| Save bigtime on vet bills: DIY vaccines, 7-in-1...and nail-clipping!
May 10, 2008
Maybe this is common knowledge by now, but in case it's not you can save hundreds of dollars in vet bills by doing your own vaccinating. Our local pet shop sells a 7-in-1 vaccine (I think that's what it is) from a frig behind the counter. It's about $7 instead of $100 at the vet. Well, a visit to the vet always costs us a bit more than that. It's always something. Shots plus office call, I suppose, is enough to go over that mark.
Of course, there are certain shots we can't give and I suppose we don't have the right papers if we had to board our dog, but we could get minimally back on that track without too much expense, I suppose.
Well, we did find another vet a few years back---an old country vet who only has limited hours a few days a week. He's affordable. So his waiting room is jampacked solid in the first 5 minutes with enough people for his whole office session. He's retiring soon, though, and I suspect we won't see his likes again. He has MSU college vet students helping him, so who knows what'll happen. Could someone take over a clinic LIKE HIS? A cheap one? Hard to imagine! But it could happen. There are other people out there who serve the "other" economy, after all.
We found a couple car mechanics like that, for instance.
Anyway, I also clip our dog's nails. About once a month, I suppose. It's a bit of a tussle, but it's fun sweet talking to her and then giving her a treat afterward. She's gotten fussier as she's become elderly. Our really good dog trainer early on gave everyone in her class clippers and trained us well. (She said the dogs were just along for the ride at her classes.) We still use those same clippers. She said it was part of giving your pet confidence that you are the alpha. A dog is always nervous, she said, if there isn't a clear alpha in the house...and a dog never wants to do that job but will if no one else does. Hence fear biters and food anxiety, etc.
Lastly, we feed our dog the exact correct diet level and exercise her vigorously daily. It's good for us and her. A thin dog leads a far easier life. Our GWP has bad arthritis and takes meds for it...we call them puppy meds. She has a great attitude and is still frisky at 13 years. Amazing. Keeping her light and fit probably helps a ton, I bet.
Well, just a few pet tips. Use em for what they're worth. : )
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