Start your veterinary visit at “Happily Ever After.” Even if you are on budget.

Doesn’t everyone walk into a veterinary hospital hoping for their own “happily ever after” ending?

I mean who wants to get bad news? Right? Don’t we just want peace of mind for our inquiring parental worries?

The Fluffy version of “take one of these little pills, get some rest, and call me in the morning,” and POOF! everything is all rainbows and unicorns again. (Phew, dodged that one!).

Wouldn’t that all be nice? And, yet it doesn’t always happen. We don’t always start at the finish. Especially in veterinary medicine. Too often we start at the beginning. Is that a problem? Maybe not? Maybe if you have all the time, information and money, in your favor it isn’t?  But, maybe everyone who walks into a veterinary clinic doesn’t have all of these?

What happens if you don’t have one, or, two, or maybe any? What then? How do you get your own “happily ever after” without all of the time, money, and options available?

Our job, the whole purpose of Pawbly.com, is to help you get your pet a happy ending every single time. While we cannot be everything to everyone at all times, is to be as much as you need, as often as you need it, and a true friend to your pet at all times.

If the ending is what you are at looking for why don’t we start the hard cases at the end?

How do you do this? It means that in some cases you need to talk about the end before you start. This is most imperative in the cases of limited resources, or minimal time to intervene before worst case scenario unfolds and you are left half between broke and “The End.”

In many cases a diagnosis can be reached rather quickly. Ask about a diagnosis, even a presumptive diagnosis, as soon as the veterinarian finishes the exam on your pet. This is your beginning. The beginning (examination) should cost you about $50 to $100 US at a vets office or ER.

Ask the vet to list the possible diagnoses for your pet in order of most likely to least likely.

Here is where we need to fast forward to the end IF you have a shortage of 1) Money, 2) time, or 3) ability.

If you don’t have the time, money and/or ability I suggest you fast forward to the end.. work backwards, save time and money and approach the case like this;

From the presumptive diagnosis list ask the vet which ones are treatable? Anything that isn’t treatable gets nixed. (Now I realize “treatable is a tough word to swallow or accept, but in some cases this is the reality).

START with MOST LIKELY AND TREATABLE. Then start treating. Asking your vet for a “Happy Ever After” can be a negotiated, compromised plan. If you aren’t sure how to get there ask for help from your vet. Talk about every option. Write them all down. List them out individually with diagnostics needed, itemized invoice for each, and prognosis if this is the underlying cause to your pets condition. Often being able to visualize each disease as a separate list and prognosis helps make decisions for the road to cured less bumpy.

Always start with “I want to give my pet a Happily Ever After.”

Then ask for help getting there within your financial ability. Ask them to minimize steps (if possible) so you have resources for the treatment. A great example is a urinary blockage in a cat, or, an intestinal foreign body in a dog. The diagnosis for each of these often lies simply in an exam and a radiograph (x-ray). From here the treatment options are both surgery. If surgery costs $2,000 and you only have $2,000 just jump to the surgery. Skip the rest of the diagnostics. While it is not always ideal, it may help get your pet their “happily after after!”

Be well everyone.

And please remember, if you need help for your pet we are always available for FREE at Pawbly.com.

For more help on affordable options for your pets care see our other blogs, or the amazing staff of Advisors here at Pawbly. You ask, we answer, your pet wins! always free! You get to win too!