Planning for Vet services?

[Novus888]

Has anyone managed to draw up a anything like a yearly schedule for vet services? Like routine checkups, vaccines, blood tests, teeth cleaning and whatever? Until I can get the vet insurance on track, I'll have to pay for any costs, so could use some sort of timetable. Then I could get maybe get prices from the staff, and start to budget for such recurrent costs.

 

[stephanietx]

I don't use vet insurance and pay for everything out of pocket. We have a cat fund in our budget and everything comes from that. We also have a limit for emergencies.I'm not saying that we wouldn't pay over the set amount, but we at least have that much money for emergencies.

You should be able to budget for annual exams and vaccines very easily. Call the vet's office and ask them how much it costs. If you're strapped financially, look into low-cost vet clinics and vaccines events.

 

[vansX2]

I have just one of my two boys currently with a Pet Insurance policy. I don't schedule anything. Since both of my boys are inside only cats. I put the policy on the boy whom is the most troublesome. The older boy will likely get a policy by this summer.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You might find it cheaper to have as much done as possible at once. This is because you will be charged an exam fee each time you go in. Have a frank cost with your vet, ask for a list of costs for routine work, and the cost of an office visit. S/he should be happy to provide, with the understanding that there can be additional costs sometimes (if they spot something that needs attention immediately or some such).

 

[LTS3]

Just schedule a yearly check up once a year at the same time, more or less. Vaccines can be done at the yearly check up. Blood work as well if the vet feels that is needed for some reason. A yearly dental isn't needed for most cats. Unless your cat currently has a medical issue that requires occasional vet visits for a check up or blood work or something, there isn't anything else you need to schedule and plan for.

Do have a plan for emergencies and how to pay for them because they always seem to happen when you least expect it.

My cats only go to the vet once a year for their annual check up and whatever vaccine they may need. I have a good relationship with my vet so I don't need to bring my cats to the vet every time time they have an issue (mostly Leroy's IBD issues). I manage the cats at home and give the vet a call to give him a heads up and get any advice on what medicine I can give (I keep vet approved meds at home, both prescription and non-). When my other cat had a leg issue and was hobbling around for awhile, the vet said I could just monitor at home unless the leg issue gets worse and then bring her in.

 

[stephanietx]

I do what LTS3 does. I just put aside money every month for the kitties. We have a good relationship with our vet and can call in and get prescriptions filled if needed (one kitty has asthma). That cuts the office visit fee. We also have an emergency fund for our kitties just in case anything happens. We didn't have one last year when our Hannah got sick and eventually had to be put to sleep and we had to use Care Credit. I don't want that stress again, so we've set up that emergency fund because emergency and/or advanced care is NOT cheap.

Our kitties are also indoor only and 2/3 have a compromised immune system, so they don't get yearly vaccinations. Our vet actually recommended that.

 

[silent meowlook]

If you do want to get insurance, remember that most policies won’t treat pre-existing conditions.

 

[Mighty Orange]

Also, most policies do not cover dental. That is the usual cat problem as they age.

 

[silent meowlook]

I think Trupanion does.

 

[Mighty Orange]

I have been looking at embrace. I believe they cover dental.

 

[daftcat75]

Has anyone managed to draw up a anything like a yearly schedule for vet services? Like routine checkups, vaccines, blood tests, teeth cleaning and whatever? Until I can get the vet insurance on track, I'll have to pay for any costs, so could use some sort of timetable. Then I could get maybe get prices from the staff, and start to budget for such recurrent costs.

These services aren't covered by most insurance. It would fall under their wellness plans which are more of a budget tool than insurance. Rather than setting aside the money into an account, you pay it into the wellness plan. If you use all the covered services within the wellness plan, then it may actually work out. But in most cases, the wellness plan doesn't save you any money over paying out-of-pocket on demand. And if you don't use all the covered services in a wellness plan, you could be losing money. Wellness plans are like Flexible Savings Accounts that zero out each year.

I would sign for insurance anyway because accidents and illnesses can really blow a hole in your budget more than routine care. You'll want to get them insured as soon as you can before "pre-existing conditions" can creep into their medical history. Case in point: I thought I did everything right by getting my Betty a physical in the first week I got her and signing her up directly after the physical. As dumb luck would have it, she swallowed a rubber band and coughed it back up and kept vomiting the rest of the day. This was just two or three days after the fourteen day new policy waiting period expired. Great! I'm covered, right? Yes and no. The visit itself counted towards my deductible for this year (bill wasn't high enough for insurance to kick in.) But... I had mentioned that in the prior week, Betty had a hairball or some other vomit event. That got into the notes for the visit. The insurance back-calculated the vomit event into the insurance waiting period. Now everything related to vomiting is going to be a "pre-existing condition" until Betty can put together a year without vomiting (e.g. she can prove to insurance that the condition has cleared up.) Still keeping the insurance because there are plenty of things besides vomiting that can blow a hole in my finances. Even another foreign body ingestion would be covered as that is considered an accident more than a pre-existing condition.

For routine care, I would ask your vet to put together an annual treatment plan. You can discuss the timing and pricing with them to work out a schedule that works for your pocketbook.

