(Anchor Intro)
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY TO SAVE YOUR PET? ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES BY THE AMERICAN PET PRODCUTS ASSOCIATION, AMERICANS WILL SPEND OVER 13 BILLION DOLLARS ON GENERAL AND SPECIALTY CARE THIS YEAR. IN TODAY'S ANGIE'S LIST REPORT, NAVAGATING VETERINARIAN SPECIALTY CARE. HERE'S CONSUMER EDITOR, SUSAN KOEPPEN.

(Susan VO)
DAN AND KAY MILLAR'S GERMAN SHEPHERD--TIBERIUS--STARTED HAVING HIP PROBLEMS WHEN HE WAS JUST 6 MONTHS OLD. HIS PAIN BECAME SO UNBAREABLE THAT BY THE TIME TIBERIUS WAS 5 HE NEEDED A HIP REPLACEMENT. NOW--6 YEARS LATER, HE IS STILL RECOVERING.

(SOT)
(Kay Millar/Pet Owner)  He's on two things. One is an underwater treadmill, which I think people will find very interesting. The other is laser. At this point, he's up to 15 minutes on the treadmill. He will be, over the next six weeks, he will work up to 30 minutes on the treadmill and then he has 15 minutes of laser treatment.

(Susan VO)
THERE ARE VETERINARY SPECIALISTS TRAINED FOR ALMOST EVERY PROBLEM YOUR PET MAY EXPERIENCE FROM ALLERGIES TO DELIBITATING DISEASES. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU FIND THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOUR PET.
 

(SOT)

(Angie Hicks/Angie's List) When hiring a specialty veterinarian you are going to do the same research you would for a regular veterinarian. You want to check their board credentials, their experience--how long they've been practicing. The same type of steps you would use in hiring a specialist for yourself.

(Susan VO)
YOU SHOULD ALSO THINK AHEAD--BEFORE A PROBLEM OCCURS--ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU ARE WILLING TO SPEND ON YOUR PET'S HEALTH CARE.
 

(SOT)
(Angie Hicks/Angie's List) When going to a specialized veterinarian, you need to plan ahead for the costs. Talk to your general veterinarian about how much it's going to cost so you are not surprised. More than 50 percent of the respondents to a recent Angie's List poll have used a specialty vet and 27 percent of them said it cost more than $2500.

(Susan Tag)
YOU SHOULD RESEARCH PET INSURANCE OPTIONS TO PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED EXPENSES AND REMEMBER--MANY PET HEALTH ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED--BUT--SOME CONDITIONS CANNOT BE FIXED--NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU SPEND ON TREATMENT. LIVE IN THE NEWS ROOM, I'M SUSAN KOEPPEN.