Vet Bills Braking the Bank?
How to better control the cost of going to the vet
There is no secret to controlling veterinarian bills because all the experts tell us that "preventative care" is the best way to do that. Why is it that when it comes to parting with hard earned dollars to prevent something that may never happen we would rather put our wallets back in our pocket and take our chances. I guess we are all caught up in human nature.
Over the past several years the cost of animal care has been very reasonable when compared to human health care. But as knowledge and technology improve in areas such as special diets, wellness care, grooming, and dental care, the cost start to skyrocket.
The Humane Society estimates that is costs about $800.00 annually to keep a cat. Most of us would agree that is very reasonable, but that does not include the prospect of an emergency or prolonged illness that would drive up those dollars and is a big concern to pet owners.
Animal health providers agree that one of the best ways for saving money is to prevent those diseases that are costly to treat but easy and relatively inexpensive to prevent. Feline leukemia, considered to be the most common cause of serious illness and death in domestic cats, or feline panleukopenia (feline distemper) can be easily prevented by the administering of vaccinations during the kitten or young adult years. The idea is to spend $30 now and eliminate the possibility of spending hundreds of dollars later.
Your veterinarian is the best resource to know which vaccinations are right for your cat. Due to different habitats and common risk factors your pet may not need all the vaccinations recommended in the 'general' approach to good health. Rely on your vet.
Another way to maintain your cats' good health and save money is by preventing disease is an ongoing program of dental hygiene. We all know the benefits of brushing and caring for our own teeth, but many don't realize the same holds true for our pets. Dental disease in our cats can predispose them to heart problems, liver problems and even kidney problems which when treated later are all much more expensive than prevention. Don't be so sure this doesn't apply to your cat - authorities estimate that 80 percent of cats over 3 years of age already have some form of dental disease. Early preventative care that includes routine teeth brushing, proper diet, and oral examinations can save big money.
Another manageable factor within your control is maintaining your cats' proper weight. When was the last time your watched an hour of television and didn't see a commercial directed at us to lower blood pressure, prevent or control diabetics, maintain healthy joints or prevent heart disease, and all these messages had something to do with weight. The same advise applies to our cats because they are susceptible to the same type of problems and diseases that we are. If controlling and maintaining proper weight is good for us for all the known reasons, its also good for our pets. Remember, you are not doing your pet a favor by giving it a lot of treats high in calories low in nutrition, or by providing food low in quality - you could both be paying the price in your cats' senior years.
Here are a few common sense money saving things that sometimes are so obvious we forget:
- By confining, or putting your cat on a leash when outside, will prevent roaming and reduce the risk of being hit by a car or attacked by another animal.
- Spaying or neutering your cat will prevent having to spend money on the care and feeding of kittens, and will reduce your cats' urge to roam.
- Regular vet visits will catch problems and diseases early when they are less expensive to treat and cure.
- Pet proofing your home by doing such things as not having plants that are poisonous to your cat, reducing the risk of accidents around open flame or a hot stove top, or concealing electrical cords that could easily be bitten into by sharp little teeth.
As responsible owners we all have a duty to maintain the highest possible health and wellbeing of our pets. Its a challenge to do so in an affordable way. The point is however, it is doable if we constantly think about ways we can reduce cost and apply preventative care.
Is your cat bored? Buy it a new cat tree.