From the Vault: Save on Vet Bills! Expert Advice with Jonathan Wainberg

Bonus Episode From the Vault: The #3 Most Downloaded Episode of 2024!
While we’re on a break until Feb 4, we’re bringing back one of your all-time favorite episodes of 2024 from the vault!

This episode dives into the financial options available for pet healthcare, providing actionable insights to help pet parents prepare for unexpected expenses. Join Amy and Jonathan Wainberg, Senior VP of Synchrony Financial Service’s Pet Business, as they discuss strategies like budgeting, CareCredit, and pet insurance, while emphasizing the importance of open communication with veterinarians.

Key Topics Covered:

• Examining the rising costs of pet ownership
• Exploring financing options for pet healthcare
• The role of CareCredit in managing expenses
• Budgeting strategies for unexpected healthcare costs
• The importance of pet insurance as a financial tool
• Communicating financial capabilities with veterinarians
• Resources and assistance available for pet parents in need
• Educational tools to help pet owners prepare for healthcare expenses

Discover how to plan for pet healthcare expenses and ensure your pets get the care they need.

Relevant Links:

• Learn more about Synchrony's Pet Lifetime of Care study: Read the Study Here
• Explore the benefits of CareCredit for pet healthcare: Visit CareCredit

Quick Update: We’re taking a short break and will be back with a batch of fresh episodes starting August 10! 
In the meantime, binge your way through 100+ past episodes packed with pet-saving sanity—and maybe even solve that one issue that's driving you (and your pet) nuts. 
Catch up, take notes, and we’ll see you soon! 

Chapters

• 0:40 Navigating Pet Healthcare Costs and Options
• 9:53 Financial Planning for Pet Healthcare
• 20:52 Understanding Pet Ownership Financial Responsibility
• 27:02 Exploring Options for Pet Healthcare

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:41

If you've listened to the show in the past couple of weeks, you know we're taking a very short break here before the new season of Muddy Paws and Hairballs kicks off is very close to my heart Paying for Pet Healthcare where we had Jonathan Weinberg, senior Vice President and General Manager for Pet Co brand at Synchrony Financial. Come on the show and talk about the various options that pet parents have to pay for their pet's healthcare. If you've ever had to make a tough financial decision for your pet's health, you know how stressful it can be. I've been there myself and I'm glad to know that those of you out there that are listening to this episode have better options available to you than I thought I had at the time. So in this episode, jonathan and I discuss how to manage unexpected health care costs for your pet and how CareCredit and other options can offer a helping hand when you need it the most. If you're a pet parent and you're worried about how to afford the very best care for your pet, you're not going to want to miss this episode. Stay tuned.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Today I'm welcoming Jonathan Weinberg, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Synchronize Pet Business. Jonathan oversees Synchronize Care Credit, health and Wellness credit card program, which is a flexible payment solution for pet parents that is accepted by more than 25,000 veterinary practices in the US. Jonathan's also a board member at Independent Pet Holdings, where he's part of a team that oversees strategic direction of multiple pet insurance brands, including Pets Best, aspca, pet Health Insurance and Spot. But, most importantly, jonathan is a proud dad and husband and a pet parent to a mini poodle named Maddie, and he joins us today to talk about helping pet parents navigate the rising cost of pet care and understand their financial options when it comes to getting their pets the very best care possible. So, jonathan, thank you so much for being here today.

Speaker 2: 2:39

Thank you for having me, amy, and full transparency. I do have to introduce someone else in the room over here, so hold on.

Speaker 1: 2:46

For those who are on video, watching us on YouTube yes, oh my goodness.

Speaker 2: 2:50

This is the beautiful Maddie Weinberg. She is a 14-year-old miniature poodle. She is our first child and, most days, our favorite child, and she's lived in four different countries with us and has been to 13 countries. So she's a real part of the family and we kind of joke that she's the chief pet officer of Synchrony. I work for her and she works for me, but I kind of feel like I work for her most of the time.

