A Pet Owner’s Guide to Savings

• Consider alternatives to veterinary care. If you can’t afford vet fees, check out humane society or university veterinary clinics which may offer thriftier medical services than private practitioners.
• Look out for specials such as reduced veterinary-service events sponsored by government agencies or pet stores. Also, some vets will give you a discount if you bring in several pets at once, so bringing in the whole brood routine check-ups and inoculations will save you time and money
• Tell your vet if your pet is a stray. Many vets offer a discount if a pet was an abandoned or homeless creature that you rescued. The discount is usually at least 10 percent off.
• Seniors should also ask their vets about discounts. Some vets offer seniors discounts as high as 20 percent!
• Reproductive reasons aside, spaying or neutering your pet decreases its chances of developing a number of illnesses.
• Keep track of your pet’s records such as inoculations and other health-care services. If you switch vets, you’ll avoid having costly procedures repeated.
• Be selective about follow-up care. Don't automatically follow up with expensive emergency-hospital staff (if you can avoid it.). See if you can instead follow up with your regular vet during normal business hours.
• Learn what constitutes a true emergency situation. For example, weakness and difficulty in breathing is an emergency.
• Consider purchasing pet health insurance. It works in much the same way as it does for people -- there's generally a deductible, a co-pay or both, and forms to be filled out
• Don’t settle for prices; shop around for medicines, online and locally.
• Seek a second opinion when your vet suggests a pricey procedure.
• Brush your pet’s pearly whites! Not only will your pet's teeth suffer if you don't -- it can seriously affect your pet’s overall health. Oral bacteria can lead to serious problems and complications.
• Ask your vet for samples.
• Consider your pet’s diet. Upgrading to higher-quality premium foods can pay off in health dividends.
• Take advantage of the free resources offered by your local pet-supply store. Their personnel tend to be animal lovers with a fairly good knowledge regarding a variety of pets.
• Read, listen and watch. Take advantage of other free resources, such as pet publications, informative email subscriptions, and TV and radio programs.

From Artisina to me and

_____________________

You are not responsible for doing
it all yourself, right now.
Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past.
Rest there. Each moment has richness
that takes a lifetime to savor.
Set your own pace.
When someone is pushing you,
it's OK to tell them they're pushing.

Take nothing for granted:
watch water flow, the corn grow,
the leaves blow, your neighbor mow.
Taste your food.
God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.
Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set.
They are remarkable for their steady pattern
of movement, not their speed.

Quit planning how you're going to use
what you know, learn, or possess.
God's gifts just are;
be grateful and their purpose will be clear.
When you talk with someone,
don't think about what you'll say next.
Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.
Talk and play with children.
It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.

Create a place in your home...
at your work...in your heart...
where you can go for quiet and recollection.
You deserve it.
Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive.
Rest isn't luxury; it's a necessity.
Listen to the wind blow.
It carries a message of yesterday, tomorrow
 and now. NOW counts.

Rest on your laurels.
They bring comfort whatever their size,
age, or condition.
Talk slower. Talk less.
Don't talk. Communication isn't measured by words.
Give yourself permission to be late sometimes.
Life is for living, not scheduling.

Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song.
Music and nature are gifts,
but only if you are willing to receive them.
Take time just to think.
Action is good and necessary,
but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
Make time for play - the things you like to do.
Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.

Watch and listen to the night sky.
It speaks.
Listen to the words you speak, especially in prayer.
Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders.
There will always be new opportunities
for you to step out in front again.

Divide big jobs into little jobs.
If God took six days to create the universe,
can you hope to do any better?
When you find yourself rushing & anxious, stop.
Ask yourself "WHY?"
you are rushing and anxious.
The reasons may improve your self-understanding.
Take time to read.
Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.

Direct your life with purposeful choices,
not with speed and efficiency.
The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.
Take a day off alone; make a retreat.
You can learn from monks and hermits without becoming one.
Pet a furry friend.
You will give and get the gift of now.

Work with your hands.
It frees the mind.
Take time to wonder.
Without wonder, life is merely existence.
Sit in the dark.
It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.

Once in a while, turn down the lights,
the volume, the throttle, the invitations.
Less really can be more.
Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do
 but often it is the best.
Take a walk-but don't go anywhere.
If you walk just to get somewhere,
you sacrifice the walking.

Count your friends.
If you have one, you are lucky.
If you have more, you are blessed.
Bless them in return.
Count your blessings - one at a time and slowly.