“There is no such thing as a free puppy or kitten.”
Truer words have never been said. The cost of having a dog is about $2,000 a year; a cat, $1500. And that is if they are healthy!
If you have pets, then you are counted among the 64 million American’s that do (the world total is probably staggering.) And you are helping to spend that 34 billion dollars that is spent on pets in America every year.
That’s a lot of money being spent on food, vet bills, toys, cat boxes, kitty litter, fancy clothes, leather leashes, studded collars and grooming!
Here are some tips to help you save some of that 34 billion on your pets!
The best thing you can do for your pet is have it spayed or neutered. I have learned this lesson first hand! Our Labrador, Sasha is 4 years old and began having problems about 6 months ago. An infection in two of her teats spread through out the upper part of her chest wall. 6 weeks of intense antibiotics did not work and she was getting sicker by the day. The vet told us that there was a good chance it could be cancer and we were stunned! She is only 4 and other wise so healthy, what went wrong? She wasn’t spayed! Seems non-spayed and non-neutered dogs have a much higher chance of cancer! We had no clue.
So the choice was made to perform a full hysterectomy and double mastectomy on Sasha. We are lucky though. We go to a military vet on the naval base since my husband is in the Army. So our cost was $60 for the pre-op x-ray and blood work and then $281 for the surgery and pain meds and post-op antibiotics. But we also spent about $200 over the first 6 months on vet appointments and antibiotics. Not to mention time and gas spent.
$541 is bad enough on a budget, can you imagine what a civilian vet would have cost us? I do. I called and asked for some quotes from a local vet here in northern Illinois. The receptionist was happy to report that it would have cost us in the ball park range of $3500! Gulp.
So get your pets spayed and neutered! In our area there is a group that provides low cost spay and neutering. We had 3 cats spayed for the cost of $60! And that included their shots! Call your local shelter and ask if they provide this service or know of someone who does.
If you are not military and have to go to a local vet there is still ways to save money.
First realize that simple first aid is the same for pets as for humans. Small cuts can be treated at home by cleaning and wrapping with gauze just like kids. Having one of those plastic cones that go around your dog or cats neck to keep them from chewing themselves or bandages is a good investment. You can get one at your local pet store in most cases or from the internet or vet.
You can also get ear solution for cleaning ears before infections and mites set in. Cleaning your pets ears at home every 2 weeks is much cheaper than a full blown ear infection, trip to the vet and meds!
When you do have to go to the vet remember this important fact! Most pet meds are the same as human meds. Walgreens will even fill your pets meds for you much cheaper than the vet who marks up meds sky high! So when your vet says you need meds for your pet, say thanks and then tell them you will buy them the next day if you can not find them cheaper else where. Watch their face drop. Just make sure when you call around that the meds are the right dosage for your pets weight.
Fleas is the topic next. Fleas are horrible, blood sucking creatures that will make your life and your pets life miserable. PREVENT them at all cost! When we first moved to a semi-rural area we ignored this rule. BAD IDEA. It cost us nearly $300 that first summer to get rid of the flood of fleas! Not to mention all the work of cleaning the house over and over and over. Washing every blanket, sheet and curtain, vacuuming and mopping. I feel tired just remembering it!
So buy prescription flea treatment that not only kills fleas but their eggs and ticks as well.
You can by this from just about any vet with out an appointment which will save money or you can get a vet to give you a prescription and then order it online from 1800petmeds.com
The next best way to save money is to buy your pet the best food you can afford. Yes you heard me right…you have to spend money to save money! Good food will keep your pet healthier and add years to their life. The worst food you can buy is the cheapest. Our dogs eat Life’s Abundance which I get through the internet, delivered right to my door every month automatically. It is full of wonderful things like fish and chicken and rice and vitamins and flax seed. For two 90 pound dogs I pay $62 a month delivered for a 40 pound bag. Pricey? Yes, but my dogs are worth it and so are yours!
Grooming your pet is another excellent way to keep the vet bills down. A clean pet is a healthier pet. You can brush and wash and clip nails just like a groomer.
If you can not wash your dog yourself, a groomer is a must especially for dogs with lots of fur or long hair. Whip out your local yellow pages and call around for groomer prices. Here in northern Illinois I got quotes as high as $100 for my German Shepherd, then a winner at $34 for a place that is highly recommended by neighbors and friends. And they will clip her nails for free!
I also liked that they were concerned about her advanced age of 13 years and told me they would let her rest if she needed to lay down and that she would be dried by a cage drier, so she can rest further.
One last tip: An indoor pet is better off than an outdoor pet.
Here is a link to the Purina website with tips and money saving coupons:
http://www.purina.com/petlover/index.aspx
Mandi Gordon: Money Correspondent
Mandi's column, Saving for the Average Person, published every Thursday to Gather Essentials: Money…is the average persons guide to saving money on any average day.
Mandi lives in Northern Illinois with her husband Bill and daughter Beth. She enjoys saving money and sharing that knowledge with others. She knows there is enough confusing money info out there- it's time to start understanding and saving!
Keep up with Mandi's other postings and Gather articles by joining her Gather network.
Just click here or copy and paste:
http://mandi.gather.com
Then click the orange connect button on the left hand side of your screen.
To see Mandi’s other money saving articles go to:
http://savingfortheaverageperson.gather.com
You can also find Mandi and other Money correspondents at:
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 53
And I am so glad you didn't point readers to buying cheap food! This only causes future vet bills, urinary blockages being a big one for cats.
