What to Expect at the Emergency Vet

Check out this article on what to expect at the emergency vet from zootoo

Dog Costs vs. Cat Costs

According to the APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2009 - 2010, dog veterinary expenditures nearly doubled those of cat for last year.

Dogs are bigger - their food costs more, they generally require more grooming, owners give them more vitamins, they are boarded more often and therefore require more vaccines (e.g. kennel cough vaccine) and surgery costs more.

Here is the APPA table comparing cost of care:


Service
Dogs top line
Cats 2nd line

Surgical Veterinary Visits
$532
$278

Food
$229
$203

Kennel/Boarding
$273
$255

Routine Vet Visit
$225
$203

Groomer/Groomer Aids
$66
$22

Vitamins
$61
$28

Food Treats
$64
$37

Toys
$4
$19

Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign

Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign Foots the Bill,
So Pets Don’t Pay the Price
Advantage® from Bayer Animal Health Distributes More than $250,000
Worth of Veterinary Vouchers to Get Pets Visiting Veterinarians

SHAWNEE, Kan. (February 16, 2009) – Advantage® Topical Solution from Bayer Animal Health announced today the Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign with a mission to distribute more than $250,000 in $20 Veterinary Vouchers and offer valuable money-saving information to help offset costs and concerns for pet owners nationwide. Regular veterinary visits and preventive care are essential to maintaining a pet’s health, but during these challenging economic times, many pet owners are facing difficult choices about how to pay for and prioritize their pets’ care and wellness.

In fact, a recent survey of veterinarians confirmed pet owners have scaled back on veterinary visits and preventive pet care in the past six months2 – and nearly one-half of pet owners revealed they are now more likely to wait until there are obvious, visible issues with their pets before seeking veterinary treatment, with most noting that costs and economic concerns were the reason for the delay.1 More than 90 percent of veterinarians expressed concern about the future health of pets if veterinary visits and preventive care decline.2

From February 16 through February 28, 2009, the Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign by Advantage® from Bayer Animal Health is lending a hand by giving up to 13,000 pet owners the chance to receive a $20 Veterinary Voucher. These vouchers can be used at any licensed veterinary clinic nationwide for preventive care services including: vaccinations, wellness exams, flea and tick treatment and prevention, heartworm preventatives and dental care. Each voucher helps offset close to 20 percent of the average cost of a veterinary visit for cats and dogs.

“Cats and dogs age much faster than we do. For some breeds, they can go from adolescence to middle age in a few short years. Since their health issues can develop and progress faster, regular veterinary visits are critical for checking health status and any new health developments,” said leading veterinarian and pet expert, Dr. Marty Becker. “Missed veterinary visits are missed opportunities to identify and address potentially serious health issues and complications as your pet ages. It’s far easier and more economical to prevent a health problem than to treat one.”

The Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign by Advantage® Topical Solution from Bayer Animal Health provides support to pet owners in two ways:

* At www.gettothevet.com from February 16 through February 28, 2009, dog and cat owners have a chance to receive a $20 Veterinary Voucher good toward preventive veterinary care (vaccinations, wellness exams, flea and tick treatment and prevention, heartworm preventatives, dental care, etc.). Vouchers are available on a first-come basis from 9:00AM to 9:00PM ET every hour on the hour with up to 1,000 vouchers distributed each day. More than 80 vouchers distributed every hour. No purchase necessary to obtain voucher. Voucher valid until May 31, 2009. See official rules.

* At www.gettothevet.com, pet owners can find money-saving tips on pet care from leading veterinarian and pet expert, Dr. Marty Becker.

Advantage® Topical Solution from Bayer Animal Health issued “The State of Preventive Veterinary Care Report,” a comprehensive compilation of third-party and original research from pet owners and veterinarians, that concluded veterinarians believe pet health care is a major area for concern – with the potential for the problem to intensify without proper preventive care.

Insights from Advantage® from Bayer Animal Health:

* As many as 98 percent of veterinarians believe that preventive care is one of the best ways to forgo added medical costs and treatments in the long run for pet owners.

