Save On Pet Costs

ABC News recently ran a segment about the effects of the economy on pets and how shelters even have a term for the animals turned over to them: They called them “foreclosure pets.”

They did provide a few tips on how to lower your pet costs, from food to health care:

~ Buy quality pet food in bulk. An eight-pound bag of dog food costs about $15, while a 40-pound bag of the same food costs about $50. Buying the bigger bag saves you $25. Keep in mind, though, that dog food can go stale, so if you’ve got just one small dog that would take a year to go through a huge bag of food (and you don’t need to feed as much if you buy a high-quality food), it’s probably a better idea to stick to the smaller bag to reduce waste.

~ Bathe and trim your pet’s claws at home instead of a pet salon. Quality shampoos are not expensive – one bottle will last for months and cost less than one visit to a groomer. You can learn to trim your pet’s nails or buy one of the new rotary gadgets if you’re squeamish about hurting him or her.

~ Bring all your pets in for one vet visit. (Make sure you schedule all of them, though!) Many vets may offer a discount for multiple pets in one visit, and some even offer senior citizen discounts for the pet owner, or military discounts. It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

~ If your pet needs medication ask about generic equivalents, or see if the vet has any samples they can give you. If you have a kitten or puppy that needs a check-up ask about discounts if you’re planning on getting vaccinations, spay/neuter and microchipping done all at once.

What ideas do you have for cutting back on pet costs?

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