Expensive Pets

(AP) -- Pet owners are fortunate to have access to many preventative medicines and procedures, but if you've never experienced a problem, you may wonder if the cost of prevention is worth it.

For proof, take a look at these figures provided by Emily Pointer, veterinarian at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:

-- Heartworm disease

Prevention: Monthly pills for a 25 pound dog: $60 per year; yearly test, $25. Treatment: Exam, bloodwork, radiographs and injections for a straightforward case, about $500. The cost can go into the thousands for a complicated case and many dogs die or have a shortened lifespan even if treated.

--Flea and ticks

Prevention: about $20 per month for topical medication for a 25 pound dog. Treatment for flea- and tick-borne disease: Exam, diagnostic testing and 30 days of antibiotics would cost about $200 for a simple case; Pointer has one case where the owner has spent over $3000 treating complications from a tick bite infection.

- Kennel cough

Prevention: Exam and vaccine $105. Treatment: Exam, radiograph and medication about $270. If pneumonia develops, hospitalization and treatment are about $1,200-$1,600.