Book Review: Pampered Pets On A Budget: Written By: Jeffrey L. Barnes And Kristen M. Levine

I was excited when I was contacted a few weeks back asking if I would like to receive a copy of Pampered Pets On A Budget by Jeffrey L. Barnes And Kristen M. Levine to read and review.

My pets, like everyone else's are pampered and since I am virtually unemployed and my husband has recently retired, the idea that I could read about how to pamper my pet and receive ideas/suggestions about how to do so AND maintain a budget had my ears perked and my tail on alert!

These are tough times in which we live. Every day people are losing jobs and struggling to make ends meet, while the prices of groceries, medical care, etc. continue to rise. Sadly, when a family experiences a financial blow one of the first casualties is often the family pet.


As pet lovers we can never have too many tools in our tool belt to help us not only care for our pets but to maintain a budget while doing so and this book sets out to do what it promises, and that is to:

"help pet parents uncover new ways to save on the products and services you need to take great care of your pets, without compromising your pet's health and wellness care or severely damaging your pocketbook."



This book is short (74 pages) but don't let that fool you. It is 74 pages that are jam-packed with must-have information for today's pet owner.

Take a look at some of the chapters:

Chapter 3-The Internet is not Always Right: this chapter was written by Jeffrey Barnes and is one  of my personal favorites. We have all fallen victim to running to the internet when our animal is ill. It can be anything from a Google search to posting a problem on Facebook and receiving 500 differing opinions. Many of those opinions include horror stories that when you are already stressed and worried, are the LAST things that you need to hear.

This chapter explains:

• How the internet is NOT a substitute for your veterinarian, your veterinarian knows YOU and your pet!
• It reinforces how when you are reading ANY information from the internet you need to look at the qualifications, licensing and formal education of the source providing that information!
• It mentions how drug and vaccine manufacturers stand behind their products ONLY when they have been purchased directly from your veterinarian.

Other great chapters in this 10 chapter book are:

Chapter 4-Trusted Online Pet Resources-

in this chapter Kristen Levine points out that there is some online information that can be trusted but that it should NEVER take the place of human professionals when it comes to your beloved pet.

 This chapter talks about:
General pet information and adoption sites such as petfinder.com and catster.com
 It also mentions reputable Veterinary and Health Sites such as VeterinaryPartner.com 


Chapter 5-The Value of Your Veterinarian: as explained by Jeffrey Barnes one of my favorite points made in this chapter is "your veterinarian is your pet's medical health care captain and is the only authority on medical issues."


Chapter 7-Pet Health Insurance is discussed by Kristen Levine and is relevant to me because I am still pondering the issue as to whether or not to purchase pet insurance for Cody and Dakota. Some points that Kristen mentions that are important to consider are:

Consider Premiums, Co-Pays and Deductibles
Pick Coverage, Not Cost

This book contains so much information and delivers it in an interesting,  straight-forward, concise and  reader-friendly style.

I loved that at the end of each chapter there is a page called Chapter Highlights which is a summation of information listed in an easy to refer to bulleted format.

Pampered Pets On A Budget  will be your newest, invaluable resource to help you "properly position yourself to give your pet the best lifestyle possible."


For more information about this book please visit:
 www.PamperedPetsOnABudget.com


Pampered Pets on a Budget is available from: www.lulu.com and www.amazon.com.
Paperback · ISBN: 978-1-105-20415-9 · $15.99
Kindle · ISBN: 978-1-105-20415-9 · $9.99

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Jeffrey L. Barnes: is a business advisor, consultant, and business intermediary, who strives to give veterinarians and business owners sound business advice in their day-to-day operations and represents them when they buy or sell their practice or business. His professional experiences with such respected companies as Aventis, John Deere, Merial, and the Sandler Sales Institute has afforded him the extensive sales, client service, and marketing knowledge that he now shares with countless veterinarians, practice managers, manufacturers, distributors, local, state, and national veterinary associations. Jeffrey lives in Tampa, FL with his wife and two dogs.

Kristen M. Levine's  volunteer work led to a fifteen-year career as the Public Relations Director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Tampa Bay, Florida, where she played a critical role in promoting pet adoption and pet lifestyle education. Kristen's knowledge of pet lifestyle concerns and family dynamics coupled with her understanding of public relations led her to found Fetching Communications, the nation’s first marketing and public relations firm wholly dedicated to serving the pet industry, in 2003. Having logged over 1,000 live national radio and television show appearances, Kristen is also a frequent contributor to pet and veterinary trade magazines nationwide. Kristen serves as Bissell Homecare’s official pet spokesperson, educating pet parents about pet clean up solutions, as well as on the Toyota Pet Expert Team (P.E.T.), where she shares her knowledge to help develop programs to teach pet parents the importance of properly protecting and securing pets in automobiles. Kristen lives in Florida with her husband, dog and a pair of miniature donkeys.

I received no compensation for this review. I received a copy of the book to read/review.