5 Common Mistakes That Are Increasing Your Vet Bills By The Blog Dog on June 01 @ 2:34PM

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Nowadays, pet health care is progressing at an incredible rate that we can't even imagine. Diseases that were once considered fatal for pets can now be cured with the help of the proper medication. In fact, we can not only cure such diseases but also detect and stop them before they occur. 

Even though healthcare prices are increasing significantly, it isn't the sole reason why vet bills are high. To be honest, the mistakes made by the pet owners with the best intentions at heart can severely impact the pet's health. Here are five common mistakes that are increasing your vet bills.

1. Lack of Preventive Care. This is a common mistake made by most pet owners. Taking your pet to the vet's clinic for regular examinations and vaccinations can help it in the long run by preventing many diseases. For example, heartworm disease is dangerous as it is hard to treat and fatal. However, it can be prevented. Rather than being proactive, being reactive to the situation can increase the length of the treatment, ultimately increasing the overall costs. Hence, using a dewormer should be a part of your first vet clinic visit, as most cats and dogs are born with worms. Using the dewormer for dogs and cats will ensure that they don’t face any worm issues later in their life. 

2. Ignoring Dental Care. Another area that pet owners often neglect is dental care. Just as we need regular dental care, pets also need it for similar reasons: to keep gum diseases at bay. Once your pet completes eating, plaque forms on the bottom of the teeth, and if no care is provided, it continues to build, leading to inflammation. As a result of this, your pet will ultimately lose its teeth. The bad thing is that you may not even notice that your pet is experiencing pain if it is extremely good at hiding discomfort.

3. Sharing Medication. Pet owners think there is no harm in giving human medication to their buddies. However, medications such as Tylenol or Advil can be dangerous to dogs as they can be toxic. Even medicines, such as ibuprofen (which is meant for anti-inflammatory purposes), can be fatal in small doses. Muscle relaxers, oral diabetes treatment, and vitamin D derivatives can pose risks ranging from seizures to death.

4. Postponing Is Critical. Even if you know what your pet is going through, you tend to wait a little longer than usual as it can completely disappear. Even if the pet is quiet, sick, and in pain, you postpone critical care with the hope that it will go away by itself. This will harm your pet's overall health, increasing your vet bill.

5. Overfeeding. Too much pampering or love can be bad for your pets. You may show your love for your buddy through biscuits and treats. This will result in the dog gaining weight over time, leading to obesity. Arthritis and other similar orthopedic issues can crop up when your pet is overweight. This will increase the overall cost of healthcare.

There you have it, five common mistakes that are increasing your vet's bills. While these mistakes can increase the bill amounts, some preventative measures can help lower them.

Preventative Care Measures to Save Money on Veterinarian Bills

With the downfall of the economy and the disappearance of jobs, pet owners are beginning to forego healthcare since they cannot afford the costly vet bills. While a yearly examination is essential, you can do away with many unnecessary procedures and tests by ensuring your pet is healthy throughout the year. Not only will it save you a lot of money, but it will also extend the health and longevity of your pet.

• Invest in Good Quality Food – Choosing high-quality pet food is the best way to ensure your pet's long-term health. It will eliminate most problems like gastrointestinal troubles, allergies, diabetes, obesity, and other food-related ailments. Yes, you will be spending a bit more time selecting the food, but at the end of the day, it will save you hundreds of dollars. Ensure feeding your pets only with food from popular food brands like American Journey dog food or Bil-Jac dog food. Similarly, if you have a cat, opt for premium quality cat food brands. The point is never to compromise with the food you feed your pets. The better the food, the better their health.
• Avoid Obesity – Obese pets suffer from costly conditions like high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, and kidney problems. You need to ensure that you feed your pet the correct portion if you want to curb excess weight gain and keep them away from the veterinarian.

Again, the food you feed can play a significant role here. Go for food products made for weight management. So if you want to prevent your dog from getting obese, you can feed him Purina Pro Plan dog food for weight management.

Another way to prevent obesity is to ensure your pet is always active. You can do various things to keep your pet active, such as play with it, take it for walks, and even take it for hikes. Yes, you can do that. When you are out hiking for your health, take your pet along with you. However, ensure to take all the right accessories with you, especially a cat harness or a dog harness, based on what pet you have.

• Avoid Risky Treats – A lot of the treats tend to get lodged in the esophagus, intestines, stomach, or trachea of pets. Ensure you avoid treats like pig's feet, rawhide chews, and other hard chews that do not dissolve properly. The dog treats or cat treats you give should be easy to swallow and digest. They need to be soft so that they don’t get stuck in the digestive tract and lead to discomfort for your pet.

• Brush Their Teeth – Pets tend to suffer from many dental problems, and owners should brush their pets' teeth daily to avoid a costly trip to the vet in the future. Use a soft toothbrush with good quality pet toothpaste. Gum and tooth disease can lead to infection, loss of teeth, pain, and organ damage.

• Eye and Ear Care – Keeping the eyes of your pet clean will contribute to their wellness and health by preventing infection and irritation, which can be painful and cause loss of vision. Careful inspection and diligent cleaning once a week will open up the clogged ducts and prevent infections. It is also a good idea to clean their ears once a week with natural ear wash.

If you find any infection in your dog’s ear, head straight to a vet as it can be very discomforting for your dog. The vet will prescribe some dog ear infection medicine for the treatment.

• Flea Control – Fleas are an expensive problem as they can cause itching and acute moist dermatitis. Your pets can also get infected with intestinal tapeworms. Many topical flea products are excellent at ridding your pet of fleas. If you want a more natural approach, use an herbal dip containing citronella and other essential oils that aid in flea control.

• Exercise – Pets enjoy the same health benefits as people from regular exercise. You can try exercising with your pet. It will be a fun activity for both of you. The best exercise is to take your pet for a walk with you. Ensure taking a collar like the Seresto collar so that your pet does not run on the roads. Also, consider taking a bark collar with you if your dog is aggressive and can bark excessively while on the walk.

If you have any queries regarding the above topic, leave a comment below.