Speaker 1: 3:17

There you go. Yeah, the pet's always at the top of the food chain. Absolutely, she's wise, she's been around the world, she's been around the block and so you know. It's interesting. You say you've had her for 14 years and she is your first child, and my guess would be that back then the options for paying for pet care were not anywhere what they are today. As somebody who is the president of an animal rescue, the ability to pay for the care for that pet is a huge responsibility that hangs over my head every time I face an adoption situation, especially when you've got somebody that comes into the situation who is already concerned about how they're going to pay their adoption fee, let alone the long-term lifetime care costs for that pet. So can you just kind of give us an idea of, like what are some of the options that are available? We did an entire episode on pet insurance and definitely I'm a proponent of at least investigating those options to see what might fit for you. But what other things are available to people?

Speaker 2: 4:18

Yeah, and you know, I think, amy, it would make sense for us to start just to share some overall, you know, industry and macro trends to kind of level set. Pet ownership is at an all-time high. In the US, right, about two-thirds of households enjoy the benefits of sharing their life with a pet. There's a disproportionate amount of first time pet owners in the market due to, you know, general macro trends that have been happening, but also because of the boom that happened with the pandemic and people benefiting and seeing all the better outcomes of when people were locked down, having the ability to share their life and not be alone, and also some of the physical benefits that people saw. And then the third thing I just kind of point out is there's been great advances in medical care, right for pets over the past decades and that's accelerating. We continue to see that. So while costs are increasing, so too are our positive outcomes, right. But with that comes some challenges.

Speaker 2: 5:15

More than half of pet parents underestimate the cost of caring for their pets. Many pet parents, especially first timers. They don't know the life cycle of a pet. They don't know the cost and responsibilities that come with that. You kind of learn that over the course of maybe the first pet you have and living through that life cycle, right, and you know an unexpected expense of you know you were talking about the $50 adoption fee, but one of the studies that we did said unexpected expenses as little as $250 is enough to trigger anxiety in that pet parent. So you know, here's what we also know Pet parents should never have to choose between cost and the care for their pets, and having a variety of financial options, which is what we're going to talk about today, is important, and expecting what I like to say expecting what should not be unexpected, right, because you know something is going to happen and that's critical.

Speaker 2: 6:08

And that's where care credit and flexible payment options come in. Care credit is a flexible and convenient payment option. It's available for pet parents and it covers just about everything you could do in a vet clinic. It also covers in certain boarding and pet hotels and some grooming locations as well, but the majority of what we do is with regards to the healthcare. Use of the card. It's accepted in approximately 85% of vets in the United States and it offers flexible financing options, both short and long term, and it's a real-time application and approval. It should take you no more than 30 seconds to know if you pre-qualify without hitting your credit rating, and you could do it either at home, proactively, or you could do it at the vet office if something unexpected pops up.

Speaker 1: 6:52

Right, especially in, like I said in my experience in rescue. We do not just rescue but we do a lot of outreach in the community and we get calls all the time from veterinarians who are like, hey, we've got a dog with a foreign body and the owner can't afford what we project the costs are going to be. Is that something that you can help with? And obviously we work with people on that, but time is definitely of the essence. But surprisingly, we actually had a recent case where, you know, because that person was able to get care credit, I actually had to call the vet after the fact and say so what do we owe you? Like, what was? What was the final outcome? And as it turned out, you know, they were covered and they didn't need to have the money that we had set aside for that, which is great, because now I can use that for the next animal that may not be as lucky. So it was super quick and a great option for that family.

Speaker 2: 7:42

That's absolutely right and it's great about having various nets to catch where certain situations happen, making sure that people don't fall through the cracks. It's amazing that we have people like you that have dedicated and have those emergency funds, but ideally people can plan ahead. So, similar to you you talked about, you're a big proponent of pet insurance, or at least examining pet insurance. And pet insurance is great in certain situations and in other situations it doesn't work. Maddie, for instance she's 14 years old. She had pet insurance but then we lived abroad and that insurance didn't transfer with her to where she was and when she came back she had just an incredible amount of pre-existing conditions that didn't make sense for her to be insured anymore. She does have an accident only policy which covers things like if she were, to God forbid, get hit by a car or hurt her leg or eat something. You know that she wasn't supposed to, but it doesn't make sense from a general means. But generally I'm a big proponent.