* More than nine out of 10 veterinarians expressed concern about the future health of pets if veterinary visits and preventive care decline, with almost half of them expressing deep concerns.

* More than 35 percent of pet owners admit they have already cut back on veterinary services. Other areas where they indicated they are seriously considering scaling back are grooming and teeth cleaning.

* More than 20 percent of pet owners are seriously considering scaling back on veterinary wellness visits, despite these pet-related costs being one of the expenses they want to sacrifice the least.

* Nearly half of the pet owners surveyed pointed to the cost of clinic visits and exams as barriers to taking their pets to the veterinarian, and 30 percent of pet owners admitted they have not taken their pet to the veterinarian for routine and/or preventive care in the past six months.

* Nearly 50 percent of pet owners reveal they will now wait until there are obvious, visible problems with their pets before visiting a veterinarian, with almost 80 percent of them pointing to economic/financial concerns as the reason for the delay.

* Within the past year, 35 percent of pet owners have cut costs on personal and lifestyle items (clothing, beauty products, home accessories, etc.) to afford their pet’s health care.

“As animal health professionals and committed industry partners, we understand the vitally important role that veterinarians and preventive care play in keeping pets healthy,” added Ohle. “We want to help pet owners to continue to work with veterinarians to ensure their pets’ well-being.”

To learn more about the Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet Campaign by Advantage® Topical Solution from Bayer Animal Health and for a chance to receive a $20 Veterinary Voucher, visit www.gettothevet.com.

Tips for Choosing A Vet

* Credentials: Is the doctor a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association or any other professional organizations?
* Hours: Do they mesh with your schedule?
* Location: Is it convenient to home and work? (Especially in case of emergencies.)
* Facilities: Do they seem clean and well-organized?
* Availability: How easy is it to book an appointment?
* Staff: Do they seem friendly and knowledgeable?
* Prices: Do they fit your budget?
* Experience: How savvy is the vet about any special health conditions your dog may have?
* Services: Do they perform diagnostics, such as x-rays and ultrasounds, in the office, or do you need to be referred to a specialist?
* Reputation: Ask friends, family members, and colleagues for recommendations.

Tips from the "DogAge" website.

Ear Health

The most common cause of infection cats and dogs is ear mites, which create a large amount of very dark brown itchy debris. Most ear mite treatments require multiple doses. Veterinarians carry options that are effective in just one – although the ears will need to be cleaned several times. Although cats are the natural host and carriers of ear mites, dogs can be affected too, so all contact pets should be treated.

Dogs, particularly floppy-eared ones, commonly get yeast and bacterial infections in their ears. This is generally an overgrowth of microorganisms that are normally present in low numbers in the ear canal; these are not directly contagious to other animals.

Some other causes of infections in dogs and cats are excess moisture in the ears (swimming, bathing, excessive grooming from another pet), and skin allergies.

Common signs to watch for:

Scratching or rubbing of ears and head
Discharge in the ears
Ear odor
Redness or swelling of the ear canal
Pain and tenderness around the ears
Shaking of the head or tilting the head to one side
Changes in behavior such as irritability and depression


Key points for ear health:

Have your veterinarian show you how to safely clean ears
1 – 2 times per month and after swimming/baths clean your pets’ ears to help prevent infections
Check floppy ears at least once per week for any of the common signs listed above and contact your vet if any of those occur
Only use pet ear cleaners or others as directed by your veterinarian, you may damage the ears with at-home remedies
Check with your veterinarian about medications for ear infections


(Info from the Wellness Food Brand e-newsletter)

Handling a Vet Complaint

Vets are businesses too, and there are good ones and bad ones. So what's the best way to handle a complaint? According to an article on Petplace, the first step is talk to your vet.

Having a conversation, without totally losing your temper, is the best place to start. Maybe you just want an apology or your vet bill comped. Decide before going in what you want to happen in order to rectify the situation.

If you're still not satisfied, the next step could be to file a formal complaint with your state's Board of Veterinary Medicine. They will investigate and check into the validity of your complaint.

You can also contact the local Better Business Bureau, or even contact a lawyer who is versed with pet medical issues.