STUFF VETS LIKE

61

If you’re feeding a high-end food that costs a lot of money, change to one of the middle-shelf foods. Every food in the UK must meet certain specifications and is not going to be harmful for your pet unless they eat too much and become overweight, or they have allergies. Dry food expands to four times the size in the stomach when it takes on water, so it keeps them fuller for longer and is most cost effective. If your pet is on a prescription diet then they will need to stay on it and unfortunately, you may be worsening their condition if you change it. Obviously, there are a lot of fussy pets out there that may not take kindly to a diet change but if you wean them slowly over a couple of weeks, they may accept it. Given overweight pets have more health issues than slim ones, making your pet a healthy weight is another good way of saving money on both the food and the cost of future health care.

The next thing is not to panic over minor illnesses. A pet that has had diarrhoea for a couple of days or vomited a few times but is otherwise happy, often needs time to get over the illness. If they are eating with gusto and going for walks, you can save yourself a vet’s consultation fee. Feeding bland food, little and often will reduce the burden on the gut. There are over the counter kaolin and probiotic products that can be used too. If a pet is mildly limping but able to put weight through the foot, doesn’t cry, growl or pull the foot away when you palpate it then it may just be a muscle injury that will heal itself. Rest the pet by keeping cats indoors or very short lead walks for dogs. If they are still keen to eat and happy in themselves then call up for some advice on painkillers first but if any swellings appear or if they do any of the aforementioned signs, then you’ll need to take them in. As always, if there is any symptom of severe pain, breathing issues, the pet has eye or ear problems, any obvious infections or isn’t happy in themselves or not eating then you will need to bring them to a vet. Some of these can still be minor health problems but obviously others are not, and we cannot tell without seeing the pet and running some tests. Receptionists can always give you advice so do just call up if you are worried.

Next up, make sure that you have insurance. As the cost of living rises, so too will insurance premiums but £100 a month is still more manageable than a sudden £3000 bill. Yes, I know that some people never claim on insurance and put the money aside instead. Which is fine but if your pets become poorly after only two months or have a long-term illness, it isn’t very useful.

On that note, any pets that are on lifelong medication should continue having these drugs. Cutting costs by reducing doses or taking out certain medications is often not the answer and can actually make things worse. Talk to your vet about cheaper alternative medications or buying online. For example, lots of older pets are on anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis. These are amazing drugs but can be quite costly. There are multiple cheaper versions that don’t work as well but can be used in the short-term if needed.

If you work full time and rely on a dog walker, if possible please continue to keep the dog walker in business. If you can no longer afford a dog walker, think about signing up to one of the online subscriptions where trusted members of the public can walk your dog. There is usually a nominal sign-up fee.

It’s also worth noting that the cheapest and healthiest treats are things like carrots for dogs rather than a fancy organic venison stick. Cats are much fussier but those little square treats that I won’t name but that seem to be like crack for cats. They’re only supposed to have one or two a day not a handful so that will help a little bit! Plus, you don’t need to buy dogs or cats fancy toys or beds. Remember cats will purposely go and sit on some newspaper?

When it comes down to it, if you cannot afford to keep a pet, please don’t acquire one. You wouldn’t buy a car if you couldn’t afford the insurance, MOT and fuel so please don’t get a living creature if you can’t afford the care. Obviously, there are going to be lots of circumstances where owners have got a pet when they have worked out the costings and can afford it but have since fallen on harder times; this is who I hope to help with this post.

For all the veterinary professionals who are struggling with money, Vetlife have a financial team who you can talk to. It’s going to get tougher as the months go by so look after each other. For pet owners, please remember that it’s not the individual staff members who are to blame for the prices of anything and not to take it out on them. Vet practices are already understaffed and overworked and had to turn new clients away. It could soon reach crisis level where day practices have to shut (already happening with some out-ofhours providers) and you don’t want to be the final straw for someone who then quits the profession or worse. Polite but firm emails to management are always the way forward. We are all just trying to do our best as we negotiate this crisis.