The more bells & whistles a business has to offer; the more they need to charge to cover costs of doing business. Typically city vets are more expensive than country vets because they usually pay more for floor space and taxes. What kinds of services do they offer? Who is on staff? What hours are they open? What equipment (x-ray, in house lab) do they own? Each of these services raises their costs. Why pay for services you do not need?
Routine procedures are vaccinations, heartworm prescriptions, deworming medication and vet checks. Use the specialized vets for issues that can not be solved by the routine clinic. Clinics are usually less expensive than hospitals or urgent care. Clinics are not open as many hours, own less equipment, offer fewer services and have a smaller staff. Emergency care (24 hour emergency service), U of M Veterinary School or a vet who has special skill (eye surgery) are specialized services. Specialized veterinary businesses need to charge you more if you choose to use them for routine procedures to cover their costs.
Start by calling the vet businesses you are considering to utilize and find out the costs. Prices will vary and so will the requirements. Some vets may require a stool sample each time the patient visits and therefore each visit will cost you more. Location, hours of operation, expertise and equipment are all factors that decide the cost charged to you. Consider the convenience of the vet located down the block and the amount they charge for their services.
I like to use the following example to show the differences between vets; if I wanted to get a flu shot for myself, I would go to Cub Foods not to the emergency room. The reason is simple, it's less expensive. I do not need all the other services the emergency room offers. I just simply want a vaccination that can be given by a nurse.
I utilize four different types of vet businesses. I save money by using the services I require. The first vet I use does not perform surgery, is open regular business hours, Monday through Saturday. Their overhead is lower since they are a country vet and therefore are the best buy for vaccinations, heartworm, flea/tick repellents and routine vet checks. Plus they use common sense and do not rely on tests, labs or equipment to decide how to resolve an issue since they do not have the equipment or labs in house.
The second vet I use is for routine surgery; spaying and neutering. They operate during regular business hours and only offer the routine services and routine surgeries. The third vet is open 24 hours, has all the x-ray and other equipment at their business plus have the specialized vets available to call for advice or service.
My fourth choice is the U of M animal hospital, it's what the Mayo clinic is for humans, and it has staff and equipment to solve problems that the other vets do not have. Each added feature to the vet services or equipment increases their cost. They need to cover their costs and charge you for their services.
Vets are trained similar to Western medical doctors and are usually not schooled in nutrition or natural remedies. Vets are primarily trained to prescribe drugs and utilize surgery to resolve the animal's issue. U of M vet graduates have less than 8 hours of formal training in animal diet and most of the information comes from the animal food manufacturers.
Many vets recommend dog food from the companies who fund the U of M veterinary animal nutrition classes. If you learn to read the ingredients of the brands you choose to feed your dog you would probably choose not to feed what the vets have been taught is a good adequate diet for your pet. I don't want the typical American diet for my pet, Cancer and other health issues occur before their life expectancy should end. A healthy diet means less sickness, less pain and less cost to you.
Prevention & wellness is not typically in vets formal training; Nor is using natural methods to solve health issues. There is becoming a trend toward holistic healing, and more vets are taking the time to learn how to prevent and correct health issues before using drugs or surgery. These vets understand the diet correlation to health. The drugs typically given do not usually resolve the root problem.
If a bone is broken surgery is needed, then use supplements to help speed the healing process. The grate/crate method is just like changing diapers, I can use my sight and sense of smell to know when something is wrong with my dog. It allows me to take preventive action before it becomes necessary to use drugs and surgery. Use common sense.
Ardy Livermore is a Minnesota breeder of bichons, shih tzus and poodles (toy, tiny and teacup). She uses the healthier method of the grate/crate kenneling instead of the traditional kenneling. With the grate there is no need to use puppy pads or newspapers. View video on the advantages of using grate/crate method at http://www.ardyweb.com.
Ardy teaches the alpha method of dog training and shows you how to have a well behaved dog. Ardy shows you how to keep your pet healthy as naturally as possible. Ardy's website has videos to show you easy methods to care for you pooch. Ardy has written several articles to help you know what to look for when purchasing a dog and they are posted on her website.
Ardy is the author of Ardy's Professional Tips for Companion Dogs. The eBook shows you how to detect and avoid health issues. Her eBook is full of great information and designed to save time, effort and money. You can sign up for FREE TIPS to learn more about the secrets of training and health care for your canine. The eBook can be brought at her website.
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