"Vet Fund" Question

[absinthe_spoons]

Hey, I'm new, and the first bit of advice I got: start a vet fund.
SO.
How much money should I be putting away if I intend to get three rats next May?
EDIT: Oof. Got off to a good start. This should probably be in... healthcare subforum, maybe? I'm sorry.

 

[xxchelle]

As much as you can, really. You never know what could come up. Even if it's just a few dollars every week, it's better than being left with nothing. My husband and I put away as much as we can afford into a savings account, and all pet expenses come out of that account. Even at that, there's still been times when we had to cut back on groceries majorly to afford things. This summer was hard, in one month we had THREE trips to the emergency vet (not even counting our regular vet trips!) that we weren't expecting. So like I said, you never know what might come up, so put away as much as possible.

Great for you for planning ahead, though! Not many people do.

 

[Moon]

I would say that if you can get an account up to about $300-$500 and don't touch it at all, you'll be fine. You're not typically going to have multiple emergencies all at the same time.

But if you are the sort of person who doesn't have a regular income, or you sort of live paycheck to paycheck, the more you put away in your vet fund for more typical vet visits and meds and not just emergencies, the better.

 

[jorats]

Vet visist can run you $60+ and that could pretty much start at any time during the little guy's life so whenever you've got some change, put it away...

 

[SQ]

Medication can be very expensive too.

I'd suggest at least $500 to $600, but the more the better. As you use up the money in your vet fund you will need to quickly replace it. Having a credit card that you save to be used for emergency vet bills is a good backup to have.

If you are getting girls then you might want to start saving for the expense of spays in addition to the amount you are setting aside for your vet fund.

You will also want to save money for a really good cage, toys, hammocks etc and gradually accumulate these items between now May. Because you have time to buy and setup a cage, you may be able to find some good deals.

 

[LA]

Another thing you can do if you aren't good with money and keeping it is talk to your vet (or when you get one) and ask them if they do 'credits' basically each month or every two weeks you can give them $20 or so and tell them to add it to your account. That way you have money saved up with them and you don't have to worry about spending it.

 

[Zooy]

Or you can do what I do... my aunt and grandfather give me money every year for major holidays. Generally I just give them my vets name and number and they call and put a credit on my account. That way I never even see the money

 

[jorats]

That's what my sister and I do for Mother's day and Father's day. My parents love it!

 

[September555]

Thats a great idea Zooy and Jo.

I dont know if this is normal cost or not...but absinthe_spoons, I just took my two girls in to be checked for something as simple as mites. One had it for sure so took the other one in to be weighed (to dose meds) and she checked her as well and it cost $98 for office call, exam and two doses of revolution. I probably didn't need the second dose of revolution....but as much as I went through to get it...I didn't complain. So 100 bucks for something simple like that...if anything major was to come up. :doh:

P.

 

[Rissa]

That sounds about right. Around here it is $55 per rat exam. Revolution would be another $15-$20 on top of that. $100 for two rats and revolution is a steal you'll find that a lot of folks around here do not go to the vet for mites, they order revolution online and dose themselves.

 

[September555]

Good...least i know that was an average price. I didnt know you could get revolution online. It was my first time with the mite bug

 

[SQ]

A lot of vets will let their clients come in and pick up a tube of revolution.
A digital postal scale (at staples, etc) is a valuable investment because you can weigh your rats at home and calculate the amount of meds they need.

 

[Fidget]

For me the question is not how much to put aside for them but where to get it so I never have to pit my needs against theirs.. I live on my month-to-month cheque -but my gst goes into a separate account for vet. GST cheque is not money, it' just a piece of paper that needs putting in the vet fund. It's never mine, it's theirs. Doesn't affect my monthly needs that way, I budget all the same, cheque to cheque.

 

[ratsby]

Given my experience in the last week, no matter what you expect to pay for vet care, save as much as you can. I have had 3 emergencies in 4 days, resulting in 2 surgeries, one euthanasia and 2 hospital stays for 3 rats. Total vet bills are over $1500 and counting (1 rat still in hospital). Certainly did not expect it, but I am very glad I always save money when I can. I realize that 3 of my vet visits have been after-hours and are significantly more expensive since they are emergency, but I never would have imagined such an expense! I know the chances of this happening again are slim, but I am definitely going to keep it in mind before adopting anymore pets.

To be fair, prior to this week my rats each needed about 1 visit per year for mites, or a mild injury. So I would say have a minimum of $200 per rat accessible at all times.