Save on Vet Bills - Keep Animals Healthier

Here at little farm I have 50 or so rescued animals.An a local Feral cat population.  If I took them to the vet every time someone got a little boo boo the bills would be astronomical. In addition large animal vets are in demand so it's tough to even get a vet to visit especially in a crisis. The nearest farm animal center is over an 1 hour away. Sometimes an hour is just too long for the safety of an injured pet. I have found I can keep my animals healthy only needing to take them to the vet for serious illness and the yearly check up. I can also quickly handle a crisis which happens on farms especially with predators lurking about. Before I proceed here's the disclaimer. I am not a vet nor am I  recommending you do your own vet care. This is an account of my experience , how I care for my animals keeping them healthy at a lower cost .

 I can vaccinate the occasional feral cat that shows up. It keeps them healthier and makes me feel better.  I can treat their fight wounds quickly with blue coat. If you find a feral cat wear gloves when handling. I trap them in a have a heart trap , unless they are friendly.
Feral cats , pet cats and dogs in Pa can be fixed for a nominal fee at http://www.thespayedclub.org Feral cats ear is clipped so they can be identified as fixed. I vaccinate ,get them fixed and release. These are not house pets they are wild animals.

 I have found prevention is literally the best medicine. Deworm, clean ears, trim hooves and apply mite, flea and tick remedies to the animal and its environment. Keep animals clean and in low stress enclosures. I provide heat lamps and cooling ,plus plenty of space and no metal cages. Metal cage bottoms are cruel period.  On occasion my remedies have worked better than the vets. I start with the most natural treatment and then add chemicals if necessary. My farm animals are healthy and always get a good check up from the vet. My dogs are healthy too .

A duck that my vet wanted to put down ,after a fox attack ,is happily running around the yard. My rooster with broken neck and serious fox wounds recuperated. It takes preparedness, time and patience to help a hurt animal. The internet and common sense are great resources.  I also give all my own vaccinations and most or my own worming. . I order everything from Valley Veterinary Supply. I am a retired nurse so I understand how to give injections. There is lots of information on line, several pet vaccination companies have how to videos on you tube. I like this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMcpTNCmdhY Many vets will show you how to give an injection.  I literally save thousands of dollars giving my own vaccinations and prevenatives. Dogs/ Cats can have a reaction so please get puppy/kitty shots first by a vet to make sure your dog/Cat isn't allergic. I prefer to vaccinate my own dogs because several are tiny and I can split up the vaccinations. I also give benadryl before shots to reduce site swelling and reactions. Rabies in dogs and cats must be given by a vet in PA. Farm animals can be given rabies vaccinations by owners. Veterinary supply houses sell rabies tags for farm animals and shot records.

Here Is What I Keep On Hand

A scale - for dogs and smaller animals and a long cloth tape measure to measure girth of large farm animals  for weight estimation.
A kitchen scale for the littlest of creatures

• Hydrogen Peroxide- to clean wounds and ears

• Witch hazel- works well for swelling and for washing injured feet. One of my dogs has allergies to grass witch hazel cleaning after trips outside keep his feet in good sore free shape. A witch hazel compress receives swelling and sore joints. I just soak paper towel in witch hazel and wrap the joint in an ace bandage.

