Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Kim Kleman

Aired June 14, 2003 - 07:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Even if your pet is practically a member of your family, you probably wouldn't mind saving some money on its health care bills. Well, that's the cover story of next month's "Consumer Reports."
The magazine's managing editor, Kim Kleman, joins us now from New York this morning to talk about pets and the vets.

Kim, good morning. Great to have you with us.

KIM KLEMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Thanks. Nice to be here.

ROBERTS: Well, Kim, let's talk about this first. When it comes to consumer protection on this, is there anything, really, to guide us and protect us when it comes to vet care?

KLEMAN: Well, this industry is basically in the stone age when it comes to consumer protection. I mean, vets aren't even required to give you a written prescription in most states so that you can shop around.

ROBERTS: Well, a lot of people out there have become familiar in recent years with pet insurance, something that we could all get to cover our pets in the high costs of health care. But is it really worth it to do that, take that investment and put it in insurance, or just wait till something happens and then pay the vet themselves?

KLEMAN: It is almost never a good deal to buy pet insurance. We looked at five different plans. We created a fictitious dog, gave him all kind of elements, and for common elements, everything from an ear infection to a dog that requires stitches, it never pays to buy pet insurance. In fact, you can be losing thousands and thousands of dollars over the cost to just pay the vet.

So our advice is, if you're worried about the cost of pet care, put your money in a savings account. That way, if you don't need it, your money goes back to you, and you're not paying an insurer.

ROBERTS: Kim, for those of us that already have pets, animals, and for those people out there that are probably thinking about getting some, what are some of the more expensive animals to take care of and some of the ones that are more, I guess, cost friendly?

KLEMAN: If you're interested in a purebred pet, make sure you do a little advance research to find out if that breed is prone to hereditary disorders. For example, big purebreds like German shepherds and Labs and Rottweilers, they tend to suffer from hip dysplasia, which is an abnormality that can require hip replacement, and that's pretty expensive.

Dachshunds, for instance, often get herniated disks, so that's a hereditary problem.

ROBERTS: Now...

KLEMAN: What we did -- I'm sorry. What we did find was that the common mutt is probably the best deal, because they're not inbred and they're less inclined, they just don't hereditary diseases.

ROBERTS: And when it comes down to it, I mean, there's going to be a cost incurred for any pet owner out there when it comes to taking care of their pet. But I guess there are some cost-cutting ways that we often save some money, especially when it comes to pet drugs, that a lot of people probably don't know about.

KLEMAN: This is one of the most interesting parts of the story that we did for our July issue. More than 600 drugs that you give to pets are actually human drugs, so you can save a lot of money if you get a written prescription from your pet, if you ask for that, and just check out prices at regular pharmacies. In fact, when we did that, we found the best deals at warehouse club pharmacies or regular online or local pharmacies.

ROBERTS: And I think from state to state, vaccinations different for certain parts of the country, but we can also save some cash on that, can't we?

KLEMAN: Right. I think many states require rabies shots, but you really need to ask your vet whether a yearly vaccine schedule is right for you. I think the industry is rethinking whether pets need yearly shots or whether they can go several years between shots.

ROBERTS: And Kim, when it comes to vets, a lot of us have vets that we trust and that we love, that we come to know as, you know, the doctor part of the family. But I guess when they give a certain diagnosis, is it OK for us to say, Hey, wait a minute, I'm able to go get a second opinion on this from someone else?

KLEMAN: Absolutely. Our whole story is about people feeling empowered to ask honestly about costs and question treatments. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you find that you've been given a diagnosis that's going to cost lots of money, or you're following a treatment schedule that has cost you lots of money, and your pet doesn't seem to be responding, you should get a second opinion. That's about $35, and it could be the best $35 you spend.

ROBERTS: And are vet costs pretty much set in stone, or is there a little bargaining power that we have when we talk to our vets about some of the costs that the, you know, the animals incur?

KLEMAN: You can definitely shop around, and you should also ask your vets for discounts. For example, if you have two or three pets, they might be willing to give you a discount on the annual checkup, that kind of thing. So definitely ask around and talk to your vet.

ROBERTS: All right, Kim Kleman, "Consumer Reports," managing editor, we thank you for joining us today. Lot of good advice for us, all us pet owners out there. Thanks, Kim.

