Pet Savings
Posted by Gail | Filed under Saving
Do you know what Americans spent on pet food in 2010? Go ahead, guess. According to the American Pet Products Association, critters ate up more than $18 billion dollars worth a food last year. Holy Moley Macaroni! But we’re not as pet-centric as our American cousins, right? Well, when you look at overall spending, maybe we are. Americans spend about $38 billion on their pets and we spend about $4 billion on our pets. Since we’re about 1/10th the size in population, hey, we’re pretty on par with the Americans.
The pet biz is one of the fastest growing industries, and we’re shelling out mega-bucks to keep our dogs dapper and our kitties cute. That’s all fine if you’ve got the money to spend AND you’re saving all that you should. But if your dog, cat, budgie, fish, or tarantula are eating into your savings, you need to review your priorities.
A bag of pet food can cost anywhere from about $6 to about $75, depending on where you buy it, how big the bag is, and how “premium” the ingredients are. And the pet food industry has a bad reputation for putting crap in the food they want us to feed our cuddly companions. But do you really have to buy a six-star premium dog food when it may mean you end up eating a two-star rated diet when retirement rolls around? Mightn’t a mid-price range product be a better investment in both your pet and your future?
Of course, that may mean you actually have to do some work in figuring out what to buy, as opposed to using the price point to direct you to the good stuff. So what should you look for?
A recognizable meat product as the first ingredient.
Higher quality carbs like potatoes and whole grains as filler.
No byproducts, and no artificial chemicals or preservatives like Yellow #5, BHA or ethoxyquin.
Buying in bulk, shopping on sale, and using coupons are all ways to save on the cost of caring for your Sweet Little Poopster. If you’re currently spending $60 a week on food, and you can trim that back by 20%, you’ll have $624 to add to your retirement plan this year. Over 30 years at 5%, that’ll net you over $43,000 in money to ensure you can eat as well as your cat.
April 24, 2012 at 6:58 am
One very useful thing I learned about pet food is to also look at the serving size/nutritional info. I believe it was the ladies on “The Shopping Bags” who illustrated the point nicely when they showed the difference between the cheapo stuff (like the generic grocery store brand) vs the premium food (the example was Blue Buffalo, I think). The contrast was amazing, as you needed something outrageous like 6x the amount of food to get the same nutrition from the cheap stuff. That being said, buy what you can afford. But I firmly believe that if you can’t afford a decent food when you get the animal, you should not get it, cause what happens when the animal is sick and needs an expensive vet bill.
April 24, 2012 at 7:19 am
Our two cats have their own line in our budget. It covers their food, litter, medication for one of them, annual health check-ups and some basic supplies/toys. We did our research to make sure we’re paying what makes sense for us. We don’t do treats for them or expensive toys (at the rate we vacuum those things up each week we’d be crazy to!) but they are fed, clean and healthy. And amuse themselves to no end all on their own!
The two cats are rescue cats and I certainly didn’t plan for them in advance in terms on initial health care (vaccinations, deworming, de-fleaing, ear care, dental care, etc.) and if we get into another pet down the road (a dog, for example), I would learn from my friends and plan for all the initial and ongoing costs up front.
We went through one health scare and one health concern with each cat recently (ages 12 and 17) so now we’re focussed on what we’re willing to spend for extra health costs and where we draw the line in treating an illness. Luckily, after $500 in vet costs, we have a medication that costs us $40 each month and has resolved the health issues. I know friends that have been caught with much higher vet fees and then ongoing treatment costs with their animals.
It sounds harsh (but realistic) to talk about where we would “draw the line in the sand” for their care. I can’t imagine paying several thousand dollars for a special treatment. And I can’t imagine not having them at home either.
April 24, 2012 at 7:21 am
Our dog doesn’t eat pet food, we cook for her and have done so for the last eight years of her life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She eats cod, brown rice and broccoli for dinner. Breakfast is yogurt, bananas, PB and toast. About the only thing she gets from the dog world are cookies. If I ad more time, I would probably make those. She loves apples and watermelon and those are snacks as well.
