5 Ways to Save Money on Veterinary Care Without Cutting Corners

Your pet doesn’t care what veterinary care costs. Your wallet does.

Unfortunately, many pet owners don’t think about the financial side of veterinary care until they’re sitting in an emergency clinic being asked whether they want to approve another $1,500 in diagnostics.

Veterinary medicine has come a long way. We have advanced imaging, minimally invasive surgery, specialty medicine, better pain management, and treatments that can give our pets years of additional life. But better medicine can also mean higher costs.

The good news? There are ways to make veterinary care more manageable without compromising your pet’s health or skipping necessary treatment.

Here are 5 money saving strategies every pet owner should know.

1. Preventive care is cheaper than emergency care

Many veterinary professionals would agree that preventative medicine is the gold standard of care for owning a healthy pet. This means parasite prevention, vaccines, weight management, dental care, proper grooming and annual exams.

Parasite prevention includes flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention, and dewormers. 

Topical flea and tick prevention can be purchased over the counter, while oral options must be prescribed by a vet. Similarly, heartworm prevention can only be purchased with a veterinary prescription but is available in oral or injectable forms.

Since the cost of prevention is predictable for adult animals (based on weight), owners can save money by subscribing to auto-ship programs that offer discount rates, or taking advantage of bundle discounts if and when available. Ticks spread much more than Lyme disease, and fleas are frustrating and itchy for both owners and pets if contracted. Prevention is really the best way to save yourself from the headache of dealing with these pests.

Heartworms are literal worms that live in your dog’s heart that can be fatal if contracted and it goes untreated.

Heartworm treatment is a long process that is expensive and painful for the patient, so prevention is always recommended for this reason. To learn more about heartworm, visit heartwormsociety.org for medical guidelines and general information.

Vaccines can be separated into two categories; core vaccines and lifestyle vaccines.

Core vaccines include Rabies, Distemper and Leptospirosis for dogs, and Rabies and FVRCP for cats. They are considered core because of their high fatality and high susceptibility. If you pet has never received one of these vaccines before, and you’re not sure how they will react, it is recommended to space them out and do them on separate visits. Each vaccine also has varying schedules which your vet can assist you with by giving you plan on your first visit. This is particularly helpful with puppies and kittens who require a series of boosters. For savings on vaccines, contact your local animal shelters and ask for low cost resources. Many animal shelters and rescues offer low cost options or have a list of low cost options in your area. Because these vaccines are protecting your animal from potentially fatal diseases, these vaccines are not only more cost effective than a trip to the ER. They might be the difference between life or death.

Weight management is a combination of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Keeping your pet at a healthy weight isn’t just about putting them on a diet—it’s about creating a balanced lifestyle they can maintain long-term. Proper nutrition starts with feeding an appropriate amount of a complete and balanced diet based on your pet’s age, size, activity level, and individual needs. Measuring meals instead of free-feeding can help prevent accidental overfeeding, while treats should be given in moderation and included in their daily calorie intake. Regular exercise is just as important. Daily walks, play sessions, training activities, and other forms of movement help your pet burn calories, maintain muscle, and support overall physical and mental well-being.

If you’re unsure whether your pet is at a healthy weight or how much they should be eating, check out this chart for assessing body condition scores from Purina .

If your pet has a BCS score of 3 or lower, you should be increasing their food intake. If it’s a 6 or higher, they need to decrease their calorie intake or increase their exercise routine.

Dental care has a multimodal approach that can be pretty easy for pet owners if you’re consistent. 

Yes, brushing your pet’s teeth daily is great for their oral health, but many owners (including myself) don’t do it due to lack of time, effort required, or simply because they don’t want to ruin their bond with their pet that absolutely hates it. Good news is there are many options for slowing down the process of dental disease which include dental chews, crunchy treats, water additives, food additives, special food, etc. For a complete list of options that are approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council, a board of veterinary specialists, visit VOHC.org for printable lists.

Dental disease unfortunately cannot be fully prevented, and annual dental evaluations are always recommended when your pet visits a vet for their annual exam.

Your pet’s breed may also make them more susceptible to dental disease. For example, smush nose breeds (aka brachycephalic breeds) such as Bulldogs, Frenchies, Pugs, Shih-Tzus, Pekingese, Boxers, etc. are more susceptible to dental disease because their nose and jaws are shortened but still contain the same amount of teeth as longer nose breeds. This means teeth have less space to grow in properly which causes over crowding and misalignment that ultimately results in more plaque being trapped between teeth.

The only way to properly treat dental disease once it has progressed to the point of calculus on teeth or severe gingivitis is having a dental scaling and polishing performed under full anesthesia. If you plan to buy one of these breeds, you should be budgeting for these dental procedures which are referred to as Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatments (COHATs). COHATs are usually recommended to start at age 3 and may need annual treatment. Since COHATs are performed under full anesthesia, most vet clinics will require a pre-surgical exam (approx. $100) and bloodwork (approx. $300-$500) to be preformed prior to procedure.  Then the procedure itself starts at about $800 and goes up if your pet needs extractions. The reason for this cost includes many factors but mostly because this procedure is considered a surgical procedure that involves pre-anesthetic drugs, placement of IV catheter, surgical monitoring by a doctor and usually two assistants or technicians, anesthetic gas, oxygen, fluid therapy, pain medications, and supplies used for treatment. Full mouth x-rays are also recommended if not required by many veterinarians because roughly 60% of the tooth lies below the gum line and cannot be visualized without radiographs. The best way to budget for these procedures is seeing if your vet offers a Wellness Plan that discounts the cost of a COHAT (not including extractions) and then breaks it down into monthly payments throughout the year.

