In this episode I share with you how to deal with high veterinary bills. Sticker shock over veterinary bills has been an issue for clients for years. Recent articles have talked about why this is a growing issue but not what you can do to manage immediate costs. 

After 42 years of practice, I have learned how to help clients approach the cost of care in the moment: when they cannot afford all the tests or medications, but their pet needs help now. Talk to the veterinary team about what your financial limits are, and ask can be done to improve your pet’s health. 

If you have had any experiences with high veterinary bills or how your clinic helped your clients, tell me your story in the Substack or Spotify comment section, or email me at drsallyjfoote@gmail.com

Please rate and review to tell me what you thought of the show.

Thanks,  

Dr. Sally J. Foote 🩺🐾 DVM, CABC-IAABC, LSHC-S, FFE

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction / Hello

2:25 What You DON’T Know Can Hurt You

6:29 For Vet Staff: How to Give Clients an Estimate

10:17 If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

11:26 For Vet Staff: How to Help Clients Be Prepared for the Cost

21:58 Emergency Care

25:20 How to Reduce the Need for Emergency Care

33:51 Outro

LINKS

👩🏻‍⚕️ Behavior Consultations and More 📞

╰┈➤ My website

📰 the Bella Behavior Newsletter 📧

╰┈➤ https://substack.com/@drsallyjfoote

📃 Resources 📎

╰┈➤ Butterscotch’s Thunderstorm and Fireworks Playlist

📺 YouTube 🎥

╰┈➤ Vets! ☞ How to do a Blood Draw on an Older, Wiggly Dog the Low Stress Way

╰┈➤ How to Wipe Off a Big Muddy Dog

╰┈➤ How to Stop Cat Medication Struggles

MORE

Contact: drsallyjfoote@gmail.com

Podcast Art: Glenda Wold

Podcast Production: Glenda Wold

Copy Editor: Glenda Wold

Hosted on Substack

KEY WORDS

vet bills, veterinary care, budgeting, budgetting, the cost of veterinary care, senior cat, senior cat care, senior dog, senior dog care, old dog, old dog care, cat mom, cat dad, animal care, pet training, animal husbandry, low stress, low stress care, low stress veterinary care, fear free, low stress handling, fear free handing, low stress certification, fear free certification, dog, dogs, veterinarian, veterinary career, vet life, ditl, ditl of a veterinarian, ditl of a pet owner, pet parent, day in the life of a veterinarian, day in the life of a pet owner, dog trainer, cat trainer, cat toys, dog toys, healthcare

In this episode I share practical steps on how to create a special, safe place to give your cat medication. Having a special and safe medication spot makes the whole process much less stressful on both the pet parent and cat. I also discuss why this is important, and share a nice story at the end to show you how this works (and to show vet staff how to explain to pet parents on how to do this).

If you have any experiences with making a medication spot for your cat at home, tell me your story in Substack or Spotify comment section, or email me at dr.sallyjfoote@gmail.com

Please rate and review to tell me what you think of the show!

Thanks,

Dr. Sally J. Foote, DVM 🩺🐾

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - 1:39 - Intro

1:39 - 2:46 - Preparing the medication spot and giving medication

2:46 - 5:45 - How to chose the medication spot

5:45 - 9:14 - How to train your cat to go the medication spot willingly

9:14 - 11:40 - On rewarding your cat

11:40 - 13:29 - The last memory is the lasting memory

13:29 - 17:00 - Story Time

17:00 - 17:39 - Outro

LINKS

👩🏻‍⚕️ Behavior Consultations and More 📞

╰┈➤ My website

📰 the Newsletter 📧

╰┈➤ Dr. Foote's Substack

📃 Free PDF Downloads 📎

╰┈➤ Feline Ladder of Aggression

📺 YouTube 🎥

╰┈➤ How to Set Up a Cat Medication Spot in Your Home

╰┈➤ Cat Home Care - How to Give a Cat an Injection at Home

╰┈➤ How to Read Cat Body Language

MORE

Contact: dr.sallyjfoote@gmail.com

Podcast Art: Glenda Wold

Podcast Production: Glenda Wold

Hosted on Substack

KEYWORDS

cat, cats, cat medication, struggling with cats, cat mom, cat dad, animal care, pet training, animal husbandry, low stress, low stress care, low stress veterinary care, fear free, low stress handling, fear free handling, low stress certification, fear free certification, dog, dogs, veterinarian, veterinary career, vet life, ditl, ditl of a veterinarian, ditl of a pet owner, pet parent, day in the life of a veterinarian, day in the life of a pet owner, dog trainer, cat trainer, cat toys, dog toys, healthcare

In this episode I share with you the 5 causes of senior dog anxiety. Are you ever perplexed by your older dog showing signs of anxiety that they never did before? Or perhaps previous medications and methods for relieving anxiety are not working now? Their behavior is changing because they’re aging. Listen here as I go through the common reasons, and what to do to help your dog. 

