People often wonder why it is as expensive as it is to have their animal treated at a veterinary clinic. After all, it is only an animal, so the vet doesn't have to pay for malpractice insurance in the same way that a standard medical practitioner does. What people don't often consider though is the actual expense of operating a veterinary clinic, which also includes the purchasing of veterinary medical equipment.

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Specialized Medical Equipment

Take a look around your doctors office or an emergency room in a hospital. Everything that is there is specialized. In fact even the scale that is used for weighing people is an electronic scale that is capable of precise measurements and of accommodating people with physical difficulties.

Specialized Veterinary Medical Equipment

A veterinary clinic also has to have an expensive specialized scale. In fact, they have to have more then one of them for handling very small animals as well as the standard larger ones. Another thing to consider, is that unlike a standard medical clinic that is equipped to accommodate human patients a veterinary clinic has to handle a wide variety of species of pets.

Other Expenses to Consider

This means that all varieties and sized of veterinary medical equipment, such as respirators have to be purchased and kept on hand. Add to this expense the cost of maintaining facilities to keep a wide variety of animals over night.

The Costs of Higher Education

Also, a doctor of veterinary medicine has to pay off the costs incurred while they were pursuing their higher education and education costs the same no matter what type of medicine a person is studying. In fact, did you know that it is more difficult to get into a veterinary school then it is to get accepted into a medical school?

Tired of paying full retail price for your pet's veterinary care? You don't have to if your veterinarian gives you a discount on his/her services. And just how do you get that discount? Here are five proven ways to go about it.

1. Shop For It

If you're looking for discount veterinary services, pick up the phone book or log onto your computer and price shop the various clinics in your area. Inquire about any and all price breaks the practice may offer to select clients. For example, discounts are commonly offered to military personnel (active and retired), police officers, firefighters, multi-pet owners, senior citizens, and students. In addition, many vets will slash fees for rescue organizations, kennels, and people who foster pets.

2. Ask For It

Let's say your veterinarian doesn't offer a formal price concession on a particular product or service, yet you really don't want to leave the practice to search for discount veterinary services elsewhere. What to do? Simple. Ask for a discount. For example, ask for a free heartworm test in exchange for purchasing a year supply of heartworm medication. You'll be amazed at how many vets will jump at this "deal".

Here's an insider tip: Most veterinary practices maintain pet charity funds that the doctors can use to forgive all or part of a client's bill. Veterinarians are very empathetic individuals. It's the nature of the profession. Oftentimes, when a client is faced with a life-or-death decision involving a seriously injured or ill (yet curable) pet, finances will weigh heavily on that decision. In these instances, it's not uncommon for the veterinarian in charge of the case to discount veterinary service fees in order to treat the pet and thereby avoid euthanasia. In the veterinarian's mind, it's a win-win for everyone involved.

3. Work For It

For amazing veterinary discounts, consider working part-time or full-time at a veterinary clinic. Most hospitals and clinics offer price breaks to employees who have worked for the practice for a specified period of time. And those savings can be significant. For example, one clinic in Houston, Texas offers a 50% discount on vaccinations and heartworm preventative to employees after three months of work, and after five years of employment, all services are free and all medications are offered at cost. Not bad, huh?

As an added bonus, working for a vet will sharpen your knowledge and skills when it comes to veterinary care. You'll learn how to assess a pet's health status and learn techniques such as physical therapy, deep ear cleaning, giving injections, giving parenteral fluids, and other skills that you could conceivably apply to your own pet(s) at home. Not only that, for those with the entrepreneurial spirit, learning these new skills could very well open up a lucrative source of secondary income as a pet sitter or home hospice veterinary nurse.

4. Trade For It

There are two ways to trade for discount veterinary services. The first is through bartering. If you have a particular skill that could prove useful to your veterinarian, talk to him/her and see if you can set up some type of bartering arrangement. For example, do you have sales and marketing expertise? If you can offer your veterinarian practical tips on how to market and promote his/ her practice, a barter arrangement is probably only a handshake away. Are you a landscaper, carpenter, plumbing, or handy with tools? If so, you are a valuable asset to any business, especially a veterinary clinic. The possibilities are endless. Just ask.

A second way to trade for discount veterinary services is by volunteering at a veterinary practice. In other words, trade your sweat equity for a discount. It's not uncommon for clinics to offer the same discounts to volunteers as they do to employees (the one in Houston does). Volunteer work can involve general practice maintenance, kennel help, technician work, accounting, or front office assistance. It's a rewarding endeavor and one that can prove to be valuable even if you're not receiving a paycheck.

5. Plan For It

Plan your pet's elective health care procedures around discount veterinary initiatives promoted by national, state, and local municipalities and organizations. For instance, February is considered Pet Dental Health Month. Veterinarians usually offer nice price breaks (sometimes as high as 50%) on dental procedures during this month, so it makes sense to have your pet's annual teeth cleaning done in February. Also, October is National Pet Wellness Month; many practices offer reduced fees on preventive health care during this initiative. And there's more. March is Pet Nutrition Month, April is Heartworm Awareness Month, World Veterinary Day is usually the last Saturday in April, National Pet Week is in May, World Rabies Day is in the Fall...the list goes on.

In addition to these broad scale promotions, many counties and local municipalities hold periodic rabies drives, low cost spay/neuter clinics, and low-cost pet microchip clinics. The discounts on these veterinary services can be substantial, so veteriner masası contact your county or local health departments to find out when these special events are to be held.

There you have it. Five ways to land discount veterinary services. Applying this knowledge in your own quest for a price break can yield big dividends. By shopping for it, asking for it, working for it, trading for it, and planning for it, you're sure to obtain a discount that will put a smile on your face!