Building a relationship with your veterinarian is crucial to your horse’s health care throughout his lifetime. Many states have a strict legal definition of what’s called the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR). In this video brought to you by CareCredit, Wendy Krebs, DVM, of Bend Equine Medical Center, in Oregon, describes that relationship and why maintaining it through preventive care and wellness exams can help you limit your horse care expenses in the long run.

“Usually that relationship is formed during preventive care, which can happen once or twice a year,” she explains. “We provide dentistry to the horse, provide vaccinations, we talk through nutrition, we go over a parasite control program, and the basis of a relationship is built on that framework. Good, regular preventive care is really key to catching those problems while they’re small and easily treatable and relatively affordable.”

Learn about predictable preventive care expenses so you can plan ahead and budget accordingly in this video about building a relationship with your veterinarian.