Tip #1 – Keep up with your pet’s annual examination

 While at first this may seem like an unnecessary expenditure, a thorough physical examination by your veterinarian can save you money in the long run. Your vet can identify diseases and conditions before they cause serious illness and suffering. For most conditions, the earlier it is diagnosed the better – and less expensive – the treatment will be. Don’t wait until your pet is sick to visit your vet. By the time most pets show clinical signs the condition may have become advanced and costly to correct. An annual physical exam for all pets age 1 to 6 and examination plus simple blood and urine tests for pets over age 7 are typically recommended. In addition to identifying potential problems, your veterinarian can advise you on how to maintain and improve your pet’s health. A visit to the vet is certainly a good investment.

Tip #2 – Keep your pet thin

A 2007 Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (PetObesityPrevention.com) found that 45% of all US dogs and 54% of all cats were overweight or obese. That’s roughly 70 million dogs and cats at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, crippling arthritis, high blood pressure and many forms of cancer. Worse yet, all of these conditions are debilitating and expensive to treat. The great news is that it’s relatively simple to help your pet maintain a healthy weight. Visit the pet obesity website and talk to your veterinarian to calculate your pet’s ideal weight and learn how many calories you should be feeding your pet per day. The next time you feel the urge to give your pet a treat, try substituting a walk, grabbing a favorite toy or simply petting them. Many times we misinterpret a cry for affection as a plea for food. If you want to give goodies, try healthy choices such as carrots, celery stalks, or ice cubes. Avoid breads and meats unless you’re cooking a meal for your pet. Keeping excess pounds off your pet will not only help them live longer, it will dramatically decrease your pet’s medical bills.

Tip #3 – Supplements for optimal health

Proper nutritional support is truly one of the most important elements of human and pet health. What we eat helps determine how we feel, how well our immune system functions and what diseases we may develop. Most pets and people benefit from adding the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA to their diet. I recommend combining a fish oil source such as Welactin with a flaxseed source such as Missing Link. Other supplements that have been proven beneficial include glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate/avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) such as Dasuquin, and a potent antioxidant such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) contained in Oxstrin. I have had tremendous success over many years by using high-dose DHA/EPA combined with Dasuquin to treat patients suffering from arthritis prior to initiating sometimes costly prescription drug therapy. Talk with your veterinarian to find out what supplements you can give your pet to keep them healthier and save money on vet bills.

BONUS TIP – Get pet insurance

Insurance is primarily for two things: the unexpected and the expensive. Too often I see clients confronted with the dilemma of whether or not they can afford a specialist for a serious and unexpected medical condition. If only they had insurance! Many of the newer pet insurance companies offer complete coverage of all breeds and conditions. The key is to get insurance before your pet develops a medical condition. At that point, once a pet develops a pre-existing condition, you can’t get coverage for it. It’s a bit like wrecking your car and then trying to get accident insurance for it. Consider some of the new major medical coverage plans with low annual premiums and higher deductibles to help you out if your pet has a serious medical emergency.