I like this book!

How to Afford Veterinary Care
Without Mortgaging the Kids

by Dr. James L. Busby D.V.M.

There are one or two things in this book I don't agree with (the food he feeds his pets, and his opinion on declawing) but other then that, this has some great advice and tips.

thats great and i have heard alot of those things from others too but most vets REQUIRE annual shots and tests before they will even see the animal. my dogs missed a month of their heartguard and now i have to take them in and spend over $60 for a test because i cannot buy heartguard anywhere unless i have a receipt showing that they are up to date on their meds. its total bullshit but i have no choice. also if i want to bring my dogs or cats in for something where they will need to stay at the vet for a bit they are required to be up to date on all their shots. infact when i brought my dog daisy in for her senior check up the vet stated that she was due for all her shots (late in fact!) i told her that i did not feel it was needed after the things i'd read about most vaccines being good for three years. her response was "well they are doing studies but have not made it official yet so she will still need her shots." i thought well, she's the vet she should know right? so i gave in. never again.

This is so interesting, as a while back, a government report in the UK said exactly the same thing, and that basically, vets were cashing in on the annual vacination of animals. We had our cat va









































































This is so interesting, as a while back a government report in the UK said exactly the same thing. They believed vets were cashing in on the annual vaccination of animals. We had our cat vaccinated and she seemed fine, but later that evening she got quite ill, wouldn't eat, could hardly move, so she spent the night at the vets. I suggested she might have had a reaction to the shots, but they wouldn't have it, so rare it couldn't be possible. Turned out that was what was wrong, and her overnight stay cost £60.
Now each year i get the reminder for her jabs, but I am so reluctant as she was really poorly, so I decided not to get her them. Suppose only having the vets word you want to do the best for your animals, but the veterinary business is very lucrative, and I sometimes think they dole out meds when there's no need.

Sorry about that, something got cocked up.

I really feel it is unfair to charge that much for pet health care. I feel the same about human health care. No one should be turned away. My friend got hurt on her bike and the insurance covered most of it, but for crutches and some ex-rays it was over $1,000. This is insane and no one should be charged that much. We need serious medical reform.

Luckily, in many places, there are low-cost spay.neuter clinics so at least people can get THAT for their animals.

Originally Posted by TheRealPamela

I really feel it is unfair to charge that much for pet health care. I feel the same about human health care. No one should be turned away. My friend got hurt on her bike and the insurance covered most of it, but for crutches and some ex-rays it was over $1,000. This is insane and no one should be charged that much. We need serious medical reform.

Luckily, in many places, there are low-cost spay.neuter clinics so at least people can get THAT for their animals.

i agree. atleast with hospitals they cannot turn you away and most times you are billed later and in most cases people can even pay $10 a month toward their bill. i owe about $1000 more to my local hospital and im paying it off little by little. however, at the vet they require payment right away and some places will allow a pymt plan but not most. plus if you do not have the money then and there you get no vet treatment for your animal. there is vet insurance.....i have not priced that but i have a feeling that unless your dog is seriously ill requiring monthly or weekly treatments then it probably does not save you anything. i only have one cat and two dogs and the amount of money i spend between on meds and things is alot. infact there is a stray that i care for who has an injured paw (i just noticed this) and i called to ask about how much it would be to get her fixed up. just the cost of brining her in to figure out what is wrong will be over $100. that does not include the cost of any sugery or meds or anything else. i planned on saving over a period of a couple of weeks but now i've totaled my car the other day and i dont know if i'll be able to do it although i am going to try my hardest.

Also, check out this website:
http://www.critteradvocacy.org/