Veterinary care can be expensive. While some veterinary bills are unavoidable, there are steps you can take to alleviate the financial burden.

Here are five tips that can help you save money at your veterinarian’s office.

1. Learn to trim your pet’s nails. You can often do this yourself and save $15-$30 per nail trim. All you need are a good pair of nail clippers for dogs and cats.  and an understanding of the anatomy of a nail. Click here to check out a great video to help you trim your dog’s nails. Kitty nails are a lot easier to trim, check out this video here. If your cat goes outdoors, please don’t trim their nails.

2. Learn to express your pet’s anal glands. As gross as this may sound, it can save you hundreds over a year. If your pet’s anal glands are healthy, you don’t need to express them. Ask your veterinarian or veterinary nurse to teach you how to express them properly.

3. Exams every 6 months. While this may feel frequent, it is important to remember that pets age much more rapidly compared with people. These exams are important to detect dental disease and other disease that gets more expensive when left untreated. Preventative care is key!

4. Pet insurance. This can truly be a lifesaver. I recommend Pet Plan as they cover acupuncture, chiropractic and alternative therapies performed by a veterinarian. Check out my article on pet insurance here.

5. Keep your pet thin. Obesity can worsen or cause disease such as arthritis. Surgery and other therapies that treat orthopedic conditions and injuries are expensive. Some of these can be avoided by keeping your pet thin and active. Check out this chart to score your pet’s body condition.

With love,