Americans paid more than $9 billion for veterinary care in 2006 - $670 for the average dog and $540 per cat. If that seems like a lot of money to you, consider this: There are simple ways to cuts costs without sacrificing your favorite animal's well-being. In fact, these tips will help your pet live a longer, healthier life.
Focus on Prevention
Money spent on preventative care translates into long -term savings and extends the life of your pet.

• Help your pet practice good hygiene. Grooming and trimming nails regularly helps prevent many types of infections. Brush your pet's teeth at least 3 times a week to avoid tooth decay and gum disease, which can spread to other parts of the body.
• Keep your pets at an ideal weight and make sure they get plenty of exercise. Obesity leads to a host of orthopedic problems as well as diabetes, heart disease and other medical disorders. Find a high quality diet your pet likes and stick to it. If you must switch, do so gradually to avoid stomach upset.
• Keep your pet current on vaccines and parasite preventatives. Don't wait until your pet is infested or ill. Contact your local animal control organization to see if it offers low-cost vaccines, including shots for rabies.
• Spay or neuter your pet early. You'll save on vet bills for serious medical conditions such as breast and uterine cancer. You'll also greatly reduce the risk that your pet will be hit by a car or injured in a fight, since animals "On the prowl" are prone to wandering and aggression.
• Keep cats indoors. The average life expectancy of a cat that goes outside is only 3-5 years, compared to more than 12 years for indoor cats.
• Pet proof your home and yard. Store medications and chemicals safely, make sure that fences and gates are secure and keep poisonous plants out of reach.

Become a Pet Detective
If you pay close attention, you can discover diseases and treat them before they cause huge vet bills or, worse, irreparable damage to your pet's health.

• Be observant. Sudden changes to your pet's habits and routines may indicate a health problem.
• Do a sniff test. It may sound strange, but odors can be revealing. If your dog has very foul breath, it may indicate oral disease or diabetes. Also, your pet's ears should be odorless. If they aren't, call your vet. A general odor from your pet may be a sign of a skin infection.

Make Friends with Your Vet
No matter how diligent you are, it's important to have a vet's help.

• Commit to regular check-ups. Even if your pet seems healthy, a thorough exam may detect problems - especially in older pets. Be prepared to offer a history of your pet's illnesses and injuries.
• Ask about ways to save. Many vet hospitals offer discounts on procedures during certain times of the year or package deals for very young or very old animals. Ask if you vet has free samples of the drug he or she has prescribed.
• Try a veterinary school. Some may offer clinics at reduced cost.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions. Remember, you are speaking on behalf of your pet: Don't leave the vet's office without a clear picture of your pet's health

Give Your Pet the 'Weekly Once-Over'
#By Dr. Karen Halligan
Published: May 13, 2008
Spend some time once a week examining your pet for early signs of illness. An at-home exam shouldn't take more than 15 minutes, and it could save you hours (and lots of dollars) at the vet's office. Of course, you still need to take your pet for his regular check-up. But if you catch a problem early, you and your pet will be much better off.

Here are some things to check during your at-home exam. Be sure to take a systematic approach so you don't miss anything. Good lighting also is important.

Face
#Both pupils should be the same size and the eyes should be clear, bright, and shiny. You should not see redness, discharge, or squinting, as these can all be signs of infection, foreign objects in the eye, or pain.

Dogs and cats have a "third eyelid," which helps protect the eye as well as lubricate it by producing tears. The third eyelid should not be showing. When a cat or dog is sick or in pain, you will suddenly see this white-colored membrane covering the lower part of the eye.

Check to see if there is an increase or a decrease in tear production by noticing how moist your pet's eyes look and how often they tear up. Certain breeds of dogs such as the cocker spaniel, shih tzu, Lhasa apso, Pekinese, miniature Schnauzer, and bulldog are predisposed to developing a very common condition known as dry eye, where tear production is greatly reduced, leading to red, itchy and painful eyes.

Nose
It's a common fallacy that a warm nose means a dog or cat has a fever. Humidity, body temperature, and flow of tears through the ducts into the nose all help determine whether your pet's nose is dry, moist, warm, or cold. However, the nose should be smooth and without any scaling or roughness. Sneezing or nasal discharge can be signs of an upper respiratory infection, quite common in cats. Also look for color changes on your pet's nose. There should be no loss of pigmentation on a dark nose. White noses can get sunburn and even skin cancer.

Ears
#Look at your pet's ears. They should have very little odor or discharge, but a small amount of wax is normal. If you see debris, redness, hair loss, or crusting, or if your pet seems to be in pain when its ears are touched, it could be a sign of an ear infection. Look for abnormalities on the outside of the ears, a happy home for some parasites. Hair loss, crusting, and redness can indicate mites, allergies, or infection. Ears should be flat, not swollen. Flies will sometimes bite at the tips of dogs' ears, so carefully check along the edges. Cats and dogs will paw at their ears or shake their heads when their ears are bothering them.

