Keeping veterinary costs down

Veterinary expenses for a pet can be overwhelming. Even when your pet is healthy there are still vaccines, spay/neutering surgeries, and their yearly physical exam. Luckily, there are several ways to help keep the cost down without sacrificing your pet's health.

Vet Visits and Care

Banfield Pet Hospitals offers new patients a free first office visit and consultation. Banfield is located inside many PetSmart stores nationwide. Find a location near you using the widget on the right side bar.

VCA Animal Hospitals operate over 520 locations nationwide, serving over 41 states. They are currently offering new patients a free initial pet health exam. Simply fill out the form to receive your instant coupon to bring to your first appointment. Coupon is good for up to 2 pets per household. Dogs and cats only. Go here for locations.

The Humane Society provides a list of resources by state for those seeking assistance paying for veterinary care for their pets. Remember that each of these programs have different eligibility requirements, so be sure to check with each individual program to see if you qualify.

Vaccinations

Luv My Pet offers low cost vaccines for dogs and cats. See their prices here. Clinics are held in Petco stores in 20 states, and are offered on weekends and some weekdays. Go here to find a location and clinic date near you.

Protect My Pet offers low cost vaccines for dogs and cats. See their prices and vaccine packages here. Clinics are held at Petco, Pet Supermarket, Tractor Supply Co., PetSense and independent stores located in Florida, Georgia, California, Arizona, New York, Colorado, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Hawaii. Go here to find a location near you.

Spay/Neuter

ASPCA listing of low-cost spay/neuter programs in the U.S. Searchable database for all states.

Spayneuter.org offers a searchable database of low-cost spay/neuter programs across the U.S.

Love That Cat (lovethatcat.com) has a page dedicated to low-cost spay/neuter programs. Includes addresses, phone numbers, and websites for programs all across the U.S. Click on your state to see what is available in your area.

Humane Society of Michigan to hold 22nd year of Protect-A-Pet Clinics in Detroit

We hear these stories all the time - families facing financial difficulties are forced to give up their beloved pet, simply because they cannot afford to properly care for them any longer. Pets can be a source of comfort and support in tough times, making us feel better when nothing else really can. With much of the country still struggling economically shelters are still seeing an increase in pet surrenders. Organizations like the Michigan Humane Society (MHS) are trying to ease the financial burden of pet care with their Protect-A-Pet clinics.

For the 22nd year, the Michigan Humane Society will be holding low-cost vaccination and microchipping clinics throughout the city of Detroit for low-income pet parents. Over the past 22 years MHS have helped keep over 60,000 pets healthy with their Protect-A-Pet clincs. The clinics will be for healthy dogs and cats who are 6 weeks or older. Pricing will be as follows:

Pet Licensing for Detroit Residents:

$10 for unspayed or unneutered pet 

$5 for spayed or neutered pet

Microchips will be $10 for each animal.

Vaccinations will be $3 for each shot. Vaccinations available include Rabies Vaccine (for healthy dogs & cats 4 months and older), FVRCP (for healthy cats over 6 weeks), and DHLP-P (for healthy dogs over 6 weeks). 

The first of these clinics was held this past weekend in Clark Park on May 12th. There are three more clinics scheduled this summer. For directions to these locations go here. 

June 2 - Balduck Park

June 23 - Palmer Park

July 14 - Stoepel #1 Park

Clinics run from 10 a.m. -2 p.m., and services will be limited to the first 800 animals at each clinic. It is suggested that you get there early to insure being one of the first 800.  All pets attending the clinic must be leashed or in a carrier. In order to receive services pet parents are asked to show proof of limited income. A list of acceptable documentation is available on their website. Payment will be accepted in the form of cash only on the day of the clinic. 

Free initial pet health exam at VCA Animal Hospitals

My kitties just turned one year old, meaning they are ready for their annual vet check-up. We have been debating bringing them to the same vet we used last year because though we liked him, the price were pretty high. You can imagine how excited I was to come across this offer!

Right now VCA Animal Hospitals are offering a free initial pet health exam to all new customers! Simply fill out the form to receive your instant coupon to bring to your first appointment. The coupon is good for up to 2 pets per household, and is valid for dogs and cats only.

VCA Animal Hospitals have over 520 locations and operate in 41 states. Go here to see if there is a location near you.

February 28th is World Spay Day!

Did you know that an unspayed cat and her descendants can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years? That is A LOT of kittens! Dogs can have a litter about every 6 months, with anywhere from 1-6 puppies on average in each litter. And rabbits (the third most popular pet in the US) can get pregnant again within days (sometimes hours) of giving birth? That may sound wonderful if you love animals, but sadly many of these animals will enter a shelter, and some will never find a home (or worse yet, be put down due to overcrowding). That is why spay and neutering is so important, and why the Humane Society promotes World Spay Day. 


It is tragic that so many wonderful pets are put down when there is such a simple solution. Below are some links to low-cost spay/neuter programs. You may be thinking "a low-cost clinic is not as safe as going to a veterinary hospital," but I took both my kittens to a clinic and was very happy with the results and service we received. If you have an un-spayed or un-neutered pet, please consider taking them in for the procedure. There are already too many unwanted, and homeless, pets out there - let's work to help spread the word about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets!


Here are 10 great reasons to spay/neuter your pet:
From ASPCA


1. Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life. 
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. 


2. Neutering provides major health benefits for your male. 
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age. 


3. Your spayed female won't go into heat. 
While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house! 


4. Your male dog won't want to roam away from home. 
An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males. 


5. Your neutered male will be much better behaved. 
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering. 


6. Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat. 
Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake. 


7. It is highly cost-effective. 
The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray! 


8. Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community. 
Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets. 


9. Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth. 
Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way. 


10. Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation. 
Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.


Find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic near you:


ASPCA list of low-cost spay/neuter programs
Neuter/Spay.org
PAWS.org
Love That Cat has a great list of programs by state

$5 rabies vaccines from Luv My Pet!

Keeping up to date on your pets' vaccines is an important part of keeping them healthy, and right now for the month of February the Luv My Pet vaccination clinics are offering $5 rabies vaccines! Rabies vaccinations alone are usually $19, so this is a terrific deal if your cat or dog is due for shots. Or, if you choose to get a vaccination package, any package containing rabies will be $5 off! These clinics are held at pet stores around the country - you can go here to find one near you. This deal is not listed on their website, but can be found on their Facebook page.

There is an additional $3 medical waste fee per pet, which is standard for any vaccine, but still, $8 is a terrific price! I had both my kittens vaccinated at the Luv My Pet clinics, and was very happy every time.

FREE First Pet Visit to Banfield Hospital, located inside PetSmart

We know that our pets' health is extremely important, and regular check-ups are an essential part of taking care of our four-legged loved ones. Banfield Pet Hospital is located in many PetSmart stores across the country, and is staffed by qualified and caring veterinarians and technicians. If your pet is new to Banfield, simply go here, fill out a form and print a coupon for a FREE well pet office visit and consultation. In order for a pet to be seen at Banfield they need an initial exam which can cost over $40. Save that money and get yours done for free!

I personally used this coupon for one of my cats and had no troubles using it at all, and was very happy with the care we received at Banfield. It is never a bad idea to get a check-up done for your pet, and when it is free it is even better!