One of the most enjoyable aspects of posting blogs for me is to find news articles on the web about pet health care.  Being able to pass what I find on to my followers is the icing on the cake.

Years in practice give me a good idea of what subjects are likely to be on the minds of pet owners, but please feel free suggest any subject that would really pique your interest.

As the title of this post suggests, the Affordable Health Care Act will result in higher health care costs for your pet.  Who knew?  It turns out that some of the common equipment used in today’s veterinary clinics will now be subject to federal taxes.  Click here to read an interesting article and watch a video for a complete explanation.

Pet health costs are going up for a variety of other reasons, too.  Not the least of which is the continuous  flow of wonderful advances in veterinary medicine.  Not surprisingly, many pet owners entertain the possibility of purchasing pet health insurance.  It’s a tough question.  For one thing, none of us wants to see health insurance burden pet care the way human health insurance has done.  As always, there is a lot to consider and the decision is ultimately dependent upon individual circumstances.  There is a very good article on this subject which you can find here.

Finally, have you ever told someone you were taking your pet to the vet to “get fixed”?  The correct term for the two procedures of surgical sterilization for male and female pets probably stand out as the most misused of any medical term known to man.  Although the term “parvo” certainly runs a close second.  I’ve heard everything from provo to pervert on that one. 🙂 The article I will refer to does a very good job of explaining the correct terms as well as giving some good reasons to have the procedure done.  However, there are a couple of important points I would like to add.  One is that an intact male or female is more likely to “roam” in pursuit of love and thus increase the risk for injury or even death from an encounter with a vehicle or a competing suitor. Also, in the case of females, the uterus of an older pet is very susceptible to a severe, life threatening infection called pyometra.  Remember the post How to save money on vet bills ?

Like all bloggers, I certainly enjoy hearing from you.  I need to know whether tis type post is helpful and something you hope to see more of in the future.  I also truly want to know if that is not the case or if you think of helpful suggestions.  You may use the “Comment” tag or, click on my name below the sky picture under “About Me” on the right of this post and send me an e-mail from there.