I spend about $120 a week on groceries for three of us ( including the poop ster) and figure that’s pretty good. A bulk bag (10 lbs) of brown rice is about $15 and lasts well over a month.
Read a book back when my girl was a puppy and it was called “the heart of the matter” and it changed my views on how to feed my pets. I remember those Dr. Ballard meat patty things, with cheese, that you split in half and threw into the bowls. Eew! What was that stuff?
Just my two cents.
April 24, 2012 at 7:49 am
We have three cats, and for years we fed them the cheap generic food. My oldest is now 13 and we never had a problem. Then last year, my second oldest cat suddenly developed allergies to the food. That’s when I learned how important it is from the vet that feeding them “a cheeseburger diet”, as he put it, was not the best thing to do. So after some experimentation, we ended up with a $22 bag that they all like and doesn’t leave my middle cat with giant bald patches.
I know why we chose to feed them the cheap stuff all that time. We simply couldn’t afford proper food for them. Then even after we were making more, because they seemed fine we felt no reason to spend more on them. But after the allergy scare and a nice vet bill to go along with it, we have learned our lesson. We also have it all worked into our budget, and a growing emergency fund just in case something like that happens again.
April 24, 2012 at 8:04 am
We inherited a bichon frise from an aunt who could no longer care for her. Who knew the coat needed to be trimmed so often? We took her to the groomers a few times ($60 each visit- ouch!) Then I decided to start trimming her myself with a pair of scissors. Is she as beautiful? probably not- but she is our scruffy puppy and wouldn’t have it any other way.We do feed her “good” food- but we measure it out each day and make sure she isn’t overeating. I know people who buy all the clothes, shampoos, accessories etc… for their dogs– good grief- they aren’t dolls.
April 24, 2012 at 8:39 am
I have a dog with her own budget line. Unfortunately, when we rescued her, we didn’t know that she was a very sick puppy! This set us back considerably, and we have been fighting with ongoing health issues ever since!
That being said, she has ongoing dietary issues (she has allergies to corn and soy and is gluten intolerant!), we have to bite the bullet and spend more on her food that is free from all of these things. *sigh* It costs about 80$ every month for a bag. We’d try different types of food, less expensive, more expensive (the vet brands!! ouch!) but many of the cheaper foods 1) have grains and 2) lead to other health problems!
I suppose it could be much worse – but at least we budget for her accordingly!
April 24, 2012 at 8:39 am
We currently have 3 farm dogs, the oldest is 13. My last dog passed away at almost 16 yrs which is pretty good for a farm dog. Our collie started having food allergies a couple of yrs ago, so by trial & error we have that figured out, but other than that we haven’t had any major issues. We buy the mid-price stuff, add rice and veg and any table scraps too, and sometimes an oil or egg on their food, and this seems to work. One dog is 100 lbs min. and may get a bit bigger still, gotta admit he eats a bit more , Lol. Sometimes they can eat the grossset stuff, after all they are hunters, but eww!
April 24, 2012 at 8:41 am
grossest-it’s early.
April 24, 2012 at 8:48 am
Our neighbours have a great cat. They take good care of her and she supplements her own diet with mice and squirrels. To my knowledge there is only one surviving squirrel on our half of the block and no mice. I imagine that saves them on pet food.
April 24, 2012 at 8:50 am
I first learned about the disparity in pet food quality about 10 years ago when my cat developed a UTI and the vet all but shot me for feeding him cat food from the grocery store. I wasn’t even buying the least expensive stuff but they acted as though I’d committed a crime. We switched to a higher end food and his problem didn’t resurface for several years. Prior to that, I had thought that if it was cat food it was fine to feed cats… That UTI cost me a lot of money and negated a lot of the savings I’d realized by buying less expensive cat food so now I buy higher end pet food.
