As we covered in last week’s article, there is no NHS for pets, so how can you manage the cost of vet bills?
Preventative care
Preventative care can protect your pet’s health and can also help you manage veterinary costs by minimising infections and spotting health issues before they have developed into conditions that are costly to resolve. The annual health check and vaccination are the mainstay of this – you are not just paying for a vaccination, these appointments are a great opportunity for the vet to detect health problems early on or provide advice on preventing issues.
Looking after your pet’s teeth e.g. by brushing their teeth daily can prevent the need for expensive dental treatment in future. Keeping your pet at a healthy weight can prevent diseases such as diabetes and bladder stones in cats, and arthritis in dogs. We offer free dental hygiene check-ups and weight checks with our nursing team to help you with this.
Many vets will have preventative health care schemes to help you spread the cost of things like vaccinations and parasite prevention – we have our Complete Care Club, for example.
Insurance
While pet insurance premiums may seem expensive, and you will still have to pay an excess when claiming, it allows you to budget for your pet’s care and to be able to make the best choices for them in the event of illness or injury. Check out our information sheet on insurance for more guidance.
Choosing the right pet for you
- Some breeds may come with higher insurance premiums as they may be prone to certain health conditions and so can incur higher costs. It is advisable that potential owners do some research before committing to buying a pet. There is still no guarantee that a pet won’t develop health problems but choosing a pet with potential health conditions in mind can help to manage costs of pet care.
- You can check out our factsheets on getting a cat, or dog. Our team will also be happy to advise.
Being prepared for the costs
It is difficult to provide a full price list of all procedures/treatment plans – this is because the plan for an individual patient can vary greatly. You can find prices for routine appointments on our website, and information about prescriptions here. If your pet needs an operation or diagnostic tests running, our team will provide an estimate of the costs involved in advance.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to have the means to pay for your pet’s veterinary treatment. We understand that circumstances can change, and our team will always try to help by providing options for care – please just be honest about your situation. As distressing as it is not being able to afford veterinary care, being abusive towards veterinary team members in person or online is not an acceptable outlet.