Taking your dog or cat to the vet can hit your bank account. A pet’s medical emergency can easily cost over $500, impacting any family’s finances. We’ve found easy ways to save money at the vet without compromising your pet’s health.
Preventive Care and Maintenance
- Take advantage of preventive care. Preventive services like heartworm prevention medication can save money compared to treating heartworm disease later.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle with exercise, grooming, proper food, teeth brushing, and care.
- Visit a pop-up clinic when you need treatment.
Budgeting and Planning
- Budget what to expect for vet bills depending on your pet’s age and health. Puppies need vaccinations and spaying/neutering. Elderly or injured pets require more preventative care and medication.
- Do at-home health checks to catch issues early, avoiding severe illness requiring extensive treatment.
- Let your vet know – early testing and treatment greatly reduce expenses.
Additional Cost-Saving Strategies
- Keep pets indoors when unsupervised since outdoor pets risk skin infections in wet weather and dog fights at runs.
- Home remedies can treat many pet cases vs pricey vet visits.
- Ask your vet for medication prescriptions to order cheaper drugs online vs directly from the vet.
- Consider pet insurance – policies tailored to your budget can save money on vet bills, especially with multi-pet discounts.
- Invest in convenient preventative vet wellness plans.
- Regular check-ups, flea and tick prevention, and dental care reduce future costs and ensure your pet’s health.
Negotiating and Reducing Fees
- And if your vet recommends a treatment, get them to write the size and price to compare when shopping.
- Choose a different, cheaper vet.
- Don’t fall for extra toys and food at the vet.
- Work on maintaining your pet’s health with a meal plan.
- Preventative care establishes a baseline and can prevent disease.
- Price shop, animal hospital prices vary widely.
- Ask for discounts on annual checkups with multiple pets.
- Give booster shots every three years instead of annually.
- Check prices at humane societies.
- Keep all health records to easily change vets.
- Use your regular vet for less expensive follow-ups after emergency visits.
- Learn services you can provide at home to save thousands.
- Budget $250 per year for routine costs, plus emergencies.
- Most will have a $2,000 emergency.
- Veterinary salaries and overhead costs are rising.
- Invest in reliable equipment rather than pay for repairs.
- Costs include staff turnover and training new employees.
- Prevent health problems before they happen with check-ups and insurance.
- Choose a cheaper clinic or veterinarian.
- Stay proactive with regular care to avoid issues.