• Vitamin B- vitamin B given to goats or sheep when they are bloated waiting for the vet. On several occasions they were cured before the vet arrives. 
• Vitamin C- 
• Dog/Cat Vaccinatiosn. I use Solo- Jec 10  for big dogs from http://www.valleyvet.com 
• The Book Barnyard in your Backyard
• Agricillian- injectable for infections usually another animal bite or cut - Figuring out the dose is tricky. This is sized for large animals. Ask your vet for dosage information. I use a calculator to arrive at a dosage. My bottle is 1cc for 100 lbs. I can give a 10b animal 1/10th of a cc. Ducks and rabbits should be given antibiotics with caution. I don't ever give penicillin to rabbits I use Doxycyclin only. 
• Doxycillin-( purchased for fish) great for cuts just open  capsule and pour a small amount into the cut. This is the only antibiotic for use on rabbits
• Neosporin- for boo boos
• Ivermectin injectable and paste. The injectable is given orally to goats for worming. Ivermectin is a wormer for use in farm animals it is also the active ingredient in Heartguard. I give the injectable my dogs orally in a treat of peanut butter. This saves me about 75.00 a month and 900.00 a year after I purchase the ivermectin. The paste is given to rabbits monthly by wiping a small amount on their feet they naturally clean if off eating the wormer.  Sheep, goats and horses get it bi monthly alternating with pyrantel. Pigs get it quarterly orally also. 
• Pyrantel Paste- horse and goat wormer- I alternate this with Ivermectin
• Blue Coat or Red Coat- to spray on cuts or irritated skin- anti fungal anti viral agent. It works well on all animals. I use it a lot on chicken scrapes or any kind of irritation.
• NFZ puffer- This is a great little product for ear and eye infections caught early. See a vet if the infection seems severe. This is just quirted right into the eye or ear. 
• Ear Mite Cream 
• Vet RX for ear mites- this little camphor oil wonder works well on pets that frequently get ear mites . I use it monthly on Rabbits and floppy eared dogs. Rabbits kept outside get mites. period so treat them. Mites are uncomfortable and can cause a variety of fatal illness's. 
• Diatemaceous Earth- (DE) Not the kind for swimming pools. I get mine at the local feed store Pickering Valley Feed and Farm. Tractor supply and Agway have it online. These tiny crushed sea fossils are the the BEST all natural pest remedy.  Wear a mask when sprinkling follow package directions. Sprinkle in beds , cages and stalls, under rugs and mattresses, in the garden on plants to keep them pest free. In cracks around the house to keep out bugs. Keeps ticks, flies, mosquitos, bed bugs, gnats, aphids and fleas from populating.  It can be added directly to animal food to deworm or as worm preventive. This miracle powder is used in human foods to keep it safe from bugs. 

• Blood Stop- this is probably one of the most important things to keep on hand. If your pet gets cut you can pour on blood stop to stop the bleeding and get them to a vet. If you don't have blood stop you can use flour . This works well when you accidentally cut Fido's nail too short or someone cut a paw.

• Suture Kit-  or strong button thread and a large needle already threaded. if you feel comfortable stitching up small wounds this is great to have on hand. I have stitched up lots of my critters after predator attacks.
• I stopped using Frontline after one of my little dogs was poisoned while socially grooming another dog. I now use a variety of natural products I purchase at the health food store. Last year I used Pet Naturals Flea and Tick spray, several brands are available most are made from chrysanthemums.  I also use natural fly spray for the house from Whole Foods. Using the DE has really kept fleas and ticks at bay . I spread it on the lower part of trees keeping the bugs from climbing. I still use natural flea/tick oil on the dogs because we have Lyme disease here. The natural method has been working for 3 years now. I haven't seen  tick on the dogs, I used to get several every season. 
• No chemical fertilizers or pesticides keep my animals healthy. No chance of accidental poisoning from run off . My yard grows well naturally. i feel comfortable letting my guys graze on the lawn. 
• The best bug repellent are my lovely chickens. Chickens eat all sorts of pests. I let them have supervised free range to get rid of front yard pests. This year I making a  big chicken tractor so they can help keep the garden healthy with out me being out there to protect them. 
• Vet Wrap or ace bandages.
• Normal Saline- a dehydrated animal can have a few cc's of saline injected under the skin to keep them hydrated until they can drink again. I use the skin at the back of the neck and fill with  saline amount depends on animal size. I have also used this when I discovered and injured ground hog in the summer. It helped so we could get him transported to an animal rehabilitation center. 
• Syringes 

Good Luck , I hope there is some information in here that helps you be more self sufficient and hopeful contributes to better health for you animals. Do you have any home animal care tips to share? I would love to hear form you.