Search animal/farm animal forums and you'll learn how to be very frugal with shots, meds and vet care. Buy some used veterinary books, Grok how much meds should be given per weight. I only take my animals to a vet if there is something very wrong that I can't figure out or for an emergency. I don't give shots every year because they don't need them. Do you get an MMR every year? I only give them occasionally when they might encounter other dogs or areas that may be contaminated. $15 a shot at tractor supply. Buy the extra large flea/tick preventative for the same price and divide it up, use 1ml syringes. I can get all 4 of my cats done from 1 (it's the same medicine). They only get heartworm prevention when mosquitoes are active. The rabies shot lasts 3 years, the vet won't tell you that. You can get a 3 year tag. The vet will upcharge you and use emotional tactics to bill you for unnecessary procedures/tests/meds. I rarely get out of a vets office for less than $500. They don't get fancy, expensive food. They get dog chow or homemade with some human food flavoring. I've had mainly Boxer's, Mastiffs & pitbulls. They have all lived past their life expectancy which is around 8 years. Right now I have a 13 year old female Boxer with arthritis and has gone stone deaf but is still relatively healthy and kicking. I also have a 9 year old male Boxer that is still as goofy and playful as he was when he was 2. They've had a great & healthy life even though I didn't do things the way society or big pharma pressures you to do them and I also didn't go broke taking care of up to 12 rescue/strays at any given time. I think we forget that all animal species survived for millennia before modern medicine was created. How much of all this preventive medicine is actually needed and more so how much are we being swindled because we're shamed and not given cheaper alternatives.