Speaker 2: 8:37

As you said, we used to have PetsFest used to roll up into me. It was the third largest pet insurer in the US and credit and insurance work great together. Also right, because some of the friction in the insurance thing is waiting for the reimbursement right, you're putting in that claim, but you also have to have the money available to pay the vet at the time of treatment, and so care credit can help you as you wait for that reimbursement to come back. So those are important things and these things work very well together, and a lot of the studies we found is that people that have both care credit and insurance tend to be some of your most highly engaged pet parents and are looking for the most optimal care for that pet, and optimal doesn't have to mean the most expensive.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Right, yeah, it's covering the bases and it seems like those are kind of two of the maybe three bases. Maybe there's more bases, you'll have to let me know, but you know. So you've got the possibility of insurance that may cover certain things and may not cover other things. You've got the care credit to make sure that the veterinarian gets paid. What about just the idea of budgeting?

Speaker 2: 9:59

Listen, everyone has to do what's right for them. What I'd say is we know through our study Pet Lifetime of Care that four to five pet owners are going to have an emergency at some point. Right, and so putting yourself in the position to anticipate that you're going to have an emergency is step one. Right, budgeting is great, but not everyone is great at it. Right, budgeting is a great tool, but not everyone is great at it. You know, I think, a couple of things education, right, know your breed, dog or cat, or where you live and what the general costs are going to be for certain things. That's very important. I think health savings, high yield savings accounts, health savings accounts are a great way to do it. I think now you know we hear a lot about interest rates are high and stuff like that. On a negative side, from you know, mortgage rates and people trying to borrow, but you know banks are vending money at a much higher rate. Synchrony is a bank and we have a high yield savings account and we're offering, I think, just under 5% and that's a great way to, you know, kind of put that money in. It's a great product. But having something like CareCredit before you know we tend to think about it as an emergency product. Preventative care and your routine appointments are running up to an amount where you could benefit from an interest-free promotion that we offer for our deferred financing options. That's something that people can always take advantage of. I also think talking to your vet really understanding some of those nuances.

Speaker 2: 11:26

I'm going to give you an example with Maddie.

Speaker 2: 11:28

She's lived a great life so far, but the longer you live, just like in humans, things pop up. Maddie, you know, about three years ago, was diagnosed with Cushing's and that requires not just medicine but also regulating her levels right For making sure her cortisol levels and the adrenal glands are operating at the optimal amount for her to live that healthy life. Well, that's one thing that you know I didn't really realize. Then, about nine months ago, she got diagnosed with a mitral valve deficiency which is, you know, a precursor to the potential of having congestive heart failure. With that she needs to go three times a year for an EKG and see, see as a doggy cardiologist right, which you know a lot of people didn't know existed until they go visit one. But she gets great care over there and they work with me to manage the best way to put together what is affordable. They accept care credit, which allows me to, you know, take those expenses and pay them over a much more orderly fashion, over six months a year or even longer.

Speaker 1: 12:28

Yeah, and not put yourself in a financial bind by using a higher interest credit card Because, just like you said, interest rates are up. So if you're using a regular credit card and you're not paying that balance because that could put you in that situation, now you're paying a lot of interest that you didn't necessarily need to pay if you'd explored that other option.

Speaker 2: 12:43

Absolutely Take advantage of. If someone's offering you six months or a year and you're paying it on the schedule, it's a no cost to the cardholder. It's just such a valuable product where things are on the market now.

Speaker 1: 12:55

Yeah, and even if it's not a credit card situation. I don't know about younger people I'm old but a lot of people in my generation are very like don't use credit if you don't have to. You don't use credit if you don't have to. Well, if I'm getting zero interest credit and I'm getting 5% or 4.9% on my savings, why would I take money out of my savings? Take the money out of your savings as you're paying your care credit bill versus. I mean it just doesn't do the math. Do the math and figure out what is the best option for you in advance. That's important. I mean, that's part of being smart financially, for sure.