That said, we recently switched to a medium priced dog food that we can find at Walmart. It has the exact same ingredients as the very expensive food we’d been feeding her before. Our kennel switched to the food around the same time we did and she has had very good results with it as well. I’m very happy to save the money!!
April 24, 2012 at 8:55 am
Such a timely post for my family. My 19 year old son is desperately trying to convince us to get a dog. I must admit my heart is telling me, yes I want one too. However I think back to our beloved cat that we had for 17 years. I cringe when I recall the money we spent on her over the years. In the last 3 years before she left us we spent thousands, yes thousands of dollars on her with different surgeries and medications. And what was the end result? We had no choice but to put her down. Never mind the money part, that choice was heart breaking. Every day I struggle with wanting that puppy but my logical mind is so scared of the financial obligation. What to do? What to do?
April 24, 2012 at 8:59 am
Our dog gets the good food stuff but was able to switch from the vet sold dog food to a high quality pet store food. Our dog has tummy issues and I hate coming home to clean up more messes from him than I ever did for a young child.
On the plus side….he eats less of the pet store food so it lasts longer AND it is half the price of the vet sold special food. Wins all around…and we wouldn’t get rid of our dog unless we couldn’t care for our child and the dog. Then the choice is obvious. My two cents worth….
April 24, 2012 at 9:43 am
I know the article focuses on food specifically, but after reading the posts I see that people talk about the costs of other things (ie: medicine, vet bills, etc…) I’m curious if folks have looked into pet insurance and whether pet insurance is a worthwhile investment after the monthly fees and the deductible. We are living in the U.S. where pet insurance is becoming a more common thing.
April 24, 2012 at 9:47 am
Here’s a tip for you city folk…. find your local CO-OP feed, UFA if you are out west, whatever place specializes in feed and grain for farm animals.
There you will find 15kg bags of ultra premium dog food for under $20. Also these establishments stock wormer, leashes, brushes, beds, etc. all for substantially less than a pet store.
April 24, 2012 at 10:24 am
We live in a big city and were quoted $2000 to get our cats teeth cleaned and fixed by our nearby vet. That was a tad rich for us and a friend suggested we travel 50 minutes north of the city and see the vet there. The bill was $475. Well worth the $40 we spent in gas.
April 24, 2012 at 10:25 am
For those of who have pets with allergies – I’m curious what the symptoms were that alerted you?
My dogs are healthy & happy as far as I know – but it’s good to know about warming signs.
Also – does anyone have any natural tips for flea & tick prevention on the dogs?
April 24, 2012 at 10:36 am
Why would anyone feed their pets pet food? Because that’s what we think we’re supposed to do. That’s what advertising tells us to do. Why not feed them real food? I recently mentioned to a friend that my dogs get our fish skins that we don’t eat, and my friend said “you can give them real food? I thought it was bad for them”. ???
I buy dog food, but I mix in a can of vegetables or beans every time. It is not expensive and that way they get their nutrition and they don’t eat the same thing every time…gross. They are family members and they get all our leftovers, bananas, carrots, meat, rice, you name it. They love it. If you get a pet, you have to realize that they will cost money and time. Food, vet checks, toys, etc.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
April 24, 2012 at 11:01 am
A friend of mine started making her own dog food about 2 months ago and both she and her vet agree that her dog’s coat is the best it’s ever been. Something to be said for real food.
April 24, 2012 at 11:22 am
Until recently, I had three cats. Two of the three developed medical problems and required prescription cat food which is about four times as expensive as regular Iams pet food which can be purchased at WalMart. Between vet bills, food, and cat litter (and I went through a lot of that as two of the cats had kidney disease), I averaged $125 per month in pet expenses last year.
Earlier this year, I had to have two of the cats “put to sleep” and that was not cheap either. Now the remaining cat needs to have her teeth cleaned…and so it goes. I didn’t realize how expensive it was to have pets until I started tracking my expenses. Thankfully, I can afford it.
