Pets Keepers Guide Forums

Hi everyone!

I am a born dog lover, had dogs all my life, and currently have an almost 8 year old pit bull. I have had her since she was 8 weeks. Found her on the street as a stray.

I have been hearing some noise from fellow dog owners especially new owners that they are amazed how expensive vet care is and how many forgo vaccinations and checkups because of this. Remembering that same pain I was wondering why there isn't any online tools/websites that help find quality care at competitive pricing.

Does anyone know of anything? More importantly if not, would people use one if available?

All I can find is directories that lead directly to the vet's info and if you are lucky a few reviews and maybe a few prices. But it is a very manual process.


I read an article that said 26% of pet owners don't go to the vet at all because it is too expensive and 50% who currently go would go more (preventive care) if it was more affordable. This drop in regular visits has lead to some alarming stats. Eg. 60% of dogs have dental disease and 54% of all dogs/cats are obese which leads to many other problems. And of those owners 70% didn't even realize the animal was obese until a vet finally saw them. On top of all this, pet ownership is continuing to rise, vet visits decrease, and emergency vet visits (more expensive) increase. More owners are only visiting the emergency vet when they notice something is wrong. Which must be excruciating because some breeds such as mine (pit bull) have very high thresholds and probably are hurting long before they actually show it.


If a site made finding and comparing vet care easier wouldn't it bring value?

As an extreme dog mom I feel the intense pain every time I go to the vet. My debit card runs and hides, my checkbook shivers in fear and I usually take a handful of Tums en route to the clinic!

I have 3 very large dogs, a Great Dane, a German Shep and a Belgian Tervuren. I have not found any real ways to cut costs on flea/tick prevention and heartworm prevention but I have found that the best kept secret weapon for saving a considerable amount on vaccinations is to go to a Petco or PetSmart when they have the vaccination clinics set up there.

These clinics are for routine vaccines and a healthy pet exam only. They do not see sick pets and will not vaccinate if one appears to be sick or is running a fever. Veterinarians will set up at these pet superstores, allow you to choose a plan that fits you best and then administer a healthy pet exam and vaccinations. If you get a fecal or heartworm test done, the sample will go with the vet and you will be called with the results. They also offer other blood work options.

You will have to find your local pet superstore and find out when they are holding the clinics. The veterinarians are usually scheduled to be there on a Saturday, once or twice a month. The savings is SUBSTANTIAL in comparison to the traditional veterinary clinic. Good Luck!