Pet talk

Early intervention saves costs

Going to the veterinarian can stir up a lot of emotions. Some people feel relieved to be able to help their pet and get a lot of questions answered; some are excited to confirm that their beloved pet is healthy during the annual physical exam and vaccines. Others are anxious because their pet is sick, and we worry about getting them back to good health. Still other people are concerned about spending money at the veterinarian. This is the group I would like to address and help in this article.

Let’s face it; we all want our pets to be well. They bring us so much joy and unconditional love. Yet, when pets get sick, the reality is that veterinary care, like humans’ medical care, can be expensive. This is a source of stress for many individuals. The good news is that there are a lot of things that you the pet owner can do to manage and minimize the expense.

The first is routine annual physicals and vaccinations. This is the key in preventing many maladies and catching problems early. As diseases progress they become much more complicated and more expensive to treat as they may affect more body systems. Early detection and cure greatly enhances the likelihood of managing diseases more economically. Let’s look at a few examples of conditions that, if caught early, will save the pet owner money over the long term.

Oral exam: Dental tartar and gingivitis can be identified and treated with brushing or dental prophys before progression to the point where teeth need to be extracted, or they create secondary problems like bladder infections or heart valve disease from the constant influx of bacterial into the system from bad teeth.

Heart and Lungs: Heart murmurs, which can be an early sign of impending congestive heart failure, may motivate your veterinarian to recommend special diets or medications that ease the load on the heart. These steps can help prevent the need for more intensive therapies or medications that more progressive cases of heart failure require.

Integument: Early lumps or malignant skin tumors may be removed before they spread or metastasize to more vital organs, which requires more extensive surgery or chemotherapeutics.

Ears: Early treatment of mild ear infections and correction of the underlying causes will help prevent permanent changes to the ear canals that can lead to more chronic and reoccurring ear infections.

Another money-saving maneuver the pet owner should do is to have medical problems treated early in their course. When your pet is sick, have the problems analyzed as soon as possible, or at least call your veterinarian to see if the problem would benefit from early intervention. A few examples of how early care may help follow:

Cats often get into fights with other cats and sustain a small wound. Many of these wounds may heal without any treatment, but many will progress to an abscess from the bacteria injected via the other cat’s scratch or bite. Most abscesses require anesthesia and surgery, which will be multiple times more expensive than a physical exam and a short case of antibiotics, which is all that might be needed for the cat presented with an early and small wound.

Cats and dogs that drink excessively may be showing early signs of kidney disease. In the early stages, special diets that the veterinarian can prescribe may be very helpful. Expensive intravenous fluid therapy and hospitalization may be necessary for more advanced cases.

Cats and dogs with simple bladder infections may often be treated with simple antibiotics. If left untreated, some pets may develop crystals or stones in the bladder that can block up the urinary tract requiring surgery or hospitalization and catheterization of the urinary tract. This latter level of care will cost many times that of an early exam and antibiotic course.

A third way to save money on veterinary care is the purchase of veterinary pet insurance. Just like for you and me, health insurance for pets has been available for many years. There are many different plans, with varying degrees of coverage. Policies cover medical problems and conditions related to accidental injuries, emergencies, poisonings and illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, ear infections, broken bones and more. Optional vaccination and routine care coverage is also available.

Premiums start at less than $19 per month for dogs and $12 for cats, and are based on the species, age of your dog or cat and the plan one selects. The most important thing to remember about pet health insurance is that in the event of a major illness, such as being hit by car accident, or getting cancer, insurance may mean the difference between being able to have your pet properly cared for, or not, for some individuals. I always tell people that the insurance is not designed to help you save money on the routine care issues, but to help with the unexpected ones. I think that for a lot of people, insurance also provides peace of mind knowing that in the event of a big problem, a beloved pet’s health is covered.

Another way to save money at the veterinarian is to take advantage of special offers. We put coupons in the phone book for new clients to receive a free initial exam on their first visit. We also have special pricing on routine dental prophys that make this preventative health care procedure very affordable.

Hopefully, this article has helped a little in relieving the financial anxiety in going to your pet’s veterinarian. As a personal note, my pets have brought me so much joy, while asking so little in return. I am always happy to invest a little money in them. And yes, even we veterinarians have to spend money to take care of our pets!

James Strogoff D.V.M. owns and operates ABC Veterinary Hospital at 335 South Salinas St. He can be reached at 564.1464.