April 24, 2012 at 11:28 am
re the flea question by far the cheapest way to prevent flea problems is to let your dog swim every few days Fleas breath air so if you take your pooch for frequent swims you will never have a problem. My folks did this with their last dog and saw one flea (after visiting with another dog) in 13 years. I also do it with both of mine and haven’t ever seen a flea on them.
My dogs have their own EF, which I put $60 a month in to cover non routine vet bills. I switched to this from vet insurance after they were 2 as that limited the chances of genetic coniditions and the premiums kept going up. Barring sometihng like epilispy this is the cheaper way to go but will still leave me covered for if I need it.
Food is hard. I started out feeding the really good food and then realized that my dog was eating better then me! So we switched to the medium quality food and just buy whatever is on sale because my babies have cast iron stomachs but there are dogs in the family that can’t take food switches without very bad digestive issues so know your dog before you do this.
April 24, 2012 at 11:29 am
I volunteer with a rescue as an adoption screener, meaning I phone families and do an initial interview which they must pass before they get set up with our foster homes to meet the animals.
One of the main focuses on our application is about the cost of owning an animal (specifically dogs, since we are a dog rescue). It is absolutely amazing how many people think that a dog costs very little and won’t have medical problems. It’s also heart breaking how many people say that if the dog were to require medical care costing over $2000.00 they would either put it down or send it back to the rescue (or, even more horrifying – sell it on Kijiji).
It is a privilege, not a right, to own a pet. As an animal lover I completely understand wanting to have a pet in your life, but if you can’t afford it you aren’t doing yourself or the animal any favors.
If you don’t have the money and want a pet fix, contact your local shelters and rescues (there are lots of rescues out there other then the Humane Society, which tends to be where people look for volunteer opportunities first) and see how you can help. Not only will you have the chance to visit with lots of great animals, you’ll be contributing to helping a greater cause without putting yourself in debt
(volunteering at shelters is also a great way for kids to learn about the responsibilities of owning a pet, many organizations have volunteer programs specifically for kids)
April 24, 2012 at 11:29 am
I’m finding most of these posts alarming. I work in the veterinary field, and have knowledge on this subject. First off, dogs are NOT small people! They have specific dietary requirements! Cats even more so! Feeding human food is not reccommended in most cases. Secondly, don’t be put off by by-products on the label. This does not mean beaks and feet, but other organs like liver. Price of pet food does not equate quality. A lot of these high protien diets that are all the rage in the pet food industry right now often lead to liver and kidney problems in your pet. By all means, feed these diets. Keep us in the vet. medical field in business. The cheapest pet food you can find in the grocery store is also not a good idea. We relate this to eating fast food every day. Not the healthiest choice. Please get a recommendation from your vet or AHT. Believe it or not, the health of your pet is our first priority! We strive to practice preventative medicine. We would make much more off of you in medical bills if you fed the wrong food to your pet.
April 24, 2012 at 11:40 am
We have a budget of $250/yr for our one kitty, or a little over $20/month. (We have had as many as three in the past). This includes all the medical care needed (watch for the free/reduced cost clinics for vaccinations etc), food, litter, treats and toys. We buy things like food/litter in bulk and store it in airtight containers. I go to the dollar store for treats and toys. You can find the same things at the Dollar store, for less then WalMart, and ALOT less then the “pet stores”.
April 24, 2012 at 11:53 am
I used to get vet care free/reduced cost because my dog was a blood donor. I would take him to the veterinary school a couple times a year. I didn’t get the vaccinations there, but they would take care of just about everything else. We
also got a small bag of food and a box of treats.
http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/hospital/blooddonor/
My dog loved going there – everyone must keep their pockets full of really good treats!
April 24, 2012 at 11:58 am
@melaniesd: our collie’s coat got brittle and he scrathed alot, not a flea in sight. AT first we thought this was weather related-after a very dry winter. Our vet narrowed it down to a possible chicken allergy, apparently quite common? So we do stick to the lamb & rice, or salmon & rice dogfoods ( still need to check ingredients), but we only bought the $100/bag of food from the vet once. Really, $100?? and this was a few years ago and he’s doing fine.
