Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Honey Maid]

I love the old country vets...they are so crushed for time and are so thinly spread, that they will listen to the symptoms, announce what they think it is,  give you a syringe of meds and tell you how to give it... just to get you out of the office.  They don't charge an arm and a leg for putting an animal down...the meds for that aren't so costly that they need to charge a lot to make a profit~$20 to put down my old, old sweet dog.   They also participate in spay and neuter programs much, much more cheaply....I got ol' Jake neutered as a pup for $15 and they also did a rabies shot.  I really miss Dr. Joe.....     He went off to the big city to teach and left a lot of country folk cryin' behind him.  

I truly dread the day when my Vet retires. Love those country Vets, he takes care of my dogs, cats, horses, and everything in between, and does not charge an arm and a leg. And, when you call with an emergency at 2am, HE is the one answering the phone. I have also noticed that he does not try, like some city vets I've had to use in the past, to talk you into extending an animals life by trying surgeries, etc.....

 

[Beekissed]

And that's the difference between a vet that got into that business to provide a service to the community as well as making a living...and those that could care less about the community and just want to make a good livin' off of it.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I always try to use the farm vets if I can. In Wyoming, I had to drive an extra 10 miles - past at least 3 city vet offices - to get to a horse vet. They were at least reasonable, but not cheap. I had a dog years ago that had cancer in her jaw. The vet said they could operate, chemo, and radiation, but realistically, that would only give her -maybe- an extra 6 months to live and it would not be a good six months. It is more important to me that she have the happy 6 months on pain killers that she had. When it was time, she let me know and I cried; but I knew that she had a good life up until the very end. She would not have been a happy dog being stuck with needles/iv, locked in her crate, and handled by strangers; instead she got to walk every day, sleep on her recliner in the laundryroom, and chase gophers at the park. I had a lab that got sick, she wasn't eating and listless. I dropped her off at the vets in the morning, they were going to run tests and figure out what was wrong so they didn't really want me to sit out in the waiting room the whole time. The receptionist gave me a form to sign that would authorize any treatment that the vet wanted to do. I said no and to call me when they had a diagnosis. She gave me the stink-eye and tried to make me feel guilty about not being willing to do anything and everything possible to keep her alive. I said "She is 13 years old. She has had a good life with me. I would rather not prolong her life if she cannot continue to have a good life. I am not spending thousands of dollars on this dog, just to keep her alive for my benefit." Turns out she had pancraetitis, had to spend one night and get treated for dehydration. that cost me $700. When I picked her up the next day, they were so happy to see her go; it seems that she cried the whole night, barked all day and disturbed all the other dogs. She was a lousy patient, not mean at all, just throwing a fit to get the heck out of there.

I am not sure about the vet I am using here in WI. I think he is a small animal vet, but I am not sure if the barn on the lot behind the office is part of the vet practice or not. He seems nice and though not cheap, I wouldn't say he was expensive like some of the city vets I had seen. This was years ago, but one vet office I walked into with my cat for an appointment, talked to the receptionist for about 1 minute, cancelled my appointment and walked back out.

 

[DennisK]

I love the old country vets...they are so crushed for time and are so thinly spread, that they will listen to the symptoms, announce what they think it is, give you a syringe of meds and tell you how to give it... just to get you out of the office. They don't charge an arm and a leg for putting an animal down...the meds for that aren't so costly that they need to charge a lot to make a profit~$20 to put down my old, old sweet dog. They also participate in spay and neuter programs much, much more cheaply....I got ol' Jake neutered as a pup for $15 and they also did a rabies shot. I really miss Dr. Joe.....

He went off to the big city to teach and left a lot of country folk cryin' behind him.

Obviously he was someone who loved his craft more than the trinkets it brings. People like that are far and few between, these days. I am fortunate to have known a few like that - in different occupations, but holding the same spirit.

 

[Arielle]

THe last farm vet disappeared here years ago . . . she moved to VT!! UP and sold the family farm and jumped the border. Havent met a fairly priced vet since. That's whe I realized I was being bamboozled . . . . and started giving my own shots to the horses. HEck I was doing the sheep already. ANd do the cats to now.

