In these tough economic times, keeping a pet healthy means taking inventory of the amount of money we spend on pet health care to make sure we are getting the most for our money. There are 6 ways to save money on pet health care, namely on pet medications, without forfeiting quality pet health care.
The first way to save money on pet medications is to have an open discussion with your pet’s veterinarian. Veterinarian’s are human, well aware of the economy and the need people have to save money. Your veterinarian can offer less expensive options when it comes to prescriptions for pet medications.
The second way to save money on pet medications is to ask for the generic equivalent. Some commonly prescribed pet medications, like antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications are available in generic brands and often the same medications that humans take. If you can get a prescription for a generic human form of pet medication, you can save money by having the prescription filled at grocery store pharmacy or other retailer in-store pharmacy that offers generic medications for as low as $4.00 per prescription.
The third way to save money is to ask your veterinarian to prescribed the pet medications in a higher dose, then divide the pills yourself. The higher dosage will cost about the same, and the pills are usually already scored for easy halving.
The fourth way to save money on pet medications is to talk to your veterinarian about competitive pet prescription prices elsewhere. While there are benefits to buying pet medications from your pet’s veterinarian, like being able to start your pet’s treatment immediately, buying pet medications at your vet’s office is not the only option. It’s not an unreasonable request to ask your veterinarian for a pet medication price match, and if your veterinarian is unable to match the pet medication price of a competitor, take the pet medication prescription and have it filled where you can save money.
Check into pet medication prescription clubs as the fifth way to save money on pet care. Some of the prescription clubs offer huge discounts on many name-brand and generic pet medications. There is an annual fee for these clubs, but often the discounted price of pet medications more than offsets the club’s annual fee and helps you save money on pet health care.
The sixth way to save money on pet medications is to check out online pharmacies. You can save money on pet health care items with them, but only deal with a reputable company, and one that requires a prescription for the pet medication.
Open communication with your veterinarian is the key to finding options to save money on pet health care.
