Like many veterinarians with a bugaboo about access-to-care issues for pets of all stripes, I really like the idea of pet health insurance. Though the veterinary industry at large is still suspicious of what insurance for veterinary expenses might mean for the future of veterinary medicine...

“A rabies shot costs $30? I bet you buy that vaccine from the manufacturer for $3. So you want to charge me a 1000% markup. Seriously?”

This outburst was brought to you by one smart-cookie client from last week. She’d worked for a veterinarian in the past so she’d always received her vaccines...

Last week our hospital received a terse letter from a client complaining about her $600 dentistry bill. “Outrageous,” she wrote. The owner had left in a rush without picking up her estimate, waving it off with an “I’m sure anything you need to be done will be fine with me. I trust you.”

So much...

I may never get some of you to agree with me on this but there you have it. I don’t now and won’t ever offer discounts to my clients for either owning many pets or bringing in more than one pet at a time.

I know that many of you rely on your veterinarians’ multiple pet discounts by way of...

A vet can learn a lot from her clients. All she has to do is ask the right questions. In this case it’s about saving money—this time on your pharmacy bill. In this post my clients pony up on how they save big $ on their Rx’s. So if you spend any money on pet prescriptions you’ll definitely want...

Would you prefer a vet who gets paid as a percentage of what she charges you?...or one that works on a salary?

Some of you might assume the one on a straight-up salary might be easiest on your wallet: After all, she’d have no incentive to run up your bill. And you might be right. A vet on salary...

In case you hadn’t noticed, the price on that bag of pet food Fluffy eats is much higher than it was ten years ago. In fact, the consumer price index of pet foods is up by 23% over a decade ago.

And 10% of that? It’s hit us over the past year.

Rising fuel costs, grain costs, inflation and the...

I’ve heard tell that the only items that are recession-proof are lipstick and porn. While I wouldn’t know about the latter, the first is one I’ll fess up to. I can always dig up $7 for a new lip gloss when I need a “can’t-afford-nuthin’-else” pick-me-up.

The same, however, can’t be said for...

This is an interesting topic raised by a recent commenter who expressed some annoyance at my preoccupation with issues surrounding the money side of vet medicine. It’s not a charge that hasn’t been leveled against me before—nor have previous comments always been as diplomatic as this last one....

To celebrate this week's bailout fiasco I'm offering these additional points on how to save money on your vet care. Unlike Part 1 of this post (referenced below) this one addresses the needs of slightly more sophisticated owners. Enjoy!

I know some are persnickety points some vets will roll their...