Save your Pet by Saving for your Pet

 A hectic week was going to come to an end soon. It was a Saturday morning and my first appointment was here for an acupuncture session. An elderly gentleman well past his retirement age with his love of his life Jonty, an 8 year old Labrador, were eagerly waiting for me. Jonty had a cervical spine disease and they had travelled 3.5 hours from Pune to see us. I assured the gentleman in the consult room and he mentioned how saddened he was to see Jonty struggling to bear weight and to see him go downhill. It was something he never thought could happen and how it caught him unprepared. Jonty's parents were not an exception. We all face similar situations be it regarding our family, loved ones or pets. Medical insurance is a saviour when we have to face hospitalization or undergo any medical or surgical procedure. Unfortunately the concept of pet-insurances has not picked up yet in India, which leaves a big void in pet-healthcare.

                                                                            

Just like most of us plan for a child considering the social, moral and financial responsibilities, getting a Pet is no less than that. Keeping a pet is a Privilege! Meaning you can have a pet only if you are responsible and can take good care of it. The decision needs to be based on whether one has the pet the time it needs, to have the finances for its nutrition, hygiene and veterinary expenses and if one has the space for a pet.  Some expenses are Planned and some can be Unplanned. Unfortunately for most pet parents veterinary expenses are the "Unplanned" expenses.

Murphy's Law states : Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The truth is no one can predict when your pet may need an emergency procedure. Medical and Veterinary research is advancing speedily. Modern advances in therapy come at a cost. The mounting costs creates a friction between the vet clinics/hospitals and pet-parents, which sometimes takes an ugly turn with no fault of the  Veterinarians.

Save your Pet by Saving for your Pet

 A healthy planning starts before getting a pet itself. Before planning to get a pet, we recommend that you understand the things that come in with it too. It is important that you be "Fair" to your pet by giving them the care they need at appropriate times. With the unavailability of "Pet-Insurances" we recommend Pet-Parents to start budgeting for routine recommended procedures, like neutering, dental care, vaccinations, annual wellness checks as well as potential emergencies. There are a number of investment plans that fetch you long term returns or you can go for small fixed deposits. I am not the best person in investment field to recommend the best saving plan, but I am sure you can ask a fellow professional Accountant or a Banker to recommend a saving plan which would help you save some income-tax as well as make good investments in the  long run

Coming back to Jonty's story... The gentleman mentioned that advanced diagnostics like MRI, was a mounting expense and he was heartbroken to hear about the expenses that a cervical spine surgery could come with. He wished he could go back in time and start saving for him the moment he went for his first puppy vaccinations. I agree, as veterinarians it is difficult to predict such incidents or diseases. Why not start a practice about educating pet-parents about the likely things you may need to save for. Eventually it all converts into your pet getting a better service . Nevertheless, Jonty did not need a spine surgery, he was on an intense pain-management and rehabilitation programme. Their efforts were handsomely rewarded, Jonty was back on all his fours and could walk again...

Happy Faces ~ The Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai Selfie with  Jonty

We pray that your Pet leads a healthy life,but saving for your pet gives you a sense of financial security. If your pet leads a healthy life.. The invested money is still yours !!
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