 

[Novus888]

Wow, I'm surprised no one has done up a schedule yet. Anyone want to help 'flesh out' mine? What I have so far:

APRIL:

Wellness exam (every six months)
Blood test (every three to six months)
Claw trimming (every month)

MAY:
Claw trimming (every month)

JUNE:
Claw trimming (every month)


JULY:
Claw trimming (every month)

AUGUST:
Blood test.
Claw trimming (every month)

SEPTEMBER:
Claw trimming (every month)

OCTOBER:
Wellness exam
Claw trimming (every month)

NOVEMBER:
Claw trimming (every month)

DECEMBER:
Claw trimming (every month)

JANUARY:
Blood test (every three to six months)
Dental cleaning (once a year)

I'm obviously missing vaccines and probably much else.

 

[daftcat75]

If I recall correctly, February is dental awareness month. Ask your vet if they do any dental specials in February. One of Krista's vets did. Then she was seeing them more than once a year until she finally had them all removed. But that's tooth resorption--hopefully something your cat never encounters. A once-a-year checkup with vaccines and a blood test should be sufficient if your cat is healthy and in good condition. As s/he gets older (8 years or older), you may want to increase the once a year checkup with blood work to twice a year. Obviously if any of these routine checkups turns up something, your vet may want to monitor at more frequent intervals. But blood testing twice to four times a year on a young and healthy cat is probably excessive.

 

[stephanietx]

Learn to trim nails at home, then you're not hauling your kitty to the vet all the time. Wellness exam is annually, unless you have a senior kitty. Even then, you can get away with annual as long as their health doesn't decline. Bloodwork is not needed usually at all until they are ill, get to be a senior, or have some kind of health issue.

 

[LTS3]

A wellness check up and blood work every 6 months? Claw trimming by the vet monthly? Your schedule is way overkill IMO.

From your previous posts, your cat is about 8 or 9 years old. That's considered senior age but even so, a wellness exam every 6 months with blood work is not needed at all unless the cat currently has a health condition which requires close monitoring.

Claw trimming can be done at home. Many cats don't like it but it can be done. You may need to have someone help hold the cat if necessary. You can ask one of the vet techs to help you out in their free time. Many vet techs have side jobs. A grooming place may trim claws for less than what a vet charges.

If you establish a good relationship with the vet from the start, you don't have to bring the cat to the vet for every single concern.

Of course, this is your cat. If you want to go overboard in taking your cat to the vet frequently for tests and procedures that may not be necessary and have the money to do so, that's your decision. The majority of TCS members only bring their cat to the vet once a year for a check up and vaccines and if the cat has a health concern that needs to be looked at.

 

[Novus888]

A wellness check up and blood work every 6 months? Claw trimming by the vet monthly? Your schedule is way overkill IMO.

From your previous posts, your cat is about 8 or 9 years old. That's considered senior age but even so, a wellness exam every 6 months with blood work is not needed at all unless the cat currently has a health condition which requires close monitoring.

Claw trimming can be done at home. Many cats don't like it but it can be done. You may need to have someone help hold the cat if necessary. You can ask one of the vet techs to help you out in their free time. Many vet techs have side jobs. A grooming place may trim claws for less than what a vet charges.

If you establish a good relationship with the vet from the start, you don't have to bring the cat to the vet for every single concern.

Of course, this is your cat. If you want to go overboard in taking your cat to the vet frequently for tests and procedures that may not be necessary and have the money to do so, that's your decision. The majority of TCS members only bring their cat to the vet once a year for a check up and vaccines and if the cat has a health concern that needs to be looked at.

The Wellness Exam and bloodwork was what the vet wanted, so that automatically goes on the schedule. If I didn't, and something happened, I'd never recover from that. The vet doesn't trim claws. The Cat Claw Clinic is done by techs ($20). If I did it, I would have to use the 'sock over the head' or restraint bag method...it's worth $20 not to violate his trust...although I guess wrestling him into a halter and then into the stroller is a minor violation. Strange thing is he seems to hate the actual trip to Frisco, yet when we get home he is fawning all aver the stroller for a good hour. Love-Hate thing I guess.

As mentioned before, Buddy is prone to struvite crystals, and refuses to eat the Hills C/D or Royal Canin Urinary SO. I assume the vet is focused in on that.

 

[stephanietx]

Honestly, even though your kitty is prone to crystals, I would nix the wellness exam and bloodwork every 6 months. You can do an annual exam and bloodwork and take him in if/when he needs attention or you think he's got crystals again. A wellness exam and bloodwork aren't going to show that. You would need a needle biopsy and UA to determine crystals.

 

[Novus888]

These services aren't covered by most insurance. It would fall under their wellness plans which are more of a budget tool than insurance. Rather than setting aside the money into an account, you pay it into the wellness plan. If you use all the covered services within the wellness plan, then it may actually work out. But in most cases, the wellness plan doesn't save you any money over paying out-of-pocket on demand. And if you don't use all the covered services in a wellness plan, you could be losing money. Wellness plans are like Flexible Savings Accounts that zero out each year.

