This Pet Medical Care Page has tips for saving on pet shots, medicine, breath fresheners, and a clever way to get your pet’s medical care virtually for free.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Saving Money on Pet Shots!
You can save a lot of money if you learn to give your pet shots. A friend of mine was taught to do this properly by the vet’s assistant. Now, she saves nearly 130 dollars every month, just by doing it herself. Mary Goldsmith – Appleton, WI
Pet Medicine on the Internet
I have three dogs and live in Florida. They must be on heartworm meds and flea protection here. It is a necessity. But the meds are so expensive that I have a hard time purchasing them from my vet. I started ordering over the Internet and the savings were tremendous.
When my vet realized that he was losing business from so many people ordering the same medicine he was selling he began to match prices. Now I just print out a price list from my Internet site (I use PetShed.com) and take it to the vet and they match the prices. That way he keeps my business and I keep my savings. Nancy Burns – Gainesville, FL
Getting Rid of Doggie Breath
Our dog is staying healthy with some very easy additions to her dog food. It does take a minute or two, and the greens (well-chopped parsley, kale, alfalfa sprouts, lettuces) keep doggie’s breath fresh, too!
If digestion is a problem, plunk the chopped green stuff into half a cup of water & microwave it for a minute or two, to cook it just lightly. Then stir in some high-quality protein-leftovers, or a spoonful of cottage cheese or an egg — again, cooked — and mix it all into their food. If you get one of the brands that include the fatty acids for a healthy coat, Fido’s fur will look really outstanding.
Your pet gets a varied menu, a tastier dinner, and a substantially improved nutritional mix, and you have the relief of knowing you’re feeding your dog very well indeed. Elizabeth H – Mercer Island, WA
Pet Prescription Price Match
To save money on our pets’ health care costs, we search websites for the medication they are prescribed. Banfield, the national pet hospital chain (and possibly other vets) offers a price match with a printout (including the price of the medication with the shipping charge).
For one particular medication we needed, the vet was charging close to $1.00 a pill. We found the same medication listed on drsfostersmith.com (they have the best prices we’ve seen) for $.50 per pill and the vet matched the price, with no questions asked! Kelli Tracey – O’Fallon, IL
Perks from Working at an Animal Hospital
Consider working part- or full-time at a place that offers employee discounts on services or products that eat into your budget? I work 20 hours a week for an animal hospital. Not only do I earn some extra cash, but I receive discounts on all services, products, etc. for our three dogs. This idea has saved us lots of money. Kelli T. – Mascoutah, IL
Pet Clinics for shots
We got our dog’s rabies shot at Petco–no office visit fee.
Diane Stavrides-Sward – Springfield, VA
We did the rabies shots at Pet Food Depot. Linda Nikander Crosby – Phoenix, AZ
AlliVet versus Veterinarian Pricing
Our German Shepherd, Gunner, came down with a double ear infection – he loves swimming and that’s what caused it.
We love our vet – she’s great at diagnosing and recommending solutions. She also has a policy of quoting medication prices through her practice and giving you the option of buying them elsewhere.
The staff encouraged us to buy the antibiotic from Costco (we price matched at Kroger). We researched a little bit and found the Ear Wash we needed (TrizUltra) and the Ear Medication (OtoMax Ointment) on Allivet – Allie (the vet assistant) told us that they order some of their meds from Allivet.
The price difference between our Vet and Allivet was sizable:
- TrizUltra 12 oz: Vet’s Price: $37.25 Allivet’s Price: $18.49
- Otomax Ointment: Vet’s Price: $59 Allivet’s Price: $47.50
We got free shipping because our order was more than $45.
We did buy some of the meds from the Vet because their price was very competitive, but for the ear medications, we went to Allivet with their blessings.
Steve & Annette Economides – Scottsdale, AZ
If you have other ways to save on your pets medical care, please leave it in the comments below for us to review.