THE COST OF PET CARE
PET CARE COSTS ON THE RISE!
Lots of people bought pets during lockdown, and they have brought untold benefits in terms of companionship and exercise during these very difficult times. Unfortunately the aftermath of Covid-19 along with Brexit and the invasion of Ukraine, is that there is a huge cost of living crisis looming… and it affects pet care as much as everything else.
SAVING MONEY ON PET CARE
- BUY IN BULK. If you can afford to buy larger amounts of pet food this will usually be less expensive. Choosing a cheaper brand may not be cost effective as you often need to feed more per meal so look at the per meal cost as well as the price per bag. Only buy as much as you will use before the food goes out of date.
- KEEP ON TOP OF VACCINATIONS AND PARASITE CONTROL. Cutting corners on preventative healthcare often costs more in the long run. Some owners chose cheaper flea treatments to save money when furloughed then faced an uphill struggle to control a flea infestation. Unless your pet is at high risk of adverse reactions to vaccines it will be less expensive to follow the vets programme than using titre tests to check protection.
- ASK ABOUT A PRESCRIPTION. Written prescriptions allow your to buy medications on-line from pharmacies. You will be charged for the prescription but will still be able to make savings on some parasite prevention products and medications. Vets will have individual policies on how many times you can use a prescription and how often your pet will need a meds check.
- INSURE YOUR PET. Insurance is a monthly bill you may think about dropping, but can you afford to care for your pet in an emergency without it? Ask if there are any areas of cover that can be removed to reduce the premium, or offer to pay a higher excess. Make sure you have the excess available, and remember that some specialist centres require payment at the time. A credit card is useful for this as you can pay it off as soon as the insurance pays out. Alternatives to insurance including making a pet savings account, but this may not have enough in if your young pet becomes ill.
- JOIN A PET HEALTH CLUB. Many veterinary practices have pet health clubs where a monthly fee pays for reduced cost parasite control and vaccines and unlocks other freebies and discounts.
- DON’T DIY. If you are concerned about your pet’s health, even if you are also on a tight budget, please seek veterinary advice. Although there is good information on the internet vets also see too many pets who have been damaged through the use of human medicines or delayed treatment.
Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care is a referral only service and we can only offer advice to registered and referred clients. We are a very small business and are not able to offer any credit on our services.
PRICE CHANGES
HOME VISIT PRICE RISES
A review of our pricing structure has shown that some services have essentially been subsiding others. This, coupled with the recent fuel price rises (over 20% in one week!) means that our home visit services have increased in price with immediate effect. Behaviour Assessment and Treatment prices are exclusive of the visit fee as some will be assessed in my training field.
LONG TERM CLIENTS – LOWER PRICE RISES
To reward our loyal long term clients and to ensure our current patients do not lose access to services rises for these patients will be limited. There are also discounts for multiple animals in the same household.
NO CHANGE TO HERBAL MEDICINE PRICING
Currently there is no plan to increase the cost of our herbal medicines, though this will remain under review and may change if stock prices rise.
2022 PRICING
Acupuncture at Home – Initial Course of 3 Sessions (up to 15miles) £260
Acupuncture at Home – Repeat Sessions (up to 15miles) £70
Behaviour Assessment and Treatment Plan (3 sessions) -£350 PLUS visit fee if required
Behaviour Assessment and Treatment Plan (single session) – £150 PLUS visit fee if required
Holistic Consultation at Home (up to 15miles) £120
GOODBYE GOUDHURST
GOODBYE GOUDHURST VETS
Many happy years offering clinics at Goudhurst Vets and Equine Clinic in Goudhurst are coming to an end.
Vicky will be concentrating on home visits for Acupuncture and Behaviour problems, and will continue to offer Holistic and Herbal medicine consultations at Companion Care Vets in Eastbourne (01323 649315).
Existing acupuncture clients at Goudhurst will be transferred to vet Caroline Borer, who has recently undertaken acupuncture training. Repeat prescriptions of herbs can be delivered to Goudhurst by arrangement.
Vicky’s final clinic at Goudhurst will be on Thursday 4th January.
WHAT IS A HOLISTIC VET?
WHAT IS A HOLISTIC VET?
This week someone on an internet forum expressed surprise that our vet Vicky Payne was a Holistic vet! Vicky thinks this is because she has written in support of vaccination and against untrained people giving advice on which homepoathic or herbal remedy to buy from the internet.
WHAT IS HOLISTIC VETERINARY CARE?
For us at Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care, “Holistic” means using detailed evaluation of a pet’s diet and lifestyle as well as hands on examination and conventional diagnostic tests (sometimes including blood tests or x-rays) to achieve a diagnosis, or in many cases multiple diagnoses.
We then choose from a full range of conventional and complementary therapies to help that pet back to wellness. Therapies we use or advise include dietary changes, behaviour and lifestyle modification, acupuncture, owner performed home physio, herbal medicines and conventional medicines and surgery. In some circumstances we will also refer your pet to local physiotherapists, massage therapists or hydrotherapists for supportive care.
“Holistic” to us also means caring for a pet’s well-being from the planning of a mating, right through to the planning of end of life care and euthanasia. We are happy to advise on health testing for breeding dogs and cats, tools which can help accurately time mating for dogs, rearing and socialisation of puppies and kittens both with the breeder and after sale, as well as advising on appropriate vaccination, worming and flea treatment schedules based on sound science and a consideration of an individual pet’s risk. Many of our patients are in their Autumn years so inevitably we have to help owners with decisions surrounding palliative care, quality of life, the end of life and planning for the future.
Our passion for life-long care is why Vicky chose the name ‘Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care’.
WHAT ISN’T HOLISTIC VETERINARY CARE?
We can’t speak for other ‘Holistic’ practices but for us “Holistic” does not mean alternative (diagnosis and treatment must always be done by a vet or under veterinary supervision), homeopathic (though many practices also add this to their treatments offered), anti-vaccination, anti-conventional medicine or assisting in self diagnosis and recommending buying unregulated products.