| Tired of paying full retail price for your pet's | | | | open up a lucrative source of secondary income |
| veterinary care? You don't have to if your | | | | as a pet sitter or home hospice veterinary nurse. |
| veterinarian gives you a discount on his/her | | | | 4. Trade For It |
| services. And just how do you get that discount? | | | | There are two ways to trade for discount |
| Here are five proven ways to go about it. | | | | veterinary services. The first is through bartering. |
| 1. Shop For It | | | | If you have a particular skill that could prove |
| If you're looking for discount veterinary services, | | | | useful to your veterinarian, talk to him/her and |
| pick up the phone book or log onto your | | | | see if you can set up some type of bartering |
| computer and price shop the various clinics in your | | | | arrangement. For example, do you have sales and |
| area. Inquire about any and all price breaks the | | | | marketing expertise? If you can offer your |
| practice may offer to select clients. For example, | | | | veterinarian practical tips on how to market and |
| discounts are commonly offered to military | | | | promote his/ her practice, a barter arrangement |
| personnel (active and retired), police officers, | | | | is probably only a handshake away. Are you a |
| firefighters, multi-pet owners, senior citizens, and | | | | landscaper, carpenter, plumbing, or handy with |
| students. In addition, many vets will slash fees for | | | | tools? If so, you are a valuable asset to any |
| rescue organizations, kennels, and people who | | | | business, especially a veterinary clinic. The |
| foster pets. | | | | possibilities are endless. Just ask. |
| 2. Ask For It | | | | A second way to trade for discount veterinary |
| Let's say your veterinarian doesn't offer a formal | | | | services is by volunteering at a veterinary |
| price concession on a particular product or | | | | practice. In other words, trade your sweat equity |
| service, yet you really don't want to leave the | | | | for a discount. It's not uncommon for clinics to |
| practice to search for discount veterinary | | | | offer the same discounts to volunteers as they |
| services elsewhere. What to do? Simple. Ask for | | | | do to employees (the one in Houston does). |
| a discount. For example, ask for a free | | | | Volunteer work can involve general practice |
| heartworm test in exchange for purchasing a | | | | maintenance, kennel help, technician work, |
| year supply of heartworm medication. You'll be | | | | accounting, or front office assistance. It's a |
| amazed at how many vets will jump at this "deal". | | | | rewarding endeavor and one that can prove to |
| Here's an insider tip: Most veterinary practices | | | | be valuable even if you're not receiving a |
| maintain pet charity funds that the doctors can | | | | paycheck. |
| use to forgive all or part of a client's bill. | | | | 5. Plan For It |
| Veterinarians are very empathetic individuals. It's | | | | Plan your pet's elective health care procedures |
| the nature of the profession. Oftentimes, when a | | | | around discount veterinary initiatives promoted by |
| client is faced with a life-or-death decision involving | | | | national, state, and local municipalities and |
| a seriously injured or ill (yet curable) pet, finances | | | | organizations. For instance, February is considered |
| will weigh heavily on that decision. In these | | | | Pet Dental Health Month. Veterinarians usually |
| instances, it's not uncommon for the veterinarian | | | | offer nice price breaks (sometimes as high as |
| in charge of the case to discount veterinary | | | | 50%) on dental procedures during this month, so |
| service fees in order to treat the pet and | | | | it makes sense to have your pet's annual teeth |
| thereby avoid euthanasia. In the veterinarian's | | | | cleaning done in February. Also, October is National |
| mind, it's a win-win for everyone involved. | | | | Pet Wellness Month; many practices offer |
| 3. Work For It | | | | reduced fees on preventive health care during this |
| For amazing veterinary discounts, consider | | | | initiative. And there's more. March is Pet Nutrition |
| working part-time or full-time at a veterinary clinic. | | | | Month, April is Heartworm Awareness Month, |
| Most hospitals and clinics offer price breaks to | | | | World Veterinary Day is usually the last Saturday |
| employees who have worked for the practice for | | | | in April, National Pet Week is in May, World Rabies |
| a specified period of time. And those savings can | | | | Day is in the Fall...the list goes on. |
| be significant. For example, one clinic in Houston, | | | | In addition to these broad scale promotions, many |
| Texas offers a 50% discount on vaccinations and | | | | counties and local municipalities hold periodic rabies |
| heartworm preventative to employees after | | | | drives, low cost spay/neuter clinics, and low-cost |
| three months of work, and after five years of | | | | pet microchip clinics. The discounts on these |
| employment, all services are free and all | | | | veterinary services can be substantial, so contact |
| medications are offered at cost. Not bad, huh? | | | | your county or local health departments to find |
| As an added bonus, working for a vet will sharpen | | | | out when these special events are to be held. |
| your knowledge and skills when it comes to | | | | There you have it. Five ways to land discount |
| veterinary care. You'll learn how to assess a pet's | | | | veterinary services. Applying this knowledge in |
| health status and learn techniques such as physical | | | | your own quest for a price break can yield big |
| therapy, deep ear cleaning, giving injections, giving | | | | dividends. By shopping for it, asking for it, working |
| parenteral fluids, and other skills that you could | | | | for it, trading for it, and planning for it, you're sure |
| conceivably apply to your own pet(s) at home. | | | | to obtain a discount that will put a smile on your |
| Not only that, for those with the entrepreneurial | | | | face! |
| spirit, learning these new skills could very well | | | | |