Treating a sick or injured animal can come with a massive price tag – but there are a number of things pet owners can do to make sure visits to the vet are a rarity
Pet lovers know there are few things more worrying than having to take your beloved companion to the vets. Worry number one, of course, is the health and wellbeing of your pet – but the hefty bills you’re left with afterwards come closely behind.
Treating a sick or injured animal can come with a massive price tag – but there are a number of things pet owners can do to make sure visits to the vet are a rarity. Not only will these limit the pressure on your wallet, but your best friend will thank you too.
Ben the Vet is a UK-based small animal vet, who regularly shares tips and advice with his more than 211,000 followers on TikTok. He recently posted a video outlining six helpful tips for how pet owners can keep their vet bills down.
1: Take the cost of medical treatments into account when choosing a pet
“Some breeds of dog and cat are much more expensive to own in terms of vet bills and insurance premiums,” said Ben. “So my first piece of advice would be that you need to factor this into your decision-making if you’re buying a puppy or a kitten.
“Giant breeds of dog need much higher dosage of medications than smaller dogs, which is more costly. Lots of veterinary professionals joke that French bulldogs pay their salaries, and that’s because unfortunately they, like many other breeds, are predisposed to a lot of health problems which are expensive to treat.”
2: Neuter your female dogs and cats
Ben said: “Female dogs have a one-in-four lifetime risk of a pyometra, which is a life-threatening womb infection where the womb fills up with pus.
“We also see this in female cats that haven’t been neutered. I’ve seen four female cats with this condition in the last six months.
“It’s often not picked up until the pet is very sick, and treatment usually requires hospitalisation and an emergency hysterectomy, which is much, much more expensive than a routine spay.”
3: Do not give your dog bones or antlers to chew on
While it’s a traditional view that dogs love to gnaw away on a bone, Ben said letting this happen can actually be harmful to your pet. He said: “I see so many dogs with broken carnassial and canine teeth because of chewing on things that are too hard, where a dental fracture exposes the pulp cavity or nerve inside the tooth.
“This can lead to pain and a high risk of tooth rot abscess formations so the tooth generally needs to be extracted.”
He added anything given to a dog to chew should pass the fingernail test. This means it should be soft enough for you to indent it with your fingernail. “If you can’t, it’s too hard,” he said.
4: Do not let your pet become overweight
Just like people, weight issues can lead to multiple problems for animals. Ben said: “We know that dogs and cats that are too heavy live shorter lives and are at high risk of health problems like diabetes, respiratory disorders, and arthritis.
“All of these can be costly to treat, so make sure you take your responsibility seriously as a pet owner because you ultimately control how much your pet is eating and how much they’re exercising.”
5: Keep your pet up to date with vaccinations
“Contrary to what you might read in a local Facebook group or what some lifestyle influencers might post, vaccinations that we give pets are extremely safe,” said Ben. “They prevent some life-threatening infections such as parvo virus and leptospirosis in dogs, and leukaemia virus in cats.
6: Get them used to having their teeth brushed at a young age
Ben said periodontal disease, or inflammation of the gums, is the biggest dental problem he and his colleagues see in their practice. This, he said, is “because most dogs and cats do not brush their teeth twice a day like you or I”.
“Without tooth brushing many young dogs and cats that I see end up needing dental procedures at a young age, costing hundreds,” he said. “Not all dogs, and especially not all cats, will tolerate toothbrushing, but it’s really worth putting in the effort because it will save you a lot of money and them a lot of discomfort.”
