For Christine Eide, raising Welsh Pembroke Corgi dogs is not a moneymaker. It's more like a debt-maker.

Even though veterinary bills and show-ring expenses cost her $10,000 last year – and she's discounted a remaining puppy to half price because of the economy – she won't cut corners on their care.

"I would not skimp on giving them their shots and what's needed," said Eide, who lives in El Dorado County.

Shots and genetic testing of all the puppies she sells give new owners peace of mind, she said.

The economic downturn could be giving some pet owners pause when it comes to veterinary care, delaying checkups and vaccinations for what could be deadly, contagious diseases.

A spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, based in suburban Chicago, said studies have shown that people will neglect themselves before they deny their pets. Still, some member veterinarians lately have noticed a drop-off in visits, said Thomas McPheron, the spokesman for the group representing 85 percent of the country's veterinarians.

Jay Griffiths, a Fair Oaks veterinarian who owns five clinics in the Sacramento area, has seen a 15 to 20 percent decline since last year in the number of patients who are current on annual checkups and vaccines.

Those who own exotics even choose euthanasia rather than pay for pricey treatment, said Marianne Brick, whose Fair Oaks veterinary practice includes small animals and exotics, such as lizards.

Pet owners are doing more comparison shopping, using credit cards, cajoling parents for financial help and delaying procedures such as spaying and neutering, she said.

"They'll come in and say, 'I have $50 in my pocket. What can you do?' " she said.

Griffiths said there's reason for concern.

"It only takes one contaminated dog to expose hundreds," he said.

Cats also must be vaccinated against rabies, upper respiratory diseases and feline AIDS.

It's difficult to link any economic slowdown with an increase in diseases because a lot of them – unlike rabies, a relatively rare disease – are not tracked, veterinarians say.

But Griffiths has noticed an uptick in dogs with parvo, a virus that attacks the gastrointestinal track and is easily transmitted by contact with dog feces. Likely infections can come from dog parks or shelters, anywhere a lot of dogs congregate from different backgrounds.

Common symptoms are diarrhea and loss of appetite, which could result in death in puppies or dogs with compounded health problems. All are preventable with an effective series of routine vaccines, Griffiths said.

He suggests a series of vaccines beginning at six or seven weeks, then every three weeks, with a final after four months and an annual booster.

The vaccine is highly effective and can save a pet owner a lot of money in the long-run, said Kate Hurley, a veterinarian at University of California, Davis, and director of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program. "It could be the most important vaccine of their lives," she said.

Hurley has seen more cases of parvo, but the lack of tracking makes it difficult to accurately know what's going on beyond the grapevine.

Rabies vaccines, required by California law, should be given at four months, then a year and then every three years, she said. Even though rabies is a rare disease, don't consider skipping the vaccines, Hurley said.

The most important expense is an annual checkup, which will catch small problems before they become big, expensive ones, said Gina Spadafori, a nationally syndicated pet columnist in Sacramento.

After Sept. 11, the pet industry braced for a downturn, believing pet owners would refrain from spending on pets, she said. They didn't.

"Pets have been amazingly recession-proof," said Spadafori, who has also written a dozen books on pet ownership. "During hard times, you want to stay home and snuggle. And who is going to be there but your dog or cat?"

Call The Bee's M.S. Enkoji, (916) 321-1106.