My Pet World: Grieved dog owner upset over rising veterinary costs

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Oct 12, 2022

This could help you decide if you want to stay with your current vet (who could actually be the least expensive vet in town) or go with another who might charge less for similar services. For example, my vet doesn’t charge for routine nail trimming, but all the other vets in my area do. I chose her because I take my dog monthly for nail trims and at $20 each, this has saved me $360 annually.

Even if you save on other costs and have healthy dogs, it’s important to note that most veterinary expenses will occur in the pet’s final year or years of life with multiple visits to the vet at the very end. It’s just like with people. The older we get, the more medical care we tend to need.

Dear Cathy,

After I wrote to you about my cat peeing on the couch (June 2022), we found out she had 14 kidney stones. She was operated on, and we thought she might stop peeing on the couch. But she was still doing it afterward. So, we followed your instructions, and she finally stopped. I waited several months before writing back to you to ensure the problem was solved.

— Angie, Henderson, Nevada

Dear Angie,

I am so glad to hear you started with your vet’s office. I suspect the peeing on your couch could have resulted from the kidney stones, but it took time to break the habit. You moved things along by using the enzymatic cleaners and stress-reducing approaches suggested. Thank you for letting me know that things have returned to normal.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)