5 Ways to Save Money on Pet Care

0
93


Image source: Getty Images

Don’t spend more than is necessary to provide the best care for your furry family members.


Key points

  • Pets are part of the family and they deserve high quality veterinary care.
  • It can be expensive to get good care for your pets.
  • There are ways to save money, including buying pet insurance and keeping up with preventative care tasks.

My dog Molly is the light of my life, but it has been very expensive to provide for her medical care in the 15 years that she’s been living with our family. 

While I’ve never opted out of a treatment because of cost reasons, I look for ways to save money on her expenses whenever possible. In my years as a pet owner, these are the five best ways I’ve found to save money on animal care. 

1. Sign up for pet insurance

The single best way to save money on pet care is to buy pet insurance when your animal is young and healthy. With pet insurance, you can pay predictable, affordable premiums in order to get covered for illnesses and injuries. While you’ll still need to pay out-of-pocket for routine care (unless you add an optional wellness plan), pet insurance can be a literal lifesaver because it will cover the bulk of big unexpected expenses.

I didn’t get pet insurance for Molly, and I ended up spending a fortune out of pocket on cardiologist appointments that would have been covered if we had a policy in place. With all future dogs, I’ll be sure to sign up for a pet insurance plan ASAP. 

2. Get regular preventative care

One big way to make sure your pet stays healthy and avoids the need for expensive veterinary services is to keep up with preventative care. This means visiting the vet once a year for an exam so you can catch little problems before big ones develop, and it means getting regular dental care so you can avoid costly tooth extractions. It also means using flea and tick medicines, getting regular vaccinations as required, and using a heartworm preventative. All of these routine care tasks can keep your pet from developing costly issues you’ll have to pay for. 

3. Make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise

Just as with people, exercise can significantly improve your pet’s health. By making sure your animal is in good shape, you can reduce the costs of veterinary care that can result from illnesses that develop due to a sedentary lifestyle. 

4. Choose your pet food carefully

Your pet’s food can make a big difference in their overall health. In our case, for example, when Molly eats certain types of foods, she develops ear infections that necessitate a costly trip to the vet.

By purchasing a high quality food you’ve researched carefully, you can avoid all sorts of problems, from allergies to obesity, and can make sure you don’t end up spending money to address problems that could have been avoided. 

5. Call around for pricing before visiting the vet 

Finally, I’ve found it really makes a difference to call several different vet’s offices to ask about the prices for the services you are interested in. For example, I was paying for an annual blood panel at one vet and when I called around and got prices, I found I had been overpaying by nearly $100. 

Of course, you don’t want to choose a vet based on price alone, but it’s still worth shopping around among reputable care providers to find the most affordable options for your animal’s medical needs.



Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here