Taking some of the bite out of pet care

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Pet care can be expensive.

Vaccinations are an area for potential savings. While many states require rabies vaccinations be given by a licensed vet tech or vet, there are also usually clinics available and calling your local shelter is a good way to find out where they are. I've seen them for as little as $5 per dog or cat. Lower priced vaccinations are not lower quality care--it's the same vaccine that your vet uses. The difference is that you aren't paying for an office visit, and for a healthy animal that doesn't need to see the vet for other concerns it's a good choice. Yeah, it's a great idea to have your pet get an annual exam, but if the funds aren't there to pay for it, then this will help.

On vaccinations not required by law, you can administer them yourself at a substantial savings. Annual vaccinations for dogs and cats can run as little as $5 bucks a year + shipping--the same shipping charge applies whether you are getting one dose or one hundred, so if you have several pets the savings are even greater. Vaccinations are very easy to give--most of them are just mixing two vials and giving the injection in the loose skin at the nape of a pet's neck. Even IM shots are not difficult, and there are not only package instructions but many resources on the net to help you out. There is a rare chance that your pet will have a reaction to the vaccine, but in 40+ years that I've given vaccines at home I've never had that experience. It's something that you have to consider when deciding if you want to take this step yourself.

Here is an example of an annual vaccination product for a dog:

http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/produc...R2K1USUL9H9EP0

Cat annual vaccination--administered as an eyedrop:

http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/produc...UMRJH2EV605E4F

Flea products can be very expensive. For dogs only, 5% (not 50%--waaay too strong) Sevin powder (commonly used as a garden dust) makes a good flea killer for both the dog's body and the dog's bedding. It is quite inexpensive. Good flea knockdown power.

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Spaying/neutering saves you money if you're not interested in breeding. As someone who bred show dogs I can tell you that the average litter cost me about 1000 bucks to raise to 8 weeks to age--that is if there are no major problems.

So if you're not breeding for a specific purpose, such as show, it makes good economic sense to have your dog or cat "fixed," and I'm not even going to go into how obnoxious cats in heat can be.

Here's a resource for finding low cost spaying/neutering. Your local animal shelter can also give you some help in finding low cost spaying and neutering and likely a low cost clinic for other vet care.

http://www.spayusa.org/search/default.asp