Question: What's the best way to avoid expensive vet bills?
Answer: Going to the vet more often!

As odd as it seems, spending money now by taking your cat or dog to the vet for regular check-ups is the best way to avoid surprising and expensive vet bills later. Hill’s Science Diet sums it up like this:

#GetHealthyHappy!

Think that going to the vet is expensive? Well, you don't need to be a math geek to see how preventative care saves pet pawrents money for more important things, like treats!

Most of us joined the Tripawds Nation because our dog or cat was suddenly diagnosed with a condition that required amputation. Now, raise your hand if you felt guilty after receiving that news.

Did you wonder: “What if I could have caught that sooner?”

Preventative Pet Care Works!

The good news is that preventative dog and cat vet care exams can catch many conditions sooner, even ones that require something as drastic as removing a limb. A mysterious lump, a slight gait change, an increased thirst . . . all of these subtle changes in our animals can often indicate something is going on underneath all that fur.

Paying attention to your dog or cat's behavior can help catch conditions early enough so they can be managed with diet, rehabilitation therapy and medications.

“Annual checkups also allow your vet to more easily spot problems at their earliest stages, when they can often be handled simply and cost effectively,” says Dr. Ashley Gallagher, veterinarian at the Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington D.C.

According to Dr. Gallagher, vet checkups are even more important in your pet's senior years. By working with the vet to uncover potential problems, you could save thousands of dollars and have your pets around a lot longer!

Please don't be one of the 26 percent of dog pawrents and 17 percent of cat pawrents who wait until an emergency to see the vet. Start your pets young, teach them how to make friends with the vet so that every visit is a treat!

Win $100 for Your Next Vet Checkup

To help you get started on making routine vet visits a habit, Hill’s Science Diet is giving away a $100 toward annual vet checkups; one winner wins every day for 90 days!

Simply go to http://blogp.ws/1w2TSJJ and fill out the short form with your information and you will be entered for a chance to win.

More Dog and Cat Care Tips

Tips on Taking Your Adult Dog to the Veterinarian
Tips on Taking Your Cat to the Veterinarian

This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the Pet Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight Food, but Tripawds only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.