April 24, 2012 at 12:04 pm
We’ve always fed our cats “The Cheap stuff” in the form of kibble and we’ve let them have the leftover plain yogurt from our dishes. Healthy? Recommended ? I don’t know, but the last of our three Fur babies passed away this summer at 22 years old. The other two had lived to 19 and 21.
Our new little buddy has his kibble and plain yogurt and we hope he has a long wonderful life too.
April 24, 2012 at 12:04 pm
More than food, pet owners should be putting money aside for potential vet bills. A recent check up and heart worm prescription for my dog was about $300. This is a known cost. As a long time pet owner I have had some very costly emergencies. Since I have an emergency fund, I have always been able to cover them but I know some families would not and would have to give up their pet.
Something to keep in mind.
April 24, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Stevie, I’m in the US and do the pet insurance for some of my cats, some are basically uninsurable because of genetic conditions. It pays for itself every year, and there is a wide variety in policies. Mine usually returns about a third of the cost back to me.
I have all rescues and they didn’t come healthy. They have their own budget, and I am trying to build their emergency fund to $5000 and then I can cut their budget back. I have had major surgeries for some but their health care is so advanced it’s worth it to me to have my little family members as long as possible.
I would caution about the food choices also, if cats don’t get enough meat in their diet they go blind. If you are going to feed them from scratch, make sure you know what to do.
April 24, 2012 at 12:29 pm
We are 1st time dog owners. Our puppy came home in February and we fed her the same food that the breeder was using (available from pet stores). The first question the vet asked was about her food. I told him what it was and he advised that we keep feeding her that brand and when she changed to dog food we stick with the same brand for about 3 years. He said our breed of dog had a tendancy to develop food allergies so it was better to keep it consistent. If we kept switching we could run the risk of having a dog not able to tolerate much of anything. Since we have zero experience with dogs we will follow that advice. So far she has been thriving. We are taking her to get fixed on Friday though and the cost of that is quite a bit higher than I expected. So because we had little experience, we have been caught off guard about the costs (mostly vet visits) so we will be saving for these in the future.
April 24, 2012 at 1:09 pm
This is interesting as last weekend my DH and I had to buy DOG & CAT food. It’s never happened at the same time, but we went to the local pet store(which is cheaper then Petsmart) and we spent $155 on both large bags of food, and a few cans of food for each animal. We have sort of fallen off part of the budget(mostly DH) but after this he really was like hmmm we need to get back on that budget.
Our dog is almost 2, I have had about 5 different dogs my whole life. From experience the mixed breeds tend to better for health(my parents spent SO much on our dalmations). I find that alot of people who get dogs that i meet, have NO clue about the breed!!! Doing research is the MOST important thing you can do. A good friend got a French Bulldog (she knew what she was doing thankfully) but i learned from that, there is a special vet for them due to lots of health issues and especially when they are fixed etc.
So far are guy is doing great. We do have insurance for him which gives me peace of mind as so many things can happen. He chews on sticks, and runs around crazy. My sisters dog tripped in a gopherhole and ended up having 2 surgeries on his paw. Knowing that if he gets sick, or hurt I wont have to think twice about saving him.
As for the cats, we have a limit on how much to save them. Depends also on the condition, and the quality of life they will have after. I’ve had many cats in my life also, and while i love them, they can dissapear as fast as you get them.
April 24, 2012 at 1:09 pm
We’ve got dogs. The cost of Trupanion vet insurance is well worth it when they need surgery.
April 24, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Our family friends were retired and with a paid off mortgage. Then they got a dog which got a rare blood disorder. They now have a mortgage for $25,000 on their home and spend hundreds on medicine each month. I love animals but would never have been able to make a decision to spend that kind of money on a pet.
April 24, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Our cats have to eat special vet food due to a dietary upset (trust me, you dont want to put them on regular food!). It is very expensive, but I knew when taking in a pet that it may come with unexpected costs. Over the years I have spent thousands on vet bills due to a strong of bad pet health luck.
