Getting financial help with your pets medical expenses

MORE THAN GRATEFUL

Getting help with anything, begins with your own first step towards that help. If conditions apply financially, it then must be worked around to accommodate. When it comes to helping with your pets medical expenses, Love must pave the way. When that beloved pet is worth all the help it can possibly have within the circumstances around it, even sacrifice from the owners view, is not asking too much.

It was a must. If we wanted a pet – in this case a little dog – we had to know, if ever she required medical expenses we could not afford, we have Insurance. Being on a Disability Pension was our income, and knew what medical expenses entailed when it came to past events, either with ourselves prior to our disability, and even pets. Now was the time to consider our new little family member.

We joined a Pet Insurance from the time of her birth. For +-$45-00 per month, it was ‘her safety net’. This allowed up to $5,000 medicals. Accidents, illness, operations, etc. Anything else between, was metered out accordingly. We saw it as finding our own helping hand when in need, for our little pet dog, which even extended to our pet Budgie. Pets are pets, but inquire when farm animals, which is best.

We also knew, that over the years, if she didn’t require it, it was a way of helping other’s pet’s also in need. Our little dog’s needs were a way we could help her and ourselves (and even others,) in any expenses as large as may be called for, and were our peace of mind also within the Pet Insurance. She must have everything we could to try and help, including prevention.

Per year Insurance costs were 45 x 12 = $540-00. Looking at under $2 a day, is not asking too much for some-one you love… just in case!

Not included in the Insurance, for other precautions from ticks to fleas, to general all worming. Her monthly, + three monthly, + 2 x yearly inoculations (heart worm being a yearly inoculations.)

C 5 inoculation. The C5 is… 1. Parvovirus/a fatal diarrhoea. 2. Distemper. 3. Hepatitis. 4. Parainfluenza. 5. Bordatella bronchiseptica. (C 5 inoculation requires a booster yearly after the first.)

Per year costs- 3 monthly, all wormer @ $3-00 (per 10kg. weight,) Tablet = $12-00

Per year – Fleas and Ticks/’Frontline’ or *’Revolution’ +- $50 per 3 month treatments = $150-00

1x yearly C5 Inoculation +- $150-00 total per year. (this is also yearly Booster.)

1 x yearly Heart-worm Inoculation +- $75-00 per. Year.

The mentioned ‘musts’ though not covered,

The rising cost of pet health care

With the current economic crisis, we humans are not the only ones suffering, but our pets are too. The rising costs within stores mean that the prices of pet food, bedding, and medicines are increasing at a tremendous rate.

Pet owners are finding that their regular foods are too expensive, so are buying cheaper brands, which are not always as nutritional. There is also the risk of upsetting the digestive system of animals with such a quick swap in diet, instead of a steady change, which is normally recommended. This is more obvious in animals with specific dietary requirements, such as animals with diabetes, kidney disease or those that are on a weight watchers’ diet for obesity.

Bedding, especially shavings, hay and straw, has almost doubled in price over the past few weeks. This is affecting not only large animal owners, but also those who own smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea-pigs, and in particular, breeders. A lot of horse owners are now finding that they have to retire’, loan out or sell their precious equines because they cannot afford to keep the horses.

Veterinary surgeries have had to increase the prices of all medicines, which is affecting the parasite population. Owners are unable to afford regular parasite control, so worms, ticks, mites and fleas are reproducing at a high rate. As the winter approaches, and we turn on our central heating the eggs are hatching and we are unable to control the number of parasites.

Sadly the rising costs of pet care means that more animals are becoming homeless. Animal shelters are being inundated with unwanted pets, or pets that people can simply not afford to look after any more. The larger the animal, the more expensive the care, which means that it is the larger animals that are being sent to the animal shelters. The mainly affected animals are horses, donkeys and large dogs.

Some owners are going out of their way to ensure that their animals are still cared for, by going without’ themselves. By cutting back on unessential items, they find that they can still afford to keep their pets. Those with smaller animals will be finding this easier than those with larger animals as mentioned before.

We forget that we are not the only animals affected by crunches in credit, job-losses etc. We forget that our pets suffer just as much as we do, but they do not understand why they are having to suffer as we are. Hopefully, as the economy begins to turn round, these poor creatures will find a happier life, and hopefully people who cannot afford animals now, will not buy them in the near future.

Should dogs be indoor or outdoor pets? – Part 4

Dog is a best friend of man. Dogs are obedient animals and can be trained to behave well. For as long as dogs are clean and trained to be part of the family inside the home, there is no reason why they should not be inside living with the family. Dogs should be indoor pets and should live with the family like one of them. I have a dog who acts like a child and we treated him like a child. He makes us happy as he walks around the house with us. We talk to him and play with him like he is a family member and he behaves like a little child.

Before thinking of letting your dog live inside the house though, you must make sure that your dog is free of those ticks and flea. Use a dog shampoo that kills ticks and fleas. Clean your dog as much as possible because it might cause diseases among the members of the family. It is important for dogs to be clean before being allowed inside the house for the sake of the occupants of the house. Dogs too should be trained to pee in the right place.

If your dog is clean enough to live with you in your home then there is no reason why your dog should be an outdoor pet. Dogs are better when they live with us because they make the house alive with movements and sounds. They are also fun to be with. And they could also be guards. Dogs warn us if someone has gotten inside our house. They could tell you if you are in danger or something odd is happening. This is the reason why we must let our dogs live with us.

There are many advantages of having your dog live with you. I hate looking at dogs being tied outside the house. All pets must not be tied. They must be free to roam around the house even if they are outside the house. Some treat dogs only as animals. They are left in the yard to guard the house and scare away strangers. But they are not given the right care that they deserve.

Dogs are pets but they should be treated just like any member of the family. Many dog owners now have all the gadgets for dogs which they buy for them just like their child. Dogs now have diapers, clothes, shoes, dog bags and many more things. They are like people and they need to be treated like people. Dogs have brains and they do and think as they see fit. Just like our child, we should treat our dogs fairly.

When you visit a pet shop ask the owner for some pieces of advice. You might need to know which dog is good and would fit your needs. Just be sure that you will be ready to take care of them and give them what things they deserve. And more importantly, let your dog live with you in the house.