Speaker 2: 13:27

Absolutely, that's my view also, and there are ways on the CareCredit website for you to set up for automatic payments so that you're hitting that minimum payment and not accruing interest after the promotional period. Right, we make that available, those tools, so that people get the most out of those promotional opportunities little planning for sure, but it's definitely doable.

Speaker 1: 13:53

You had mentioned and it's interesting you mentioned because I did look through the lifetime of care document and you mentioned this idea of knowing the breed of your pet. I actually sent a text to my vet because she's also a client of mine in my consulting business. I was like, hey, have you thought about offering as part of your whether it's a wellness or new client, new puppy, whatever it is offering the genetic testing so that people know what are the potential issues for their pet? And then having a discussion with because I think the communication with the veterinarian is so important and being able to talk to a pet parent to say here are the long-term possible may not happen to your dog because it's this mix or that mix. Know, here are the long-term possible you know may not happen to your dog because it's this mix or that mix. But here are some things we might be facing in the future and here's how we can better prepare for those. Do you find that people are doing that more, that they're doing their homework a little bit on their pets?

Speaker 2: 14:46

I think so. Listen, I think those DNA tests to learn more about the breeds are interesting, especially as you don't necessarily have all the history about them. So people are curious. Oh, I think it's a pit mix of this and that, and people want to know, which is great. It's taken it to that next level, just like I did an Ancestrycom test also. Yeah, okay, it was interesting. I kind of knew this. But what are you going to do with that information and how do you make that better? And I think you hit the nail on the head. It's really talking to the vet. Okay, so this is what I have. This is a miniature poodle.

Speaker 2: 15:17

What can I expect over the course of the life? What do I need to watch out for? What do I need to budget for? Vets are. They're great, right? They're so dedicated to the welfare of our family members, right.

Speaker 2: 15:28

And they bear the burden of a lot of those conversations where someone shows up and can't afford that vital care or the optimal care, and so they want to do as much as they can, but you're not put in that situation.

Speaker 2: 15:41

That pet is not put in that situation and they're not put in that situation. So I would say, definitely, talk to them, use those resources. They will share with you a treatment plan. Whether you're paying in normal credit card, cash or with care credit, it's all about working out something that makes sense ultimately for the pet and something that you can afford over that lifetime. It's spectrum of care also right. There's no exactly 100% right or wrong on what is right for that pet. So, talking about that with your vet and understanding the lifestyle that you live, the resources that you have, work together to figure out what makes most sense for that family member and how you go about it. I think that there's a lot of great tools out there and vets are so generous with their time because they care so much about those outcomes of animals, of our pet family members, that they're willing to invest in that and help you figure that out.

Speaker 1: 16:35

Yeah, you have to open that door to communication in some instances, because what I have found not only working with vets working for vets in interviewing vets for this show is that the initial conversation is going to be, in most instances, the gold standard. Here is the gold standard of what we can do for your pet, and if you just nod and smile and say, okay, they're going to make the assumption that you have the finances, that you're not going to put yourself in the poorhouse, you're not going to be pulling from your kid's college fund or not being able to pay your rent. You have to open that door to communication to say are there alternatives? Can we do this in stages? And you know as, just as an example.

Speaker 1: 17:17

So when my dog, Jack, who was a Doberman Pinscher, got a hemangioparasitoma, which is a very treatable type of cancer, but it was on his leg and you know the standard, it wasn't even necessarily the gold standard, but the standard was to amputate the leg. And this is where it's so important to really think about just what you said as far as your lifestyle, the pet itself and having that communication with your vet, is that, knowing that a Doberman Pinscher carries a huge percentage of its body weight on its front leg, knowing that I had hardwood floors and he already was having issues with slipping and sliding on the floors, it's like, yeah, no, is there any other option? And financially it was a reverse situation because I actually went ahead and did radiation therapy on it and I won't even throw the number out there because he's going to choke somebody and that was a long time ago too. But for that dog, that investment to do that treatment made a whole lot of sense based on all of the things considered. I think my vet thought I was nuts had it been a different pet and it has nothing to do with loving the pet, more or less like I had a dog named Coco who was a miniature pincher.