ANd have a microscope and materials on my " to buy" list to do my own fecals. I used to do it as a teach so figure it is about time I do it for myself. ( Not ON my self , but instead of a vet's office. ROFL

Saw kitty tracks in the latest 1 inch of snow, up the drive to my door and back again. Hmmm. Me thinks there is a stray kitty in need of food as way off the beaten path and all my kitties are house bound since the cold arrived. THey are toooo old to do more than ask to go out.

 

[erinszoo]

We just brought in what will hopefully be the last of our barn cats until we have a real barn at least. Can't afford to keep neutering and skating all the stray cats in town or feed their offspring either. Its nuts.

 

[Tikkijane]

I have noticed that feed stores and supply stores have really limited their supplies on a lot of animal medicines.  When I asked the local feed store owner for some corid, he told me the feds are cracking down because we (farmers) self treat and don't take the animals to a vet, they want to avoid any lawsuits.   Anyone else heard this?  He said they are trying to pass a law that you must have script for any animal meds.  Our vets around here charge $100 visit charge minimum + whatever type of treatment, tests ran, what have you.

Our TSC has an overall good supply. But you really do need to have an inkling because the corid, etc, is all in the cattle section, etc. Doseage is important.. I am also glad to see a more natural approach to animal keeping in general.

 

[Tikkijane]

That is true, for sure....first they taught farmers how to use meds all the time, then they want to take them away. 

It is good, however, that the common lay person is not out there dosing their livestock willy nilly without a practicing knowledge of pharmacy.   The overuse of antibiotics has created a problem in our health care system and in our food supply.  It's always ironic to me that backyard poultry keepers are raising chickens because they "like to know what's in their food supply" but they will reach for the antibiotics as a first line of defense in the health of their own flock...and also give and sell eggs to other people who think those eggs and that meat are safe to consume because it's from a backyard flock. 

This drives me crazy to no end. Can't tell you how many times a day I find myself repeating, " DO NOT give antibiotics unless you know FOR SURE what you are treating for and that it REQUIRES antibiotics."

Of course, antibiotic use in people drives me nuts, too. My in-laws are forever saving and finishing each other's precriptions despite clear instruction from the doctor and us. But hey, what do we kids know......

 

[Tikkijane]

It is insulting what some of the vets are charging and how our love for these animals are used to extort unreasonable fees. Fortunately, pet supply shops in my area host folks who offer vaccines at a reasonable cost. Also, the humane society in my county offers spay and neuter services for a reasonable price. I paid close to $400 to neuter one of my dogs, and then I found the county's humane society's program and paid $180 to neuter the other. The $180 also included the first round of vaccines. The dog that was neutered by the vet had internal bleeding and had to be returned to be corrected. I had no problems with the $180 neutering. Check the internet for similar programs for your areas.
As far as medicating our larger animals, I see no reason why we can't manage our own vaccinations. Overuse of medications are practiced by vets more than animal owners – after all, the more they medicate, the more they charge, as apposed to owners where the more they medicate, the more they pay.

That's ridiculous! My last set of 3 cats {born in the barn and abandoned} we had rabies done; 2 neuter and a spay for just over $200, including take home meds for the girls. The one was a respay at no charge to me. The things that get me are the flea and heartworm prevention. Treating heartworm is $$, as we learned, and not fun. I have tried all kinds of otc for the fleas, too, without much luck. Follow the money to see who's getting rich off of the meds. It usually isn't the provider....

 

[lazy gardener]

When my first child was born (in the granola days) we chose a home birth. Country doc charged $4 for an office visit, and $100 for the home delivery service! My son weighed in at 8.5# on a fish scale!

Since having chickens, I've not had to deal with fleas any where as much as BC (before chickens). I dose the cat with topical once or twice in the fall, and check at least monthly. Never a sign of fleas until late summer/early fall. Same with ticks. While others have lots of tick issues, the prevalence has greatly decreased in my yard.