Mouth
Notice whether your pet has any trouble opening and closing its mouth. Look for any drooling or difficulty chewing and swallowing. Check your dog or cat's mouth for tumors, swelling, bleeding gums, tartar, and foreign objects like string (cats) and sticks (dogs). Look at the teeth. Are they white, brown, or green? There should be no broken teeth and no odor.

Look at the color of the gums. They should be nice and pink, not white or red. Check your pet's circulation by using your thumb to briefly apply pressure to the gums, then release. The area you pressed should turn white and then rapidly return to the normal pink color. This is called the capillary refill time. For dogs and cats, one to two seconds is considered normal. If the refill time is less than one second or more than three seconds, it could indicate a serious circulation problem and necessitates an immediate trip to the vet.

Next, feel under your pet's throat. Dogs and cats have lymph nodes in their bodies, just like humans do. Feeling for lumps, like the doctor does to you, can help detect enlarged lymph nodes, which can be the first sign of cancer or infection in dogs and cats. Also check lymph nodes at the shoulder, under the forearm, and on the backs of the rear legs.

Skin and Coat
#Look closely at your pet's skin by parting the hair in several spots or blowing gently. Look and feel for areas of swelling, heat, scrapes, pain, hair loss, crusting, or redness. Run your hands all over your pet's body, including all four legs, and lift up the tail. Check for lumps, bumps, and growths of any sort. Look closely under the fur because small bumps can be hard to see. The most common sites for tumors to grow are on the skin, mouth, mammary glands, and lymph nodes. Check under the coat for flakes, ticks, fleas and flea dirt - small flecks of black debris that look like black pepper. This is actually flea poop, and if you get it wet, it will turn red.

Your cat or dog's coat should be sleek and glossy, not dull, dry, or greasy. Run your fingers through your pet's hair. There should be no buildup or odor on your hands. Also check between the toes and look at the pads. Dogs and cats can get burrs, gum, and other foreign objects lodged there. During the summer months, dogs can easily burn their pads.

Next, gently pull up on the skin over your pet's shoulder blades, then release. If your pet is well hydrated, the skin will snap back quickly into position. If your dog or cat is dehydrated, it will take much longer for the skin to release; sometimes, it will even stay tented up. This can be a serious problem and requires an immediate phone call to your vet.

Weight
#Last but not least, check for weight gain or loss. This can be a crucial early sign of disease. Even just a few extra pounds can be significant in animals, leading to arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and breathing difficulties. Chances are, if you can pinch an inch, your pet is overweight and should see the vet to get started on a weight-loss program.

By knowing what's normal for your pet, you can respond quickly when changes occur, treating any problem before it becomes severe.

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Has your dog been tested yet for heartworms this year? Are you thinking your dog is really not at risk? Don't want to take the time or spend the money?

• Once confined to the Southeast United States, heartworm is now a danger wherever there are mosquitoes. One infected dog can be a threat to every dog in the community.
• Taking the dog in for a preventative check-up should become a springtime ritual just like tilling the garden or pulling out the lawn chairs. The best time to have the blood test done is in the early spring before the mosquitoes hatch.
• Heartworm disease has few outward signs in its early stages and by the time the dog shows symptoms such as coughing, labored breathing, or sluggishness, he may have suffered irreversible damage to his heart and lungs. Treatment of an infected dog can be very hard on the animal and is much more expensive than prevention. (The once a month preventatives that contain something to stop fleas are really great.)
• Never give heartworm medicine from last year without having the blood test first, because if given to an already infected dog, it can have adverse effects, including shock and even death.
• Never use multiple layers of flea and tick repellants at the same time as a mix of chemicals can be harmful.

So this month, when you slap at the season's first mosquito, let it be a reminder to make a veterinarian appointment for your pet. While mosquitoes are a nuisance for humans, they can be deadly to dogs.

Take him in; he deserves good care!

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Holistic Pet Care
For information on natural cures, visit Dr. Andrew Weil's website at www.drweil.com and search holistic pet care. Besides suggestions from Dr. Weil, there are resources and discussion boards to talk with others about what has worked for them.

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Thinking of breeding your pet so your child can experience the miracle of birth? Please think again. There aren't enough homes for all the animals out there as it is! For every puppy or kitten from your pet's litter that you find a home for, that's one less chance for an already homeless pet to find a loving home. There are some great alternatives however, that allow you to breed and still be responsible.

• Live bearing tropical fish. Mollies, platys and guppies are all live bearing fish and allow your child the excitement of seeing the new babies arrive and in the case of guppies, the fun of guessing what color they will become. (If in a community aquarium, ask your pet store how to protect the young from being eaten by other fish.)

Did you know —
-Never, under any circumstances, should you give your pet Tylenol, Advil or Aleve, as any one of these can be fatal to a dog or cat! Aspirin should only be given under a doctor's advice because the dosage for pets is different than that for humans.
-An unaltered cat can be difficult to live with? Behaviors such as spraying, roaming, fighting and vocalizing while in heat are no fun to be around. An altered pet is definitely a more pleasant and healthy companion. Don't be part of the pet overpopulation problem. Have your pet spayed or neutered! It's the responsible thing to do for your pet and your community.

Please don't take your pet to the pound because of behavior problems. Get help at www.greatpets.com