Thanks for voting!Whether you’re looking into adding another creature to the household or just taking care of a fine faithful friend, owning a pet can be expensive.
Getting ready to adopt? Decide the kind of pet you’re looking for first. Going to a shelter to pick out a pet can cost considerably less than going to a breeder. Plus you feel like you’re doing a good deed. If you’ve always wanted (no, needed) a Welsh Corgi or Labrador Retriever, check out pet-finding websites or postings in your area. You may be able to find your dream dog (or cat) at a fraction of the price.
Experiencing the joys (and costs) of bringing up puppy? Your pet’s gotta eat but you don’t have to starve your wallet. Get a discount card at your local Mom and Pop pet store, clip coupons from a circular or print them from a coupon website. Check dollar stores for name brand food overstock at discounted prices. And, when you find a steal, buy in bulk.
Every pet owner knows that vet bills can be astronomical. One way to cut back is taking your pet to a nearby veterinary school for treatments. Ordering pet medicines online or over the phone will keep bills low. Check out local shelters for their schedule of free or cheap shot clinics. And ask about important surgeries like spaying and neutering. Many shelters will do such surgeries for a discounted price. Pet health insurance? Some come with high premiums, high deductibles and limited coverage. Does that sound like a good deal vs. out of pocket?
And you can’t forget entertainment. Simple toys for your pet could be things you have lying around the house. Old tennis balls, thick ropes, and old socks are the perfect combination for a winning dog toy (and cats appreciate them, if they feel like it). Drop your gym membership and take your dog for a run instead. You’ll feel healthier and more energetic, and so will your dog.
So if you’re like us, you’ll do almost anything for your pet. Short of going broke. How do you save on your pet’s bills?
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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, even with pets. I brush my dog’s teeth, brush his coat often, and take him on plenty of walks. I have a pet store discount card and they mail me 20% of coupons about every 4 months. I wait until I get one and then I stock up on treats and food.
We take our neighbors dog for walks. Kids love it!
I buy large bags of treats and food when they are on sale. And if I run out and have to pay full price I’ll usually ask if they have any type of discount or rebate I can use.
I volunteer at the local pet shelter 2 times a week, this gives me the satisfaction of being with pets and doing good for dozens of them…plan to adopt one when the times become easier on me financially!
I cut my dogs nails, bathe and trim him myself, use preventive methods such as keeping ears clean and dry, keep allergic reactions down as much as possible by keeping him cool and dry, give allergy medicine, brushing often and washing allergens from his coat.
I’m a big fan of PetFinder.com since we had found our perfect dog there, a yellow lab named Harley. He was three at the time so he was already house broken, had papers and was a quarter of the cost if we had bought him through a breeder. He’s 12 now and still going strong, which we attribute to lots of walks and lots of love.
Pet Insurance has been one of the best investments I’ve made. For $240 a year I got coverage for my baby kitten. Unfortunatley, my kitten got very sick. Vet bills were well in excess of $10,000 before she passed away due to an incurable disease. My pet insurnace reimbursed me for about 85% of the bills I paid. It more than paid for itself and more importantly, it allowed me to get the best care for my kitten when I might have otherwise had to think twice about spending the money.
I string empty toilet paper rolls on yarn and hang them in my parrots cage. He loves to chew them as well as empty egg cartoons. He is busy for hours.
Rescuing via petfinder.com is my top recommendation. If you must buy, be meticulous when selecting a breeder so that you don’t end up with a dog from a puppy mill–terrible places to support with sickly animals. DO NOT buy from a pet store. DO NOT buy from the newspaper. Here are more tips: http://www.dogplay.com/GettingDog/where.html
Jen, which pet insurance did you use for your kitty? Have a dog and am interested. Thanks!
I buy my cat foot in bulk from a local food coop. It’s high quality food (Diamond Naturals), but the cost per pound is cheap since there is no packaging and the coop buys the food in 50-100 pound bags. I bring a plastic bucket there every couple weeks and refill it with food. I also do my vet stuff (basic vaccines and deworming) at the local low cost clinic since my cats haven’t needed anything more than the regular rabies and FeLV shots so far.
I clip coupons for my dog’s food & treats & try to buy them when they’re on sale. A lot of dog food brands will also run promotions where they give you a larger bag for the same price. For example they’ll make the bag 20 pounds instead of 18 pounds and charge the 18 pound price. We also have 2 rabbits and have to change their cages frequently. Rather than buying big trash bags, we always request paper bags at the grocery store and reuse them when we empty the cages. It saves money & is better for the environment! The rabbits eat timothy hay & we found that buying it in bulk online is a lot cheaper than buying it from a pet store (and it avoids having to go to the store weekly). We buy ours at Farmer Dave (http://www.farmerdave.biz/servlet/StoreFront).
Many pet medicines are the same as human ones and the generics are sometimes available as loss leaders at the big chain stores. We were paying $50/month for the cats thyroid medication but are now getting 3 months for $30.
I am currently dealing with two geriatric cats who are ill. I am getting them top notch care at my local University’s veterinary school. My kitties have racked up $5,000 in bills! If I had to do it over, I would have started a monthly savings account when they were kittens to cover their veterinary expenses now. Just a tip to those of you who’ll doing anything for your pets!
Invest in pet insurance (especially if you adopt/purchase a puppy)! VPI is the largest pet insurance company and friends of ours have been happy with them so we signed up. My partner and I were given a little Boston Terrier puppy as a gift (!!!!). Despite the fact that we are very responsible pet owners, he caught every puppy ailment in the book (kennel cough, skin mites, giardia x3, etc.) and was then diagnosed with a chronic illness by a specialist (which ended up explaining why he was so succeptible to everything else). Ultimately, the diagnosis required lots of expensive tests. Honestly, I’m not sure what we’d have done without pet insurance! While it didn’t pay for everything, we got back a large chunk of our money. And…our pup is currently being treated with prescription food ($$$) and steriods, he’s the healthiest he’s ever been.
As someone else posted (and as my brother always says!)…sometimes the best pet toys are free — a leaf, stick, an old stuffed sock, handmade stuff, etc. — just remember to supervise your pet to make sure they don’t eat something that might be harmful (and cause you lots of expensive vet bills!).
I was giving my cat a can of food per day and half of it would sit there an dry up and just get throw away when I fed him the next day. I always have crunchies and water out for him but the wet canned food is what he gets once a day. Because he was not even eating half of the wet food I bought can covers and now I will give him about a third of the can, snap on the lid and put it in the fridge. I always look long term….if one can is 50 cents and I was spending $15/ month on wet food I am now only spending $5…saving $120 a year and still not depriving my only son, Blacky.