Vet Checks

[da.drew]

Just wondered if anyone else does a monthly health plan for their dogs? I have two ESS and I pay the vet £26.50 a month (£318 per year). For this I get three nurse checks and a vet check per year, flea, tick and worming treatments. Then I get 10% off of food and other products that they sell (but I dont buy any of them), 10% off of dentistrey. I'm wondering if its really worth it. Annual vacs are about £30.00 and the pet drugs companys sell advocate for £106 for a years supply for two dogs. It come out to about £200, so do I need to getting the nurse to say, "they look healthy, any problems, no, good, what do you feed them, RAW, oh no you shouldnt do that, see you next time!"

Any opinions welcome!

[Hepe]

Never heard about it but then again, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist here in Sweden. I feel irritated enough as it is for paying loads for their insurance and ponder how to get away from that (eg, save an amount each month to have a buffert if something truly bad happens, so far it never did in 30 years which doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow)

Helene

[Stacia]

It certainly wasn't worth it for me as I have no need to do flea treatment and only worm my dogs once or twice a year.

Jeling

[arwesa]

If you pay me £10 per month I will happily tell you what I think of your dogs condition...

keep your money. you feed raw and obviously know more than the average clueless joe who that sort of service is aimed at.

[mustogirl]

one of the vets we go to offers this. ive never taken it up, but i guess it depends on how much you go to the vet in an average year & whether you feel its value for money, especially if people insure their dog where the insurer covers most of the bill (should anything bad happen) bar the excess.

[Rookie]

These schemes are usually aimed at people who want to spread the costs of their routine preventative healthcare, so usually vaccinations, worming and flea/tick treatments for the year, sometimes microchipping and anything that can be undertaken by the nurse such as nails/expressing anal glands/weight checks will be included as well. These are things that are not generally covered by pet insurance.

[Andrew]

I think you have to make based on the depth of your pocket, I can see it from Rookies point of view in that many dogs don't wear down nails unless kenneled, expressing the anal gland as a regular pastime suggests to me that feed is is the problem.
I think worming and its regularity is dependent on your own environment, I get panacur from the local horse shop which a damn site cheaper than the local vet. I understand this is only a preventive for lung worm rather than a cure, so maybe I'm saving about about 50% of the figure mentioned.
I'm also toying about with the idea of leaving the jabs alone and going for the full Monty every 3 years, but the jury is still out on that one. Plus if i ever do need to kennel the dog I'm likely to be stuffed

[Stacia]

Most vets do vaccinations 3 yearly, though it is important to have the Leptospirosis every year.

[da.drew]

Most vets do vaccinations 3 yearly, though it is important to have the Leptospirosis every year.

Even if I have the boosters every year, at £30 a time (£60 for the two of them) with worming, flea and tick treatments, it still works out cheaper. On the rare occasion that there nails need clipping, I do it myself and they are fed RAW, so everying comes out OK.

Think its time to save some money

[vicky payne]

These schemes are usually aimed at people who want to spread the costs of their routine preventative healthcare, so usually vaccinations, worming and flea/tick treatments for the year, sometimes microchipping and anything that can be undertaken by the nurse such as nails/expressing anal glands/weight checks will be included as well. These are things that are not generally covered by pet insurance.

Exactly how we 'sell' our complete care plan. If you're going to do everything anyway then you'll save money,but if you won't then it's waste of money. Some clients really value the nurse health checks but obviously they're of les value to experienced dog people.