I would sign for insurance anyway because accidents and illnesses can really blow a hole in your budget more than routine care. You'll want to get them insured as soon as you can before "pre-existing conditions" can creep into their medical history. Case in point: I thought I did everything right by getting my Betty a physical in the first week I got her and signing her up directly after the physical. As dumb luck would have it, she swallowed a rubber band and coughed it back up and kept vomiting the rest of the day. This was just two or three days after the fourteen day new policy waiting period expired. Great! I'm covered, right? Yes and no. The visit itself counted towards my deductible for this year (bill wasn't high enough for insurance to kick in.) But... I had mentioned that in the prior week, Betty had a hairball or some other vomit event. That got into the notes for the visit. The insurance back-calculated the vomit event into the insurance waiting period. Now everything related to vomiting is going to be a "pre-existing condition" until Betty can put together a year without vomiting (e.g. she can prove to insurance that the condition has cleared up.) Still keeping the insurance because there are plenty of things besides vomiting that can blow a hole in my finances. Even another foreign body ingestion would be covered as that is considered an accident more than a pre-existing condition.

For routine care, I would ask your vet to put together an annual treatment plan. You can discuss the timing and pricing with them to work out a schedule that works for your pocketbook.

"For routine care, I would ask your vet to put together an annual treatment plan. You can discuss the timing and pricing with them to work out a schedule that works for your pocketbook."

Yeah, already tried that and got the runaround. Vet said to talk to the front desk since they do all the scheduling. Front desk made a lame try with a few prices on stuff like Xrays, ultrasound, and so on (none of which I'd call routine/recurring expenses), with zero effort on a timetable, then shuttled me off to the website, which provides equally scanty info. Apparently the SPCA thinks everyone likes surprises. SURPRISE! it's time for a urine analysis. SURPRISE! time for a vaccine. And apparently firmly believes everyone can well afford such surprises on the spot. They don't quite 'get' the concept of a monthly/yearly budget.

If anyone's vet has been cooperative enough to provide such an annual treatment plan, I'd like to see it so I have something to loosely base mine on.

 

[daftcat75]

"For routine care, I would ask your vet to put together an annual treatment plan. You can discuss the timing and pricing with them to work out a schedule that works for your pocketbook."

Yeah, already tried that and got the runaround. Vet said to talk to the front desk since they do all the scheduling. Front desk made a lame try with a few prices on stuff like Xrays, ultrasound, and so on (none of which I'd call routine/recurring expenses), with zero effort on a timetable, then shuttled me off to the website, which provides equally scanty info. Apparently the SPCA thinks everyone likes surprises. SURPRISE! it's time for a urine analysis. SURPRISE! time for a vaccine. And apparently firmly believes everyone can well afford such surprises on the spot. They don't quite 'get' the concept of a monthly/yearly budget.

If anyone's vet has been cooperative enough to provide such an annual treatment plan, I'd like to see it so I have something to loosely base mine on.

You've had several responses already.

As a senior cat, plan on two physicals a year. Maybe only one of them will need lab work. $150 to $500 depending on whether lab work was requested.

Plan on vaccinations. Ask your vet to prepare an estimate for this. I would guess $150 to $300. You can pair this with one of the physicals to save yourself an exam fee.

Plan on a dental with X-rays once a year. This will be your largest expense. Dentals can run from $500 to $1500 depending on whether X-rays, anesthesia, and any necessary extractions were performed. Those dentals without anesthesia and X-rays aren't worth it as many problems occur below the gum line.

Without the dental, put $50/mo into a savings account to cover an estimated $600 per year. This is essentially how wellness plans whether through the vet or through insurance work; except they keep your $600/year regardless of whether you use the covered services or not. On the other paw, if you are determined to spend the money on your cat every year, a wellness plan could be a good way to ensure that your cat's monthly budget goes to your cat--and you can save on exam fees (e.g. the fee simply to have your cat seen by the vet regardless of what else is done.) Check out VCA CareClub as an example of a vet-provided wellness plan. If you were already looking at insurance, Embrace has a wellness plan add-on. VCA is more expensive than other vets. But they will put together treatment plans with cost estimates and reminders for your wellness and vaccine visits. They also have a 24/7 chat with a professional service that you might like.

Wellness plans won't cover accidents and illness. For that, you'll want insurance. An accident or illness could easily blow through years worth of a wellness budget (assuming you were sitting on an unused stash of cash that should have gone to the cat's health and upkeep.)

 

[LTS3]

If anyone's vet has been cooperative enough to provide such an annual treatment plan, I'd like to see it so I have something to loosely base mine on.

You're probably not getting the responses you're looking for because many TCS members do not have a scheduled annual treatment plan. Most people are just bringing their cats to the vet once a year for a check up and vaccines and when health issues pop up that need treatment. People who have cats with chronic health conditions may need to bring their cat in more often based on what their vet recommend for the cat's particular issue and specific needs.

If there are other vets in your area, you may want to call around or check out their web sites for their services and what they generally recommend for senior age cats. Personally I'd stay away from the chain vet hospitals because they're all about making as much money as they can from clients.