Speaker 1: 18:25

If she had gotten the same thing, I probably wouldn't have pursued, for a lot of reasons, that type of treatment, because that dog, I mean she could have one leg and she would have gotten around just fine. I mean she was just like so much more agile, didn't have the problems that he had. So my point in sharing that is that it is so important to really think about the big picture, because whatever is presented to you, although it might be a good solution, or even the best solution. It may not be the right solution for you in your 360 degree situation and you have to communicate with your vet about that and be open and honest with them about it.

Speaker 2: 19:02

Absolutely. You hit it square on. It is being realistic about what you can do, and that doesn't mean pet ownership isn't for you or that you can't provide a loving and caring home for that pet. It's just about you know what is that spectrum and what does it make sense in some cases, in some situations, right, and that's that's where education, knowledge and being realistic with your vet about, hey, here's, here's where I am, this is what I budget for and how do we go about doing that is paramount. You know, knowledge is power.

Speaker 1: 19:32

Right, I know one of the complaints I see and it's, of course, it's always the angry customer where you see the post on social media where people are complaining about prices of things, and one in particular that jumps out to me was a social media post where somebody was blasted. You know, I need a new veterinarian. This veterinarian was ridiculous. I brought my two dogs in here and you know for well checks for this and that and came out and it was $700. And I think my first thought was honey, you got off cheap for that. But to me it shouldn't have been a shock to this person as to what the cost of care for their pet was going to be. What would you tell pet owners as far as doing a better job in communicating with their veterinarians about the cost of things before they're down the path?

Speaker 2: 20:14

Yeah, listen, I think even before you bring that pet into your family, do the research. There's plenty of sites out there that have estimation of what procedures cost. If you go to our lifetime of care study, you'll be able to see what our survey has showed. Study, right, you'll be able to see what our survey has showed what a pet can cost, and you know, our study determined that it's about $20,000 to $55,000 for a lifetime of a dog. Now, that's not just vet bills, it's, you know, totality of everything, but you know that's it's a big range, which is fine, but it's those are not insignificant numbers. And for a cat, you know between 15 and 45,000. Right, and so I don't share these numbers to scare people away, because I think, ultimately, bringing a pet into your household and into your life has a lot of benefits, but it's also a covenant.

Speaker 2: 21:04

You're bringing a living being into your household and you got to be able to provide for it, just like you provide for human household members, right, and so I would say that you should always have some sort of wherewithal of what you can budget for, and I would also say don't let an emergency come up on you to the extent you can't.

Speaker 2: 21:25

Like, we said, we know that there's going to be surprises, but how do you prepare for that? So, whether it's having care credit before because you can take advantage of it for your routine care, or you're having, you know other people, whether it be your family, know that, hey, if something emergency comes up, I have the ability to you know, reach out to you for certain things, because the last thing you want to do is, when that pet is having an emergency, is to be thinking about how I'm going to pay for it as opposed to how your pet is doing. It's already too stressful an event for you to add that upper variable which is not going to allow you to think clearly and be there emotionally for your family and for that pet.

Speaker 1: 22:05

Right, you make a good point about, you know, communicating with family and friends. It's like having those, just like I always encourage people to have a plan B for their pet, especially if they're. When we get younger people, college students, that want to adopt a pet, I'm always a little concerned because that's a very transitional time in your life. You're at school, then you might be living at home, then you might be getting an apartment, you might be living with somebody else. What is your plan B? Do you have one? And it's like, if I hear a good answer, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable about the fact that you've taken the time to think through what might potentially happen in your life and in your situation for that pet and that the pet has been considered in those factors. Because I think too many times I'm one that gets the calls every day I don't know 15 or 20 calls a day for people surrendering because I'm moving or I'm doing this or I'm doing that and it's like really, and oh, by the way, the animal has to be gone by Friday. That was the call I the right.

