Can you save money on veterinary care ?

Journalists are keying into this hot topic and dog lovers need to do some investigative work as well as a lot of soul searching to come up with quality budget management for pet care.  The first and most important issue has to do with choosing a basically healthy breed and unfortunately, the general public still lacks information about the best ways of choosing a breed and finding healthy puppies. There are no short cuts (although it helps to know dog owners and listen to their experiences) and every prospective dog owner needs to do his/her homework and contact national breed clubs and reputable breeders as a first step. Parallel to this, they also need to do serious reading on specific breeds and question breeders about hip, eye and other health testing. Listen in to their advice on dog rearing and the latest developments among fellow dog breeders. You can pick up a lot of valid information with the right questions !

Once you have gotten your puppy, you again need to make some important decisions on  puppy care which include spaying/neutering, vaccination policies, nutrition (type of diet) and even teeth cleaning. Choosing a good vet is also part of your dog rearing. If you live in an area with a large veterinary population, you can interview each one and pick one who is keeping up-to-date on the latest research in the field. What are his policies about expensive veterinary bills ? Will he work out something with you ? Look around his office and notice the products he is selling. Is he oriented towards a natural approach ? How does this fit in with your own policies ? Check around and do a cost comparison among vets in your area and don't hesitate to mention your personal opinions to a prospective vet.

Investing in doggie equipment such as crates, collars and food sources makes up a good part of your budget management and many times, you can find adverts in local papers for second hand crates which are less than half of what you will pay in a franchise dog supplies chain.  Do you have friends with dogs ? They may have collars and leashes from the time their dogs were puppies. If this route doesn't work for you, consider farm supply stores or stores in a farming district which may offer better prices.

How can you offer your dog a healthy diet and still maintain your budget ? Again, being resourceful helps and if you have decided on a home cooked diet or a raw food diet, you can get high quality ingredients from a co-op, ethnic supermarket or by contacting local farmers (or farm associations). If you go the kibble route, you might decide to become a distributor and save money that way. Please remember that good nutrition will save you veterinary bills down the road !

There will be times, when you will need to use medications and where you buy them will make a big difference in your budget. You can get generic drugs from sources such as Costco and Eckerd and save huge amounts. There are also online sources, but you need to investigate these sources very carefully. The same applies to vitamins and supplements. Why purchase them from vets when you can get them inexpensively from other good sources ?? Also, why not form supplement/vitamin co-ops with fellow dog owners and buy as a group and get big discounts ?? Being sharp and creative at the same time will help your dog live a longer, healthier life and parallel to that, you will be able to maintain your budget management pet care to the advantage of both doggie and dog lover !