Search Results for: blog paying for your pets surgery

Paying For Your Pet’s Surgery

When Moose was hit by a car last June, the final bill for his care was close to a thousand dollars — that includes x-rays, the surgery itself, painkillers and antibiotics, and aftercare. Thank goodness I had some money saved up for emergencies. My parents sent me several hundred dollars to help, too. Many people don’t have an emergency fund when a pet needs surgery. So what can you do? Don’t despair… there are always options. Ask the veterinarian about the possibility of a payment plan. For major surgeries, your vet may be able to let you pay off your … Continue reading →

Where to Go For Spaying/Neutering

Spay Day USA is coming — Tuesday February 27th. This is a great time to have your dog or cat (or rabbit or other small pet) spayed or neutered! You have several different options for the surgery. Most people have their regular veterinarian do the spay or neuter surgery. Choosing your regular veterinarian is nice and easy — they already care for your pet! However, this can be the most expensive option. Your vet may be able to offer special financing options or a have a special fund to help pet owners who can’t afford particular treatments and surgeries. Your … Continue reading →

Why Veterinary Prices Might Go Up

One thing I really struggle with is vet prices. I don’t actually have problems paying our veterinary bills, but I want to be a smart consumer and thus want to know if my visit was reasonably priced. When I first adopted Chihiro and Cole I took them to a low-cost clinic. After a checkup and any necessary shots I paid somewhere in the $50-$65 range. I became disillusioned with the clinic for reasons I’ve expounded on before and started going to a veterinary hospital. Checkup and shot visits there cost around $90. I don’t mind paying $40 extra if that’s … Continue reading →

Health Credit Cards are Not Health Insurance

Posted on by

There is a new trend that many credit card companies have picked up on. They have started selling health-care credit cards, designed to pay for the medical care that you need, but cannot afford to pay for on your own. These cards could help bridge the gaps in a person’s health insurance policy, but they are not a sufficient replacement for having health insurance. What happens when a person needs a certain type of medical or dental procedure and their health insurance doesn’t cover it? For many people, it means they must make a decision between two unfortunate choices. They … Continue reading →

Get to the Vet (With a Little Help from Bayer)

Somebody in one of my online pet communities alerted me to GetToTheVet.com. The basic idea is this: Bayer Animal Health (makers of Advantage flea and tick prevention) is going to give away a quarter of a million dollars in veterinary vouchers to help folks get their pets in for vet visits during these tough economic times. As the site says: “…many pet owners are facing difficult choices about how to pay for and prioritize their pets’ care and wellness. And unfortunately, veterinary visits and preventive veterinary care are often cut due to financial struggles and concerns.” Between February 16 and … Continue reading →

Increasing Demands on Pet Food Banks and Low-Cost Clinics

Financial crises are making the news a lot these days. Homes are in foreclosure, jobs are lost, and debt and cost of living are soaring. Some people are forced to consider giving up family pets in order to keep going. In order to save some money, some pet owners are skipping preventative care like annual exams, vaccinations, and monthly treatments like heartworm and flea/tick prevention. Some people are declining expensive diagnostic tests when a pet is sick. Others are turning to food pantries in the hope of finding kibbles for furry family members. If you’ve never had a pet, it’s … Continue reading →

National Pet Week

Not only is this week (May 6-12) designated Be Kind to Animals Week, it’s also National Pet Week. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the Auxiliary to the American Veterinary Medical Association started it 26 years ago, in 1981. Together, their goal is to “promote responsible pet ownership, celebrate the human-animal bond, and promote public awareness of veterinary medicine.” They even have a website dedicated to the week. It’s chock full of both useful and fun information. Under the Pet Health Care, tab they provide a plethora of complimentary downloadable brochures. (In both English and Spanish.) They have 20 pamphlets … Continue reading →

There Was No Joy In Kittentown…

Confession time: I am guilty of the crime of creative cat diapering. My friend Jenny recently got a lovely black kitten named Zoe. After a few months, it came time for Zoe to get spayed — among other things, spaying fights overpopulation, helps reduce the risk of running away and some diseases of the reproductive organs. Zoe came through her surgery with flying colors, and was soon feeling well enough to start messing with her cone. Also known as an Elizabethan collar, the plastic cone helps prevent a pet from accessing the surgical site and stitches. Instinct tells your pet … Continue reading →

Spay Day USA

Spay Day USA is coming — Tuesday, February 27, 2007. Traditionally, Spay Day USA takes place on the last Tuesday of February. This is America’s first and only national day of action to promote spaying and neutering pets! Spay Day USA was created in 1995 by the Doris Day Animal League for veterinarians, pet care professionals, animal welfare activists, business owners, and citizens to join forces for a great cause. Between 1995 and 2006, Spay Day USA spayed or neutered more than 1.3 million dogs and cats! Think about this: an unspayed cat can give birth to eighteen kittens every … Continue reading →

Aimee’s Cast of Characters, part one

I’m one of your new pets bloggers… but you’re not here to read about me, are you? NO! You’re here to read about my mutts! We’ve had lots of dogs in the family over the years — and you’ll get to meet all of them soon enough — but there have been three dogs who have been Mine. Miko… joined the family 4/25/2000 After graduating college in 1999, I lived in an apartment for a year. After that, I moved home to live with my grandmother. As soon as my stuff was home, I went to Jersey Shore Animal Center … Continue reading →