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Affordable Pet Care Guide 2016

September 19, 2016 by Mary Telesz

Affordable Pet Care GuideEvery pet owner knows that no matter what kind of care your pet receives at home, they will still need their regular check-ups and shots at the veterinarian. Pet care can be incredibly expensive, and there may be an instance where your family is experiencing hardship that makes caring for your pet difficult. The following is an affordable pet care guide that can suggests some ways to save money, and take care of your furry family member.

Affordable Pet Care Programs

If your vet bill is too high, there are many low-cost alternatives you can look into. Local shelters, rescue groups, and animal welfare organizations offer a variety of programs for pet owners that are looking for affordable pet care. From routine care, to vaccinations, and spaying/neutering, there are many programs that can help. The following are a few places to start:

  • ASPCA: the national pet adoption agency and shelter offers a search engine online for low-cost spay and neuter programs in your area. It’s a comprehensible and searchable database that is also mobile-friendly.
  • Petfinder.com: this adoption website has a searchable database of all animal welfare groups in your area. Many of these shelters and rescue facilities have low-cost programs with sliding scale payments for people in need of affordable pet care.

As a pet owner, if your local vet is not an option, your local animal welfare organizations are. Make a call to those facilities, and ask about the programs they offer.

Affordable Pet Medication

Just like their human counterparts, there are generic versions to pet meds (but the vet may not tell you this). Most of the time, if you are purchasing prescription medication from the vet, you are probably overpaying. The following are some helpful resources for how to get cheaper meds online:

  • 1-800-PetMeds: this site offers everything from flea and tick meds, to heartworm, and dental. They also offer easy refills and ways to track the order of your pet’s meds.
  • Doctors Foster and Smith: in business since 1983, they are considered one of the most trusted online retailers for pet meds. With a comprehensive list of medications, this is the only site online backed by vets.
  • PetCareRX: offering discounts on pet prescriptions of up to 50% off, this is an excellent resource for affordable medication for your pet. PETplus is a membership they also offer that can save you even more on medication.

It’s simple. The next time you are at the vet, tell them you just want the prescription, then call in a cheaper, generic brand. If you don’t notice the difference with your meds, your pet probably won’t either.

You should always be careful when buying medication online, and only deal with reputable sites. Larger retail stores like Target and Kroger also offer discounts on pet medication, with out-of-pocket payments as low as $4.

Financial Assistance for Pet Care

No matter how hard you try, there may be times when managing your pet’s healthcare is difficult to afford. There are many financial assistance options, depending on where you live. The following are nationwide programs that may help you get your pet the veterinary assistance they need:

  • Red Rover Relief: this national organization provides urgent care for pets in need when their owner’s are suffering financial hardship. The program also provides assistance for victims of domestic abuse who want to escape with their pet. In addition, RedRover has a program called “On-Call Angel” where anonymous donors provide support to fund care for animals in urgent need.
  • Brown Dog Foundation: this US non-profit is devoted to helping families in temporary financial crisis, at the same time their pet requires immediate medical attention. Age and breed are not a factor, but the organization does look at a family’s income status to determine eligibility.
  • Paws 4 a Cure: a charitable, non-profit that provides financial assistance to qualified families throughout the US. Paws 4 a Cure does not discriminate by age, breed, or diagnosis, and they rely solely on support and contributions from people who care about animals. Their total financial aid provided for pets since 2008 is over $136,000.

Conclusion to our Affordable Pet Care Guide

Affordable pet care takes being a smart and savvy pet owner. Vet bills are astronomical, and everyone is looking to try and save on their invoices. The best care you can give your pet, is proactive treatment. That means regular check-ups and shots.

There are clinics that offer discounted rates, and you can get generic prescriptions online. The last thing you should do, is not do anything at all. Your pet deserves it, and this affordable pet care guide is a good start!

Filed Under: Pet Care

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
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Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
5.0
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
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