Speaker 1: 23:00

Now French Bulldogs are super popular, you know. Obviously I think they're cute. I would never own one. I certainly wouldn't buy one for a lot of reasons, but I see a lot of people getting into situations where the hype of look how cute that is, I see it all over social media. Now I've got one and I had no idea it was going to have all these issues and all this cost. Do you see a lot of that? And what do we do to remedy that situation, other than tell people you know, hey, don't get that pet.

Speaker 2: 23:39

Yeah, it's a tough one, right, Because you know people ultimately make the decisions that they decide make sense, right? You hate to see when, you know, the 101 Dalmatians movie comes out and suddenly everyone thinks it's cool to have a Dalmatian, but they don't realize that that Dalmatian has a unique lifestyle that not all homes are built for and are very active and need a lot of space and shouldn't be living in you know, probably an apartment in Manhattan. Right, it's hard, you know you believe in the choice that people should make, but I think that another part of it is family socialization, Right, what is the right pet for you to have in a family situation? There's pets that do much better with kids, and I think you probably see that a lot, Amy, as well.

Speaker 2: 24:23

Oh, we thought this would be great for young children and it turns out, you know, no, it's not the right mix, Right? Or, oh, my child's allergic to pets. Well, you know, maybe you should have got your kid checked for the allergy of dog or cats before you brought a living being into your house, right? So it's really tough, but ultimately I don't see that situation going away and I think we're. You know we're very lucky to have people like you that dedicate their you know their lives or their personal times to finding places and matching people and all the humane societies out there and the shelters that are really doing this really hard work to hopefully find places for when those pets are just not in the right situation for them.

Speaker 1: 25:08

Right.

Speaker 1: 25:08

I think education and knowledge obviously is a key to all of that.

Speaker 1: 25:14

I mean, that's one of the reasons that we're doing this podcast is like, if we can get the word out about all the aspects of life with pets the good, the bad and otherwise then people are at least armed with that knowledge and that information.

Speaker 1: 25:28

One of the things that I'm finding veterinarians doing more and more is that they're not only giving that initial range you know, low end, it's going to be this, high end it's going to be that but basically you know doing a good job of keeping those lines of communication open with the owner as things start to creep from the low to the high. Because I think human nature is, if somebody says it could cost somewhere between $2 and $5, you're thinking two, because that's obviously what you're hoping for. And when they come back and say it's going to be five, it's like well, I thought you said two to five and it's like five is still five. Any thoughts on that as far as what you've heard or what you're seeing from the veterinary side of things and what vets are doing, so that there's not surprises when it comes to paying the bill?

Speaker 2: 26:12

Yeah, listen, I think they're sharing treatment plans right. So it's showing a range, but it's also showing, as we discussed earlier, a spectrum of care, because there's certain things that, yes, ideally we all would have unlimited funds to spend on that gold level service that that pet wants and we all want to give that family member that care. But the truth is is that in some cases and only the vet knows best is when is that really needed? And so, understanding with them, hey, I'd love to be able to do all this, but is there something that's going to get me 75% of the way there, that is, 45% of the cost and the other treatments that you have? Maybe that's something that can follow in a year when I'm able to, you know, budget that out or afford it.

Speaker 1: 27:01

Right, yeah, good point. I know that when I originally took my bulldog she was having a lot of problems and I could tell she had probably done something to her knee or ACL. You know, the initial treatment plan from one practice was to do a certain procedure that involved cutting bone and screws and things like that. It was very expensive, would have done it, except that a friend had mentioned, you know, oh, when we had the same issue with our dog, we had this other option. So I explored other options and went with a different procedure that has worked out really really well. It was less invasive and about a third of the price. So you know, that's something I think people to you know to talk about alternatives with their veterinarians. I mean, I love my vets and I like to keep my business there, but at the same time I have to do what's going to be not only the best for my pet health-wise, but what I can afford or what makes the most sense financially for me too, and I think the vets understand that.

