Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Dog Health Care: 4 Ways To Reduce The Cost Of Taking Care Of Your Dog

Owning a dog is the equivalent to having a child and he deserves the absolute best in veterinarian health care that you can provide. If you want to ensure that you and your beloved pet will have years of good times together then it is imperative that you provide your dog with the necessary annual checkups, vaccinations, and any other medical care that may arise in order to protect his health.But I can tell you from firsthand experience that providing health care for your dog can be quite expensive, especially if there are health problems or injuries that arise.

In today's article you will find a few money-saving tips that will keep you from breaking the bank account so that your dog can remain healthy.

1. There are some states in the US where rabies are more prevalent than in other areas. And because of this situation, the law may require you to get annual rabies shots done on your dog. In order to help save on the cost of these annual shots, you may have local shelters or other animal organizations that offer rabies shots at a significant savings. The costs associated by local shelter services can be dramatically lower than what the veterinarian would charge.
2. Low-cost rabies shots are not the only services that some local shelters offer at a reduced cost. In fact, there are some shelters that have in-house veterinarian care. These are known as “shelter clinics” that are open to the public and is designed to help reduce the cost of animal health care. These services can range from vaccination needs to emergency care needed in case your dog gets injured. Please contact your local shelter for more information.
3. If you own more than one dog like I do, then you may be lucky to find a veterinarian in your local area that offers discounts for multiple dog owners. It took me about five different locations in order to find a veterinarian that offered such a discount, but it was worth it and have saved me hundreds of dollars in health care costs for my pets. Don't be shy to ask your veterinarian for this possibility because many do not advertise it publicly but are happy to provide a multi-pet discount.
4. Last but not least, it is always best to spay or neuter your dog. It is a known fact that many dogs who are not spayed or neutered will cause unwanted births which lead to increased chances of injury to other puppies. As far as your personal health care costs are concerned, dogs that are in heat tend to get into very inappropriate situations that are associated with a dog's reproductive cycle.
Getting your dog fixed may also prevent certain type of cancers. For these reasons alone your veterinarian costs will be minimized greatly

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