I want to mention that animals bought at the humane society will have their first shots, be dewormed and the small cost charged for the pet INCLUDES spaying or nutering. Ive gotten 4 kittens there thru the years and have had no problems.
Their vet services are also an alternative to regular private vets.
Always keep cats indoors. They are constantly in danger when let out to prowl.
Dogs, cars, fences you name it and they are at risk. A fixed cat really doesnt want to play out side. They become very docile and are happy with a view to the outdoors.
One more thing to consider....Usually the runts are the last to go at the shelters and human society. For that reason, I have always chosen the runts to take home as our new pet. I feel like I may be saving a life by this practice. And the animals are usually very devoted. (I am speaking about cats, I dont know much about dogs except that you need to check their hips)
Also, with cats and first aid - with minor scratches and injuries, after I check them out and make sure they aren't bad, most of the time my cats prefer to care for themselves. I keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything, but most of the time they do pretty well with the minor stuff.
Terry, most of my pets - dogs and cats - have been rescues and/or runts. And good initial care has kept them happy and healthy for as long as they are with me :-)
So, I'm an advocate of dog food without all the garbage. I get teased about putting our dogs on my diet (I'm allergic to all the additves). But they all admit Belle looks better. In fact, we're going to have to put her on the mixture especially designed for dogs needing to lose weight. It had seemed like she was always going to be thinner than normal but not now thanks to spending the money of good food.
I've begun to buy for my grandkittens the 'good' food, including treats!
Here's another tip: There are lots of low-cost programs out there for people who qualify for them. If you receive any kind of State Assistance, you can qualify for low-cost spays and neuters! How cool is this? The "Save the Felines" program will give you a pre-surgery vaccination (combo or rabies), a health exam, spay or neuter surgery and post surgery pain injection (if offered) for only $15 per cat! Please check out the program. We were able to get both of our cats spayed at 5.5 months old for only $30 because my 1 year old is on the WIC program.
Here is a link to spay/neuter assistance in Oregon, Washington and even Nationwide! Please check it out here: http://neuterspayoregon.blogspot.com/.
After much experimentation, some of which nearly ran us out of the house, I personally feel that Fresh Step is the best cat litter on the market and will also save you money in the long run. It won't need to be completely changed out nearly as often as other brands.
Rob, please feed your cat better... cats are prone to urinary tract infections and males especially can die from it. Purina makes a food called urinary tract health. Since I put my cats on it none have had a UTI.
Faith, thank you so much for that info!!! that is awesome! it just goes to show there are ways to have pets and afford them!
thanks everyone!
When I had dogs they were always fed brewers' yeast and garlic in their food to keep the fleas away.
I used to cook for my last dog when he became ill - adding tofu, veggies and lean meat to cooked barley.
Both my kitties go out everyday, when I get home, with me, for a couple of hours and play hunter kitties with the butterflys. They both tend to eat a little grass but it never seems to both them much so they must like it. They only go out when I can watch them! We have a few to many wild things for me to trust that they would leave them alone and not want to play! LOL
also I give him wet food in the am and make sure they all clean water every day.
as for puppies who get a series of de-worming meds..thats different... the vet can give the first dose and then you should be able to do the rest with out paying for extra visits.
Jacqueline - I'm with you. Most of the declawed cats that I've met are angry at everyone.
laura, exercise is so important! so many people get dogs that need lots of eneregy expelled and they want them to sleep all day!
please everyone, do not get a big dog if you live in an small place and can run, walk or play with the dog for an hour at least every day!
We have a lab who would destroy the place if she did not play frisbee everyday!
Right now my Akita is scratching and biting his fur. Everywhere he can bite or chew, he will. He doesn't have fleas. I have been feeding the same food forever. I am not sure what it is. I brush him almost daily to get the extra fur off. He actually seems like he is shedding. Both of my dogs are spayed and neutered. It is the best thing that you can do for your pet. Thank you again, I enjoyed your article...Terre
I only adopt rescue animals and spay/nueter them immediately.
I got a cat a while back who was inhumanely declawed! He's now my soul mate but please remind people how barbaric that is in your next article.
Thanks~Amanda
I went to PetSmart and started reading labels, and settled on buying a brand of dry food called Blue, that contains cranberries. Low and behold, the UTIs stopped immediately and 2 years later there hasn't been any reoccurence. The cats LOVE it -- they come running from across the apartment when I open a new bag -- and the indoor cat formula has kept their weight healthy even with free feeding.
It's expensive, but sooooooo worth it (in both vet bills, and in seeing my cats happy and healthy and not sick and miserable. If you've ever seen a cat with a UTI, squatting and howling in the litter box over and over again, you'll understand.)
Thanks for the article, Mandi!
If I add up what I spend on "routine" things like food and cat litter with the cost of their annual vaccinations/check-ups I probably spend $300 - $500 a year for both cats. And my vet is rather expensive.
You can take your cats to vaccination clinics where you essentialy only pay the cost of the vaccinations, you're not paying for the overhead of an independent veterinarian running their own practice.
I just wanted to stop by since I am finally going through what is now listed as under 4,700 pieces of gather new mail that is sitting in my inbox on here.
With that mentioned I just came across either a mailing from you yourself, or someone else brought this piece to my attention. You or they felt that your creation should be shared with the gather community, which I am very glad that it was passed on to me to view. So I wanted to say Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to publish it here on gather for us to all view. :o)
As well before I leave you I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year... in 2009 :o)
This is to let you know that your content has reached at least 20 comments and therefore has been removed from I want it All
Please be sure and post all of your photos, posts and videos to the group and don't forget to stop by and comment on group content!