Saving Money At Your Veterinarian's Office

(At the Arizona Book Fair)

Some of the readers of my recently published book, Laughter and Tears, A Veterinarian’s and Advice, have suggested that I periodically post notes describing some of the lessons I've included to let my blog followers see if this book might be of interest or value to them. For example, the inspiration for Lesson number 11 came from a casual encounter with an acquaintance at the fitness center. Our 5 minute talk inspired: Saving money while providing the best possible care for your pet. For those not familiar with the layout of the book, the first two-thirds are a chronology describing my 40 years of adventures as a veterinarian.This is followed by an extensive appendix detailing 13 common lessons I shared with my clients. Lesson 11 details what we should and should not do to save money at the vet's. For example I don't recommend vaccination clinics which tend to use lower quality vaccinations that can increase the risk of side affects and also mean less effective vaccinations. I also don't recommend cheaper pet foods. What I do discuss is reliable but less expensive sources of medications for your pet, how to decrease grooming (and dental) bills, how to avoid paying for unnecessary vaccinations or repeating important vaccinations more often than necessary.A short conversation at the fitness center saved this pet owner almost $95 a month on per arthritic German Shepherd's medication. After practicing veterinary medicine for almost 40 years, I know how to help you save money while you take the best possible care of your pet!  

Follow these links to my book  LAUGHTER AND TEARS: A VETERINARIAN'S MEMOIR AND ADVICE 

The stray cats of Essaouira, Morocco

A few months ago my wife and I spent a few weeks touring Morocco.  I was used to the plastic bag trash; I live in Tucson and plastic bag litter is a huge problem here. I find it ironic that countries like poor Rwanda have outlawed plastic bags and what a difference it makes for the landscape, (as well as the animals, that don’t get sick or die from eating plastic bags).  But, for some reason,

we in the US don’t want to inconvenience ourselves and eliminate plastic bags. What I wasn’t use to were all the stray cats and dogs. At least many of the cats were neutered (you could tell because their ears were notched). The Moroccan’s seemed to like their cats; in the seaport Essaouira the fishermen enthusiastically shared fish guts etc with the cats (and the sea gulls). In town many people put out food for the strays.

Enjoy the pictures and if you are interested in my book, Laughter and Tears: A Veterinarian's Memoir and Advice check this link:

LAUGHTER & TEARS: A Veterinarian's Memoir and Advice

This is to let my readers (and their friends) know that the book I have written  Laughter & Tears: A Veterinarian's Memoir and Advice is now available for $12.99 as a paperback through Amazon. 

Here is the link  to Amazon.

Amazon does include a brief description of the book, but: I'd like to share my own thoughts.

This memoir is inspired by my almost forty year career that overflowed with wonderful people and their devoted pets. In this book you meet animal lovers who struggle with guilt even though it is obviously time to say goodbye to their pets. You share the anguish of those who have no idea how to select the right pet and are shocked when their choice turns out to be totally inappropriate. You read about a house call where a client has a heart attack only moments before her pet is put to sleep; you witness a Rottweiler escape from his owner and lunge at my face. I will describe the cruel and sordid picture of corporate veterinary America where monetary ambition is considered more important than the practice of quality medicine. The stories of my own pets are scattered through the book. Each is introduced with a short novelized autobiography (and a picture). You will laugh out loud when my Golden Retriever, Bailey, compares road kill to the delicacies in a buffet line. But, for the most part, this is a poignant story of people and the pets they love.

The last section is an appendix comprised of 13 valuable lessons. Included are topics ranging from selecting the right pet to why you should feed a measured amount of a quality pet food.  Suggestions for easier house training and essential obedience training are reviewed. I offer advice on how to identify the exceptional veterinarian as well as how to save money on your pet’s medications and veterinary care. More appropriate and safer vaccination protocols are examined in detail. (Are your pets still getting vaccinations every year? You need to read and understand why they should not be!) Why your pet should be neutered, ear disease, and understanding your cat are all discussed before the closing lesson on euthanasia embraces the inevitable heartbreak we face with each of our pets. If you enjoy reading about people and their pets, you’ll love this book. If you want to partner in your pet’s health care, this will be a great help.    

Please send me your comments; praise or criticism, I'd still like to hear from you

Some of the "stars" you'll read about"

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Kenneth H. Cohn, DVM