How to save money at the vet

With Bosco just having some dental work done at the vet I thought I'd share some of my money saving tips at the vet.

If your cat's having a procedure done:

Your veterinarian should give you an estimate with a breakdown. Look over everything to see if they're adding anything in that you don't know about. If you're not sure what something means then ask.

Always ask them to call you if they plan on doing anything not listed on the procedure sheet. If this is a type of emergency surgery this might not apply, but for a dental procedure you should have them call if they're going to do anything else like a gum tissue samples.

Be aware of what your pet's medical history and what they have been tested for:

New vets always want to test Bosco for FIV even though I know he's FIV positive. I tell them no, and show them the results from his last blood work. The vet also wanted to test his gum tissue for a dental disease. I knew he had had his gums tested last year and told the vet that he had stomatitis. I saved myself $150.00 by remembering that he had that that test done.

Nail clipping:

Should be included with your vet visit. If they charge you for it, only go for it if it's cheaper than where you normally get it done.

Special diet food:

Your veterinarian will often have special diet food in the office for your pets medical needs. Make sure you check their price, the price at pet stores and the price online. Sometimes the food is marked up (or down) at your vet. If your a member of Amazon prime you can click on "subscribe and save" which will give you a 5% discount for setting up a recurring shipment and you'll get free shipping.

Pets can be expensive but you can at least save some money by double checking pricing and billing and asking questions.