.
- Check your dog’s food. Likely you are overfeeding your dog and he is overweight. Cutting back on the amount of food or treats that you are feeding him could make a significant impact on your budget. In addition, you may be preventing your pet from contracting more dangerous diseases like diabetes.
- Look into a line of credit for veterinary expenses. Sometimes you can get a deal like you can for a credit card with no or low interest for the first few months or 90-days same as cash. This can also allow to spread bigger expenses out over several months with lower payments. One of the major providers of these lines of credit is Care Credit; you might be familiar with them from your own medical or dental policies.
- Think about buying pet insurance, especially if you are one of those people who does everything for their pet. Most of the providers will pay up to 80 percent of your costs, so determine if it wouldn’t be a better deal to pay the insurance premiums instead.
- Investigate local colleges or universities and see if they have veterinary schools. Student vets need practice just like student doctors. Your dog will still be in great hands because the students are taught and overseen by some of the best vets in your area.
- Finally, make sure that you have dog or puppy proofed your home. Puppies especially are prone to chewing things like cords or wires. Also make sure that small items are kept picked up; dogs are curious and will taste everything!
Following these tips should help you to save money on dog vet bills in the long run. They will still be happy and healthy and, of course, continue to give you joy and love for years to come.
