Published Fri, Oct 10, 2008 12:00 AM

By ALEXIS GARROBO
agarrobo@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5539
From rabies shots to prescriptions to food, it can be expensive to own a cat, a dog or any other type of furry beast.

Jenna Flaig, an assistant at Dr. Bonnie's Veterinary Clinic in Port Royal, said that some pet owners cut corners by skipping annual appointments or heartworm medication doses for their pets.

And Beaufort-area veterinary clinics say there sometimes is a correlation between the current state of the economy and pet health care.

"You know, sometimes I think (the economy) is making a difference and sometimes not," said Stacy O'Quinn, a vet at Riverwalk Animal Hospital in Okatie.

The impacts are reflected in rising product costs.

O'Quinn said in the past few months, the crematory service the hospital uses added a 13 percent fuel charge when a pet is cremated. She also said costs people pay for flea and tick medications have risen, but how much depends of the type and size of animal. O'Quinn is passing along only a portion of the rising costs onto customers.

Another vet, Frank Murphy at Aimant Animal Hospital,agreed that costs associated with taking care of pets are rising. He said increasing pet medication costs, which stems from an increase in the cost to deliver products, drives some people to look for cheaper options.

"The economy is taking deep cuts into everyone's business," said Murphy, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for 35 years. "People are scared. They have upside-down mortgages, gas is out of sight just to get to work... it's impacting everyone. Even talking to other practitioners, the (number of) cars outside practices during peak hours are slowing down."

On the other hand, vets said a pet's health is a priority many clients do not believe can be cut from their budget.

"I get the idea that our profession is sheltered from hard economic times because people love their pets, and that's a priority for them," O'Quinn said. "Most of our clients think of their pets as a child. That type of client is going to keep taking care of their pets as long as they can."

However, O'Quinn acknowledged that most of her clients are in the upper-middle socioeconomic class because of her clinic's location.

"If you talk to vets in different areas, you could get a vastly different perspective," she said.

At the Beaufort County Animal Shelter, the number of pets given up for adoption because the owner says he can no longer afford them appears to be average, said Toni Lytton, director of the shelter.

"I never know (if the economy is having an impact)," Lytton said.

The animal shelter's records don't indicate a trend. In July, the drop-offs increased from 493 last year to 547 this year. But the next month, there was a 50-animal decrease to 598 from August 2007.In September, 500 animals were left at the shelter, a 27-animal decrease from last year.

"We don't seem to be getting a lot more because of the economy right at this moment, but that could change any time," Lytton said."It just depends on how much the crunch affects people."