Ways to save on Pet Care?

[phMom]

We have 2 dogs & a cat - so I am always looking for ways to save money on pet related expenses. I would love any suggestions. Also, I'll share some of mine:

1) We use a Vet Tech service instead of going to the vet for annual shots & to renew pet tags. In our area they travel to local pet stores & offer all annual shots, heartworm check, & tag renewal for 1/2 what we paid at our vets for the exact same thing - plus it was alway the vet tech that administered the shots anyways at the vet's office.....

2) For the dogs, free healthy treats instead of store bought ones. For example: whole wheat bread crusts/ends, the peels of cooked sweet potatoes, corn flakes that have gone stale.....things that would otherwise get thrown out. I just keep the quantity small. The dogs think it's great!

3) Free dry dog food samples - when they are for other brands - I mix them in with their regular food (3/4 regular, 1/4 sample) so it doesn't upset their digestion.

4) People remedies sometimes work on pets. Our English bulldog has skin
problems due to his wrinkles. He kept getting a nasty skin infection, so we'd take him to the vet - they'd put him on antibiotics & steroids (expensive!) The vet mentioned yeast was the cause which made me think. So I went to Walmart & bought a tube of the generic Monistat (for female yeast infections) for $5 - rubbed it on the infected area for several days and it cleared up like magic and it hasn't come back! Way cheaper than multiple vet visits. Just always be very careful using human medications to make sure it won't have an adverse affect on your pet. We also use generic benadryl pills when our dog has an allergic reaction to something outdoors - but only after we checked w/ our vet to make sure it was okay to do so.

5) We bath & groom our pets ourselves and order heartworm medicine online @ at much cheaper cost than at the vets.

6) Rescue a "mutt". We have 2 mixed breed animals (dog & cat) and they almost never have any health problems compared to our 1 purebred dog - they're much cheaper to care for!

[chatterweb]

We have 2 dogs and 1 cat too.

I try to get as many free treats for them as I can.
Greenies has a great PR who sent me a box of a few dozen treats and coupons.

We also administer there shots, so that saves a bunch.

I buy there treats from Costco so it is cheaper that way.

There are a few wholesale pet websites I found here in the pet section that had really good prices on stuff.

I love my pets and spoil them alot!!

[Nada.Leona]

Invest in pet insurance. It's definitely a lifesaver with me and my cat. Temp has had to have a couple of tests because of bladder infections, and without having pet insurance, I would've had to pay the whole kit-and-caboodle, but with pet insurance, I only pay, like, 20% of the bill. So invest in pet insurance, it's definitely worth it.

[wanderlusting]

We have three cats and a dog. We worked it out with our vet that anytime we bring the three cats in at a time, we get a 10% discount on their vaccinations and their wormer medication.

[MTS04]

While I think it's ok to do the shots through a vet tech service (for savings), I don't think it is a good replacement for an annual wellness visit with your vet. Annual blood work can detect any changes in blood values that could indicate the onset of endocrine diseases etc. also it is a good idea to listen to the heart and lungs - having a vet do this yearly forms a baseline from which they can watch for changes.
I always confer with my vet to find out where we can "cut corners" and do it ourselves. My vet has been super helpful since I have 5 large dogs.
Instead of pet insurance, we take 20 a month per dog and put it into an account for vet expenses. We've labled this account - pet insurance. We've only drained the account once, when my dog had a tough bout of IBD and the other had a Lupus flare up.

[Stella]

We have a great vet that lived next door to my BF when he was a kid. He does not charge me for the visits and sometimes does not charge me for meds. This is a lifesaver because I have a dog I rescued 3 years ago and she has ongoing health problems. She is at his office at least once a month! I would not be able to afford her if it was not for him.
Chatterweb- what is the name of the website you use? I would like to check it out. Thanks!

[Sari]

While I think it's ok to do the shots through a vet tech service (for savings), I don't think it is a good replacement for an annual wellness visit with your vet. Annual blood work can detect any changes in blood values that could indicate the onset of endocrine diseases etc. also it is a good idea to listen to the heart and lungs - having a vet do this yearly forms a baseline from which they can watch for changes.

I completely agree. Honestly I was floored when I read that, because here it is ILLEGAL for anyone besides a vet to administer a rabies shot, and it is ILLEGAL for them to not to a physical exam when they give rabies shots. Techs can learn a lot (I'm one), but they are definitely no substitute for a good vet.

[slowtypinwoman]

~If you use Purina products did you know you can call them every 4 weeks for coupons? I call every 4 weeks like clockwork. They will send $2 off coupons and that is a big help with the Purina One we use at $25 a bag.
I think they base the coupons on the # of pets you have. I told them when we have a drop off and explained we alway keep anydrop offs we have until we can find them a good home. They love that we help the little guys and always send a couple extra coupons then.
~ We go to shot clinics to get the yearly shots.
~ We ALWAYS spay/neuter our pets. Especially in the females this can prevent all kinds of health problems.
~ I try to make out dog cookies. If I can't I buy the old Roy treats. They don't get too many.
~ Walk your pet as often as you can. It's a health benifit for pet and owner!

[couponchic]

Invest in pet insurance. It's definitely a lifesaver with me and my cat. Temp has had to have a couple of tests because of bladder infections, and without having pet insurance, I would've had to pay the whole kit-and-caboodle, but with pet insurance, I only pay, like, 20% of the bill. So invest in pet insurance, it's definitely worth it.

I looked into pet insurance at one point in time & the problem that I have with it is this. Once you have your animal treated for a health problem, it becomes a pre-existing condition & in the future, if your pet has that same problem, the pet insurance will not cover the costs. Maybe you have better coverage than that, but for all the policies I ran across, this was a standard clause.

[Lori Biever-Launder]

I give my animals their shots as well. However, I still have ot go in for the rabies vaccines.

I buy a high quality dog food that I can feed less of. it is cheaper in the long run than the cheap stuff. Also, the clean up is waaay easier!

I don't buy dog beds. My girl sleeps in her crate with an old comforter that she digs up and makes comfortable.

My cats are rescues. A rescued adult is generally way cheaper than a kitten.

As for purebreds vs. mixed breeds and thei health, it is the luck of the draw. My purebred dog is from a very, VERY responsible breeder. She has ZERO health issues whereas my last dog (a mixed breed) had a host of problems throughout her life.

[phMom]

Thanks for lots of great suggestions!

[Amanda W]

[QUOTE=slowtypinwoman;636869]~If you use Purina products did you know you can call them every 4 weeks for coupons? QUOTE]

Thanks for the info! We feed 2 of our cats Purina, so some extra coupons would be so helpful!

[bumplett]

I completely agree. Honestly I was floored when I read that, because here it is ILLEGAL for anyone besides a vet to administer a rabies shot, and it is ILLEGAL for them to not to a physical exam when they give rabies shots. Techs can learn a lot (I'm one), but they are definitely no substitute for a good vet.

same here - I was a tech for years - before and sometimes during mommyhood

In GA - it is illegal for anyone other than a licensed vet to administer Rabies, but it is also the ONLY vacc required by law --


* Avon's Skin So Soft oil makes a great flea/fly repellant! Works on horses too!

* I make my own treats

* I bathe/groom/trim at home

* being in the south - I ALWAYS use heartworm prevention year round!

[Lori Biever-Launder]

Geeze, I didn't even think about the weekly baths Gypsy gets! Yep, I do them myslef. Ah, the joys of a white dog...