How To Save Money On Your Pet

Having a pet is one of the single greatest pleasures in life. There’s something so special about having a companion to love and be loved by, even if they can be absolute terrors sometimes. But there’s no hiding that having a pet can be expensive, but there are some ways to save money on your pet.

We’ve had our two beautiful boys; Thor & Loki for about a year and four months now and I can’t imagine life without them. I can only talk about the costs of having a cat, but all pets have their costs to own. According to My Family Vets, estimates suggest dogs can cost as much as £30,000 to keep, feed and care for over the course of their life. And I don’t think having our two cats is going to be too much of that figure in their lifetime.

Alongside the prices of everything it’s costing more to own pets. I’ve noticed the price of cat litter and pet food has increased in the past nine months, much like everything else. Here are some tips to save money on your pet ownership.

Make sure your pet is vaccinated

Making sure your pet is vaccinated is an essential part of being a responsible pet owner. In the same way us humans have vaccines for certain things, your pets need them too. And having annual vaccinations can help your pets immune system to fight against diseases. If they don’t get vaccinated regularly not only could they get ill, but it may then cost you a lot more. And you may find your insurance isn’t valid if your pet isn’t kept up to date.

Save money on your pet with regular health checks

Regular examinations by a vet or nurse can help pick up any signs of illness in your pet. And this can make it easier (and less painful for your pet) to treat things early.

We have a lifetime vaccination plan for our cats and it gives them free check ups with a nurse every six months. Knowing that they’ve had a check over regularly makes me feel much more comfortable.

Keep up to date with parasite prevention

Prevention can be far cheaper than having to cure an issue with your pets. For us we give the boys flea and worming treatments regularly to help prevent an issues. For dogs that can be ticks, lungworm and more. As the cost for treatment of some of the nastier things can be thousands of pounds.

Save money on your pet by shopping around for insurance

Insurance is a pretty important expense when it comes to having a pet as it gives you peace of mind.

But shop around for pet insurance both for annual prices, but also for what it contains. For example if your pet has got a history of illness make sure it’s properly covered. And look at the different levels of cover. For example if they get something like diabetes or cancer will they be covered for it for just six months, or for their life.

This is especially important as your pets get older and more prone to getting ill.

Get your pet neutered/ spayed

This won’t be applicable for all pets, but it’s especially important for cats, dogs and rabbits.

By getting your pet neutered or spayed it can not only prevent them from fathering or mothering children, but it can improve their overall health. It can also help with their behaviour, for example male cats can get quite aggressive if they’ve not been neutered.

We got our boys neutered when they were six months old and we never had to experience them spraying.

Save money on your pet by measuring their food

Pet food is likely to be the single largest expense when it comes to pet ownership.

Some pet food like our cat sachets etc are pre portioned so that works. But with anything in a large can/ jar, or any dry food make sure you measure it out rather than guess.

According to research from the PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, it’s estimated that 40% of dogs and 53% of cats are overweight or obese. Just like humans, if a pet is overweight it can cause expensive-to-treat conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and urinary infections.

Avoid too many unnecessary purchases

I hold my hands up and admit I have wasted money on things for our cats that we really didn’t need to buy. They have way too many toys, even though they constantly use/ love the same handful of them. We bought a particular cat bed because it looked really nice, and neither of the boys have even sat it in.

If you are going to invest in items go for better quality items that will last longer.

Other things you can do to save money on your pets

• Opt for home stays or pet sitters when you go away to avoid expensive cattery or kennel charges
• Keep dangers away from pets to avoid them getting ill. Common reasons for dogs needing expensive emergency treatment is swallowing something they shouldn’t such as chocolate or raisins.
• Make your own pet toys from this you know your pet loves and will stimulate them
• If you have a dog, grooming them regularly is essential, but going regularly can get expensive. Grooming is very different depending on the breed, but you can, teach yourself to groom your pet.
• If you have a dog keep their teeth clean with special chews or toothpaste
• If you’re going through a hard time consider visiting a local pet food bank to make sure your pet doesn’t suffer. For information on the pet food banks out there, or how to donate, click here.

Do you have any pets?

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