KLEMAN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 14, 2003 - 07:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Even if your pet is practically a member of your family, you probably wouldn't mind saving some money on its health care bills. Well, that's the cover story of next month's "Consumer Reports."
The magazine's managing editor, Kim Kleman, joins us now from New York this morning to talk about pets and the vets.

Kim, good morning. Great to have you with us.

KIM KLEMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Thanks. Nice to be here.

ROBERTS: Well, Kim, let's talk about this first. When it comes to consumer protection on this, is there anything, really, to guide us and protect us when it comes to vet care?

KLEMAN: Well, this industry is basically in the stone age when it comes to consumer protection. I mean, vets aren't even required to give you a written prescription in most states so that you can shop around.

ROBERTS: Well, a lot of people out there have become familiar in recent years with pet insurance, something that we could all get to cover our pets in the high costs of health care. But is it really worth it to do that, take that investment and put it in insurance, or just wait till something happens and then pay the vet themselves?

KLEMAN: It is almost never a good deal to buy pet insurance. We looked at five different plans. We created a fictitious dog, gave him all kind of elements, and for common elements, everything from an ear infection to a dog that requires stitches, it never pays to buy pet insurance. In fact, you can be losing thousands and thousands of dollars over the cost to just pay the vet.

So our advice is, if you're worried about the cost of pet care, put your money in a savings account. That way, if you don't need it, your money goes back to you, and you're not paying an insurer.

ROBERTS: Kim, for those of us that already have pets, animals, and for those people out there that are probably thinking about getting some, what are some of the more expensive animals to take care of and some of the ones that are more, I guess, cost friendly?

KLEMAN: If you're interested in a purebred pet, make sure you do a little advance research to find out if that breed is prone to hereditary disorders. For example, big purebreds like German shepherds and Labs and Rottweilers, they tend to suffer from hip dysplasia, which is an abnormality that can require hip replacement, and that's pretty expensive.

Dachshunds, for instance, often get herniated disks, so that's a hereditary problem.

ROBERTS: Now...

KLEMAN: What we did -- I'm sorry. What we did find was that the common mutt is probably the best deal, because they're not inbred and they're less inclined, they just don't hereditary diseases.

ROBERTS: And when it comes down to it, I mean, there's going to be a cost incurred for any pet owner out there when it comes to taking care of their pet. But I guess there are some cost-cutting ways that we often save some money, especially when it comes to pet drugs, that a lot of people probably don't know about.

KLEMAN: This is one of the most interesting parts of the story that we did for our July issue. More than 600 drugs that you give to pets are actually human drugs, so you can save a lot of money if you get a written prescription from your pet, if you ask for that, and just check out prices at regular pharmacies. In fact, when we did that, we found the best deals at warehouse club pharmacies or regular online or local pharmacies.

ROBERTS: And I think from state to state, vaccinations different for certain parts of the country, but we can also save some cash on that, can't we?

KLEMAN: Right. I think many states require rabies shots, but you really need to ask your vet whether a yearly vaccine schedule is right for you. I think the industry is rethinking whether pets need yearly shots or whether they can go several years between shots.

ROBERTS: And Kim, when it comes to vets, a lot of us have vets that we trust and that we love, that we come to know as, you know, the doctor part of the family. But I guess when they give a certain diagnosis, is it OK for us to say, Hey, wait a minute, I'm able to go get a second opinion on this from someone else?

KLEMAN: Absolutely. Our whole story is about people feeling empowered to ask honestly about costs and question treatments. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you find that you've been given a diagnosis that's going to cost lots of money, or you're following a treatment schedule that has cost you lots of money, and your pet doesn't seem to be responding, you should get a second opinion. That's about $35, and it could be the best $35 you spend.

ROBERTS: And are vet costs pretty much set in stone, or is there a little bargaining power that we have when we talk to our vets about some of the costs that the, you know, the animals incur?

KLEMAN: You can definitely shop around, and you should also ask your vets for discounts. For example, if you have two or three pets, they might be willing to give you a discount on the annual checkup, that kind of thing. So definitely ask around and talk to your vet.

ROBERTS: All right, Kim Kleman, "Consumer Reports," managing editor, we thank you for joining us today. Lot of good advice for us, all us pet owners out there. Thanks, Kim.

KLEMAN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com