If you have had any experiences with anxiety in your older dog, tell me your story in the Substack or Spotify comment section, or email me at drsallyjfoote@gmail.com

Please rate and review to tell me what you thought of the show.

Thanks,  

Dr. Sally J. Foote 🩺🐾

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction / Hello

2:28 Story of my dog Trooper

4:07 Brain Aging

6:18 Chronic Inflammation

9:25 Noise Sensitivity

11:30 Change in Routine

14:26 Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome

21:00 Advice for the Veterinary Team

22:22 Advice for Pet Parents on how to Communicate with Vet Staff

24:03 Outro

LINKS

👩🏻‍⚕️ Behavior Consultations and More 📞

╰┈➤ https://www.drsallyjfoote.com/

📰 the Bella Behavior Newsletter 📧

╰┈➤ https://substack.com/@drsallyjfoote

🎸 Butterscotch’s Thunderstorm and Fireworks Playlist 💿

╰┈➤ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIPxlFzDi0&list=PLuWbgX2lXPAp7v1QmzbfasCFyiFdY67yC

📃 Resources 📎

╰┈➤ Purina’s cognitive dysfunction syndrome assessment tool

https://www.purinainstitute.com/sites/default/files/2024-02/DISHAA-Assessment-Tool.pdf

╰┈➤ Zoetis’s dog osteoarthritis pain checklist

https://www.zoetisus.com/content/pages/Conditions/Petcare/oa-pain/Resources/documents/zoetis-canine-oa-checklist-printable-version.pdf

📺 YouTube 🎥

╰┈➤ Canine Cognitive Dysfunction: What It Is and Is Not

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40OWuFRP72c

╰┈➤ How to use the Canine pain checklist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ESaaIeAK0

MORE

Contact: drsallyjfoote@gmail.com

Podcast Art: Glenda Wold

Podcast Production: Glenda Wold

Hosted on Substack

KEY WORDS

canine cognitive dysfunction, senior dog, senior dog care, old dog, old dog care, cat mom, cat dad, animal care, pet training, animal husbandry, low stress, low stress care, low stress veterinary care, fear free, low stress handling, fear free handing, low stress certification, fear free certification, dog, dogs, veterinarian, veterinary career, vet life, ditl, ditl of a veterinarian, ditl of a pet owner, pet parent, day in the life of a veterinarian, day in the life of a pet owner, dog trainer, cat trainer, cat toys, dog toys, healthcare

In this episode I share with you why giving cats oral medications, like pills and liquids, is so difficult.  It’s not that you can’t do this right - there’s a lot about the sensitivity of holding their head, the taste of the medication, and more that makes it so hard.  

One way to decrease medication struggles is using transdermal gels. This is a way that medications can be made into a gel that is absorbed through their skin, so it avoids a lot of the struggle. 

I will also explain the 3 things you must set up to have a low-stress cat medication place. Yes, cats can learn to hop up on a counter or get comfy on your lap to get their daily meds. It’s possible once you learn about these 3 steps. 

I will also give tips for the veterinary team on how to communicate with the pet owner to determine what is the best way for this pet to get medicated.

I look forward to your comments and please share this episode with all cat lovers and caregivers! 

Thanks,  

Dr. Sally J. Foote 🩺🐾

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction / Hello

0:33 Introduction to struggle of giving cats meds

2:02 Reasons why it’s so hard to give cats medication by mouth 

6:15 Other ways to give cats medication (so, not by mouth)

8:57 More on transdermal gel medication

9:33 Why vets don't usually recommend transdermal medications

12:06 How vets need clients (pet owners) to communicate with them -> How difficult is it to give your cat medication?

12:47 Story time

16:02 Transdermal medications with clinical studies that prove their effectiveness

21:21 The risks of forcing a cat to swallow pills

22:12 Who needs to make the transdermal medications

22:50 Low stress handling techniques for giving cats medication

25:53 Outro

LINKS

👩🏻‍⚕️ Behavior Consultations and More 📞

╰┈➤ My website

📃 Free PDF Downloads 📎

╰┈➤ Feline Ladder of Aggression

📺 YouTube 🎥

╰┈➤ How to stop cat medication struggles

╰┈➤ How to towel wrap a cat for senior care

╰┈➤ How to get a reluctant cat into the carrier

╰┈➤ How to read feline body language

KEY WORDS

cat, cats, cat medication, struggling with cats, cat mom, cat dad, animal care, pet training, animal husbandry, low stress, low stress care, low stress veterinary care, fear free, low stress handling, fear free handing, low stress certification, fear free certification, dog, dogs, veterinarian, veterinary career, vet life, ditl, ditl of a veterinarian, ditl of a pet owner, pet parent, day in the life of a veterinarian, day in the life of a pet owner, dog trainer, cat trainer, cat toys, dog toys, healthcare