Speaker 2: 27:58

Yeah, I think they do. I've been fortunate to spend an incredible amount of time with vets and I know that they put the health of the pet first, and so it's in their interest to provide the pet with the best options, that pet parent with the best options for the care of that pet. I think that in human health it's not uncommon to get a second opinion in certain cases. Now I'm not suggesting that people shop around like that, but in certain cases, if you don't feel comfortable with what that vet is suggesting whether it be cost-wise or treatment-wise you have that option at your disposal as well, and I would think they would understand that.

Speaker 1: 28:36

Right, there's not always just one way to accomplish a goal with either our human health care or with our pet's health care. And so because I might be an orthopedic veterinarian and I do TPLOs and that's what I do, doesn't mean that it's wrong, that that's what I offer, because that's what I know how to do, that's what I'm trained to do, that's what I do really, really well, whereas you might have somebody over here who you know and we ended up going to somebody who was one of the, like, original people to do the tightrope procedure and that's kind of what he did. And so you know it's it's it's knowing those options. It was the same thing when I had an incident with some horses and I tore my ACL and the first physician that I went to wanted to do a knee replacement because, oh, you're probably going to need that someday. I'm like, am I really that old? But okay, you know, you're probably going to need that someday.

Speaker 1: 29:27

I go to another physician and he has a completely different viewpoint on it, and it's not to say necessarily that one is right or wrong. Time will tell right. But it's what? Like you said, it could be in stages Right now if you're telling me not to do a knee replacement and try to do physical therapy. I think I'll try that first. That's okay. It's just it's options that we have when we get those other opinions and usually doesn't hurt anybody's feelings when you do.

Speaker 2: 29:52

No, I agree, and it's options and in probably most cases is which is the right decision and maybe which one is the more right decision or best right, not necessarily wrong right and I think it's about having that connectivity of comfort with that veterinarian and what fits your comfort zone and what is your ability to you know, do something at this time, and they understand it. It's not as if veterinarians don't understand.

Speaker 1: 30:18

Right. So just to kind of start bringing this thing full circle, beyond the issues of insurance, care credit, you know doing proper budgeting. What in your experience, what other options are out there for people, whether it's like nonprofits or grants, or you know what other options are out there to people?

Speaker 2: 30:37

Of course. I think and I want to reiterate, I think the first part you could do is hopefully put yourself in a situation that that's not needed, right and so, whether it's insurance, whether it's budgeting, whether it's, you know, care credit, have something out there that limits the necessity of some of the later stage plans to execute upon, if you will right. But once you get through that and people do fall through you know situations fall through the cracks. Right, check with your local humane societies. They're certainly dedicating a lot of time. There's a lot of organizations that are out there municipalities as well to see what programs are available. There's a lot of traveling vets. You know services that go around and, okay, we're doing a clinic here for the next two days and we'll see as many pets as we can. I'd also add that many vet practices also have a charitable fund.

Speaker 2: 31:31

I think when you start getting into families and crowdsourcing GoFundMe, the challenge with those are that they take time, and in many of these circumstances it's an emergency, and so that's why it's about trying to plan ahead, but have a list of options that you can go down and if you can't make the payment or if you can't, then get care credit if you can't get the next site, have those options ready so you're not panicked. Remove as much stress as you can from what is gonna be an incredibly stressful situation. Unfortunately, it's a covenant that you're bringing this living animal into your lives and they add so much to it, and it's our responsibility to make sure that we're there for them when they need us the most.

Speaker 1: 32:13

Right, when you mentioned the range of the, you know, 20,000 to 50-something thousand. You know, even if people were to think ahead enough to say, okay, let's take it on the low end, let's just go with the assumption that my pet's going to be a relatively healthy pet and it's going to live approximately X number of years, I mean, you can do the math on that because it's interesting and this is I should know better, right? But when you threw out that $20,000 number, I was thinking, ooh, that's a lot of money and that's the low end. But if you take that and you divide that by, let's say, an animal that lived 20 years, just because it's easy math, right? So that's $1,000 a year. So what is that a month?

