5 ways for dog owners to save money while being pet-health friendly
PART 3 OF 5: Don't become an anti-vaxxer because you think you can't afford dog vaccines
I knew Junee was due for a heartworm lab test. I’d put it off so I could get her wellness exam at the same time (four months later). I knew I was racing against time because her prescription for dog heartworm medication was set to expire the same month as the wellness exam was due. But a 50-minute walk to the vet was out of the question when Chicago was in 90-95 degree weather days, and I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of ride-sharing companies like Uber or Lyft turning me down or charging extra for pets. Then there were other prices to take into consideration.
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In 2022, the heartworm lab test with her vet was $86.85. This year, the price shot up to $93.03. Her heartworm medication was $25.09 when she was under 25 lbs and $27.17 when she hit that 25-44 lb mark. In 2024, the vet now charges $33.50 — although Junee is two pounds less than she was last year. And the wellness exam went from $65 in 2021 to $85 now. (I was dumbfounded to learn that a nearby pet hospital charged $100 solely for a wellness exam — with nothing else included.)
The problem with the “look OK” diagnosis
I cringed at a recent survey of 2,200 dog owners in which 40% of dog owners felt pet vaccinations weren’t safe, 20% said pet vaccines are not effective and 30% said they’re not medically necessary, but I couldn’t help wondering about that last group. It reminded me too much of my parents, who were adamant about me getting a dental cleaning every six months as a child while telling me (as an adult) that they hadn’t had a dentist appointment in a decade.
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WHAT?! While I’m uncomprising about those six-month cleanings, the same people who dutifully scheduled my childhood appointments are indifferent about their own teeth. (My father has super straight, white, advertisement-worthy teeth, which makes this even more confusing.) In their minds, they just have other priorities — and a collection of toothbrushes and floss. As long as their teeth look OK, they’re fine, even though they both have dental insurance. I don’t understand it, but I can’t wrestle them into a dentist chair!
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Still, this makes me ponder if some people who are deemed “anti-vaxxer pet owners” really just think that their dogs “look OK,” so they must be OK. I’m not totally sold on anti-vaxxer pet owners being like the tantrum throwers who acted traumatized to wear a face mask from 2020 to 2022. Is it disinterest in pet vaccinations, thinking their dogs “look OK” — or an excuse because pet expenses can be overwhelmingly expensive?
Resolving the higher pet vaccine price obstacle
To me, skipping dog vaccinations was not an option. But having the money to do it clearly overrode my stance. I needed to figure out how to afford my own day-to-day living and still be able to afford pet expenses (outside of Junee’s day-to-day expenses). Enter Tree House Veterinary Wellness Center.
Every single time my dog passes this veterinary wellness center, she sits in the doorway and won’t move. It made little sense to me. Although the building’s appearance changed, I had ever only affiliated the building as a cat cafe — and wondered if anybody as fun as Leslie Jordan worked inside. (R.I.P. Huge fan of Kyla Pratt, but I couldn’t get into “Call Me Kat” after he passed away.) And even a casual glance at their Instagram page is cat-centric. Why was this dog so invested in visiting this cat hangout?
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She would not stop pausing in front of the doorway — even though she knew I would pull her along. But one day when she stopped, I noticed something was different about the sign. Next to a cat, there was a new dog profile. That was the first time that I realized she may be smelling dogs in the area too.
And with the presence of dogs on the sign, I grew more curious about what else changed. Could I get a dog vaccinated at what I thought of as a “cat cafe”? Turns out not only could I, but I paid only 50% of the price I expected!