Grooming is also very important but often overlooked when thinking about preventative care! 

Long hair breeds require grooming as part of their basic health needs. Why? Because matted fur is not only uncomfortable, it traps in moisture and dirt that can lead to infection, skin disease, strangulation and circulation constrictions, urinary tract infections, obstipation, and sometimes even starvation. Grooming is so vital to good health that lack of proper hygiene could lead to legal repercussions for animal abuse or neglect. If you can’t handle your pet well enough to properly groom at home or with a groomer, discuss your options with a vet. Sometimes oral sedatives are all your pet needs to execute a proper grooming.

If you plan to groom at home, use clippers for shaving off mats instead of scissors. Scissors should only be used by trained professionals who use caution to not cut the skin.

2. Ask for an estimate BEFORE treatment

Owners have the right to ask questions.

• What is medically necessary?
• What is recommended but optional?
• What happens if we don’t do it?
• Are there less expensive diagnostic options?
• Is there a more conservative approach that is less expensive, and what are the risks involved in taking this approach?

Veterinarians are medical doctors that are legally required to offer medical recommendations based on your pet’s needs not what is most cost effective. This means cost restrictions do not dictate their primary course of action but most certainly can be considered if requested. For example, senior pets often have more health issues than younger aged pets and vets will often recommend bigger bloodwork panels and health screenings to potentially catch any underlying disease that may be occurring but unnoticed, because animals are very good at masking disease. For a cat, this could look like a Chem 25, CBC, Urinalysis, ProBNP, a T4 and maybe even a fecal screening. This is a good time to ask about cost-effective options if you cannot afford all these diagnostics at once.  If your pet appears healthy on physical exam, is at a healthy weight, urinates and defecates normally, and has an appropriate amount of energy for it’s age, then maybe you can start with bloodwork first and save the other diagnostics for when they are more medically necessary.

If you are visiting your vet due to an illness, maybe you can ask for a Plan A, B and C. Certain issues like skin can be very costly because there are a million things that can cause skin issues, which means there are many diagnostics options that all cost money. Same goes with vomiting, lethargy, and diarrhea. If you are limited in funds it is fair to ask if a conservative approach is an option, and ask what they means in terms of risk and value to your pet. Can you start with an exam and bloodwork, or an exam and x-rays? Would an x-ray be better than an ultrasound for your pet’s particular situation? Would it save money if I ran multiple tests in one day rather than separating them? Is treatment without diagnostics even an option? If Plan A doesn’t work, what would Plan B look like in terms of cost?

Medical teams want what is best for your pet but also understand financial restraints are real life issues.

3. Don’t automatically choose the cheapest option

Many owners are marketed to try over the counter homeopathic approaches to medicine in an effort to save cost by avoiding a veterinary exam. The ads promise you huge success and show a happy healthy pet rolling about in a field of flowers without a care in the world. This would be great if the effects were actually true and successful. Unfortunately many owners spend a lot of money on these over the counter methods only to find themselves at the vet once the issues have become worse, and needs real medical attention. Homeopathic approaches can be a great supplement to your pet’s health, but should not be expected to replace appropriate diagnostics and quality medications when needed.

Preventing complications is usually the most cost-effective approach.

So what does this look like? If your dog is suddenly limping, they may need more than just a joint supplement. If your dog is scratching their ears non-stop and maybe even making them bleed, maybe they need a vet and not just an ear cleaning. If your dog has a would that won’t heal, or its on a sensitive area like their eye, waiting to seek treatment could make the problem drastically worse by allowing time for infection to set in. If you have established a relationship with your veterinary team, you should be able to give them a call with questions, if you are not sure if medical attention is required.

This concept should also be applied when looking at post operative care because cutting corners on healing time can sometimes make a problem worse. 

When a pet is recovering from surgery, don’t under estimate the importance of time and the significance of stress. Many pets require a recommended healing time to avoid complications or to avoid re-injuring themselves. This might require you to purchase a crate, a baby gate, or a play pen situation that would restrict their activity during this healing process. Comfort during this healing time is also important because stress can actually prolong the healing process. If your pet has a healing wound they may benefit from you spending a little more on a recovery suit rather than a plastic cone, so they can rest, eat, and move comfortable during this recovery process.

4. Ask about Wellness Plans

Because vets want your pet to receive annual vaccines, wellness exams, annual bloodwork, COHATs, and other wellness screenings, most clinics offer some kind of annual wellness plan that will bundle their wellness services for a discounted price. This is not pet insurance and will often compliment your pet insurance if you already have insurance that may not cover wellness exams and diagnostics. Talk to your clinic about any payment plans they may offer.

5. Pet insurance: buy it BEFORE you need it

There are many pet insurance options available in the market today, and they all work differently. Certain sites like Pawlicy.com allow you to compare various carriers to see which plan best suits your pet’s needs and your budget. Note pre-existing conditions will limit your pet’s options, and each insurance carrier has different enrollment requirements that should be considered when shopping. Often times it will benefit you to enroll your pet at a young age in order to maximize your insurance benefits.

Plan options with will dictate the cost:

• accident-only
• accident & illness
• wellness coverage