Speaker 1: 32:50

I mean, it's pretty easy math to know what you want to start thinking about trying to have on hand or put away. And, yeah, maybe you don't use that $1,200 the first year, but now you've got that set aside and now it's $2,400, et cetera, et cetera. And you're ready because as your pet ages, like you said, the cost of care is going to increase. You know puppies, you got your initial puppy stuff and then they're usually good for, you know, the first couple of years, barring an accident or incident. It's just you know wellness stuff but inevitably you know you're going to run into more issues health issues as time goes on.

Speaker 2: 33:25

Absolutely Generally.

Speaker 2: 33:27

My personal view on this is that you're probably, over the lifetime of a pet, of that pet, going to spend the same amount, but it's how you spend it.

Speaker 2: 33:35

What we're trying to do here is to make it as orderly as possible, to reduce the spikes as much as you can, and when you think about that way just like human health right, so you know, going for your normal exams you're going to be able to catch something sooner, as opposed to not bringing your pet into the vet for two years or three years and they're not getting their regular, you know, routine physicals and stuff like that. That's so important. That's why in human health care generally, they give you those visits for free, because they want to catch stuff before they accelerate and get into something that is a bigger issue. So I'm convinced that you're going to spend that same amount over the course of that lifetime of that pet, but that pet will live longer and it'll be healthier and happier, and so I think that's the way. But you know, I really like to look at it and that's why I think planning and budgeting and using tools like CareCredit or insurance are incredibly valuable to do that the right way.

Speaker 1: 34:30

Yeah, and at minimum from a planning perspective. Just like we know tax day is going to come every April 15th generally, and just like I know that I'm going to have a certain bill due at a certain time of the month, you know, as you're a pet owner, that if you got your pet in January of 2023, that they're going to be due for a wellness exam in January 2024. So it should be relatively easy to at least plan for the basic stuff if you just kind of think it through, and not be like suddenly I have no money set aside and it's a day before my appointment that I know is going to cost me $400. So, jonathan, just to kind of wrap things up, what kind of final advice or reminders do you have for pet parents to ensure that they are not putting themselves in a bind, that they don't have those huge spikes that cause chaos in their lives throughout the life of their pets as far as planning financially, yeah, I'd say, and we talked about a lot.

Speaker 2: 35:25

Do your research financially. Yeah, I'd say, and we talked about a lot. Do your research. Know your breed, speak to your veterinarian, understand the options and that spectrum of care that fits the lifestyle that you have. Be proactive in getting the tools that you need. So, as we mentioned, like care credit in this case is what we're talking about here and the company that I work for and having that ready for you in the unexpected or unanticipated emergency that you might have because it isn't going to be unanticipated, because we know what happens.

Speaker 2: 35:57

We know what happens in 80% of the pets and just use those resources, use your veterinarian, talk to them. Their outlook and their outcomes are the same as yours. It's the health of that pet and making sure that you're enjoying your life with that. And you know, I'd say, enjoy your time with that pet right there. Yes, there is a cost element to it, but they add so much to our lives, they add so much to society and the least we could do for all the love and all the benefits that they provide us is to give them the care that they deserve and they need so that they live that great life.

Speaker 1: 36:29

I couldn't have wrapped up any better myself. Jonathan, thank you so much for being here with us today and for opening our eyes to the options that we have many options, a lot more than I even originally thought of for making sure that we provide the very best care for our pets.

Speaker 2: 36:45

Amy, thank you. Thank you so much for welcoming me on the show, on the podcast, and for everything that you do to help prospective pet parents or existing pet parents learn more about how best to manage that relationship, and all the other work on the side you do for those who are struggling with emergency needs for their pets.

Speaker 1: 37:04

Well, thank you, I appreciate it. And thank you again to everybody for listening to another episode. We will see you next week. Thanks for listening to Muddy Paws and Hairballs. Be sure to visit our website at muddypawsandhairballscom for more resources and be sure to follow this podcast on your favorite podcast app so you'll never miss a show. And hey, if you like this show, text someone right now and say I've got a podcast recommendation. You need to check the show out and tell them to listen and let you know what they think. Don't forget to tune in next week and every week for a brand new episode. And if you don't do anything else this week, give your pets a big hug from us.