If you’re like most pet owners, you consider your animal companions part of the family. But pet-care costs can strain a household budget — so it’s important to evaluate how we care for the animals we love without dropping our hard-earned money into a veterinary sinkhole. With that in mind, here are a few ways to save on pet care:
Invest in Pet Healthcare
One of the best ways to combat the high costs of veterinary care is to prepare for them. Many financially savvy pet owners have a separate savings account for potential medical expenses, which include anything from emergency vet visits to end-of-life care. Another way to plan ahead is to invest in pet insurance. Vet bills tend to slowly trickle upward: For example, a series of $400 visits, over the course of a few weeks, that creep upward until they cost thousands. Pet insurance can offset these costs by providing a much lower month-to-month premium, allowing pet owners to enjoy the peace of mind that sudden emergencies can be addressed without breaking the bank.
Spay/Neuter Your Pets
The decision to spay or neuter has a lot of implications — not just for your own animals but also for animals in your community. Homeless animals are everywhere. The Humane Society reports staggering numbers, with 6 to 8 million animals entering shelters every year. Fewer than half of these are adopted. Spaying or neutering your cat or dog doesn’t just help curb the rampant overpopulation problem; it’s also better for your pet’s health, which saves you money in the long run. Neutered male dogs live 18% longer than un-neutered ones, while spayed female dogs live 23% longer than their intact counterparts.
Shop Wisely
Pet food costs can add up quickly, especially if you have an animal that needs a particular diet. Most cats and dogs get by just fine on garden-variety kibble or canned food, so you’ll definitely save by buying store-brand food from major pet supply retailers. If you’re concerned about quality, check with your vet first — but don’t buy food from the vet unless you absolutely must, because the prices will almost always be marked up.
Consider buying pet food in bulk.You can also avoid breaking the bank by making sure you feed your cats or dogs proper serving sizes for their weight and body type. If you overfeed or free-feed, you not only spend more money on food, but your pets could end up overweight, which can cause significant health problems.
One great way to save money on pet food and supplies is to sign up for loyalty programs through both local and major retailers. Major chain pet stores offer free loyalty programs that help cut costs by providing coupons, sale alerts and overall lower in-store prices.
Focus on Preventing Problems
Spending a little time and money on a regular basis to keep your pets healthy may help you save upwards of thousands of dollars in veterinary costs down the road. One important piece of the puzzle is to stay up-to-date on vaccinations — but there are also actions you can take at home.
Simple products such as a dog- or cat-specific tooth brushing kit will help keep your animal’s oral health in tiptop shape. Products made for humans may irritate their skin or digestive systems, but it’s not hard to find toothbrushes and toothpaste manufactured for animal health. Brush your pet’s teeth at least once a week to keep plaque, gingivitis and potential tooth loss at bay.
Watch for other problems, like any changes in your animals eyes. Your pets eyes should be free of discharge or cloudiness.
Spend Quality Time With Your Pets
Providing daily exercise, play and affection is completely free. Some pets have higher activity needs than others, and it’s important to make sure they’re physically busy. Keeping to an engaging exercise routine is critical not only for your pets’ physical health but also for their social needs. Most dogs are highly social animals, and they crave human attention. Similarly, while cats may seem more independent than dogs, they often need just as much interactive play and affection.
By spending time with your pets, you’ll learn all the ins and outs of their behaviors, which is invaluable knowledge for catching potential health concerns. When you know what’s normal for your animal, you’ll be far more likely to see smaller behavioral or bodily changes that could indicate serious illness. If you’re paying attention, you’ll be better equipped to notice problems early on, which will not only save money in the long run but can also save your pet’s life.
Photo Credit: Brambleberries Photography
My German shepherd dog died last month, we didn’t expect it because she was very healthy. We just woke up one day and saw her lying on her bed. 🙁
Sorry for your loss, Clarisse. It’s always hard to lose a furry family member.
Feeding your pets grocery store pet food is like letting your kids eat nothing but French fries. They can probably survive, but they won’t be in optimum health. You’ll have several more happy years with a dog or cat that eats a premium diet. I don’t work for any pet food companies; I’ve just lost too many animals earlier than I should have, till I started doing my own research on pet foods.
I would add to never feed your small dog any fatty people food. During a large family gathering my dogs got into the trash and ate turkey scraps. The big one was fine. The small one developed pancreatitis and then became diabetic. Not frugal and not fun for my dog or me.
That’s terrible, Deb. I’m sorry to hear that. I am guilty of feeding my dog lots of table scraps; looks like I’ve been lucky so far.
First way to save money on pet dogs or cats is to adopt from a rescue. The pet comes already altered (Saves hundreds of dollars) and with all shots. You also learn a good bit about the pet from the rescue. Believe most of what they tell you about the dog except the age. If it’s not a puppy they will most likely lie and subtract a couple of years. You can get lovely pure bred dogs this way and of course charming mixes for very little compared to buying from a breeder and NEVER buy a puppy mill puppy from a pet store. At our Shop Rite fresh beef heart and fresh beef liver are $2.49 a pound (Pretty much same price as good quality kibble.) I buy them from time to time to supplement dry dog food. If we have a rib roast (Only when on sale at Shop Rite!) the dog gets the fat and grizzle, a little in the dish with each meal of kibble. The dog also gets the big rib bones to chew since they are too hard to be splintered and eaten. If you have a few dog approved vegetables like cooked green beans left over from dinner you can put them in dog’s dish with kibble. Make sure you know what foods, like onions, to NEVER give your dog.
Mutts tend to have less health issues than pedigree dogs. They tend to live a long time. We always got our pups from people whose dog had a litter of pups or when an evil peep dumped new pups out on a road. A pox on evil people.
I believe that we should spay/neuter a lot of people too. Anyone who gives fruitcake as a gift should be spayed/neutered.