However, like having kids, you adopt these pets and should provide a good home for them. That means understanding the expense of food, litter, toys, and shots. AND preparing for the unexpected vet bills
April 24, 2012 at 2:23 pm
We have two stricktly indoor cats (age 3 and 5), luckily they are in good health and keeping them inside means they are not exposed to a lot of danger, illness, poison but it doesn’t mean they can’t ever ger sick.
As for their food we have gone through different phases. I used to feed them expensive premium wet food only but I had to admit after a while that it just didn’t work with our budget. Then for a while I cooked for them and gave them mostly just meat that I bought and cooked in bulk. That was fine but I wasn’t conviced that chicken alone was balanced diet. So I went back to wet food but a cheaper brand and recently I have started to mix their food half wet, half dry. They seem to enjoy it and it makes both the cans and the bags last longer.
They also have two cat trees that we got for a great price ( some of those are priced ridiculously high in the pet stores!), they have some toys but I find that cats play the best with stuff they find around the house, empty boxes, strings and not the visually attractive (to the human eye!) toys from the stores!
April 24, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I make my cats’ food (I have 3 cats)–it saves on money and it satisfies my rebellion towards the pet food industry. Our emergency budget includes any possible cat emergencies. Note: I consulted a vet who specializes in nutrition plans for cats. It’s not something you do on a whim–that can endanger your pet.
Gail, further to your comment about meat being the first ingredient: buyer beware! Companies will separate corn products as different things (ie. corn gluten meal, ground corn, etc…). Add them all up, and guess what you get? The corn outnumbers the meat! So, keep a look-out. Also, cats have no use for grains (that’s why they guard the grain from mice! They go for the mice!). That’s why you see diabetic cats nowadays–their food is filled up with grains their bodies cannot handle. I’ll stop now or I’ll go on forever–can you tell I’m passionate about this?
April 24, 2012 at 2:27 pm
One minor point: cat food should ideally have NO carbs or grains at all, premium or otherwise, & esp not wheat gluten or corn derivatives. Cats are not omnivores like dogs (& people); cats are straight carnivores. They are only supposed to eat protein, as in meat. Dry cat food is cheaper & more convenient but is one of the major causes of feline urinary/kidney failure/disease, & feline obesity & diabetes. Leaving a bowl of kibble out 24/7 for the cat to graze on is the equivalent of leaving a bowl of chips out for your kids to snack on all day.
April 24, 2012 at 2:32 pm
I have 13 different animals and my boyfriend has cut back our pet food costs by trading home made raw dog food for his web designs and hosting. I make all of my parrot toys with a drill, wood which is pesticide free and parrot friendly and items from the dollar store – like building blocks and puzzle pieces and beads and my Mum makes the birds all of their tents. We feed the parrots fruit and veggies every day and an egg and the food for the geckos and turtles isn’t very expensive at all. We have a great shop called G & E Pharmacy in Edmonton where you can buy any pet item at a much lower cost than the cost it is at regular pet shops. I am able to still save and stick to my budget even with the pet costs. You just have to take the initative to make a lot of what your pets need instead of paying for a factory made item which is 10x the cost. We also have a great pet sitter who lives in our house while we are away and we feed them and give them a fraction of what they’d all cost to have sat at a professional pet sitting business.
April 24, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Melaniesd – About allergy symptoms – I found out that my cat had allergies when she became extremely itchy all over her body. She would sit for hours and lick herself, especially her stomach area, until all of the fur was gone. This happened last year, and she had just turned 11 (she was perfectly fine before). If you touched her, she would shiver because she was just so itchy. After looking up the symptoms on google, I suspected allergies but took her to the vet to be certain. He confirmed it, and also pointed out that she was showing signs of lethargy as well – not good! We started out with the food that he recommended, and eventually went through 5 more types of food before I found something that didn’t make her itchy, didn’t make my cats ill (I have three) and was also something they all liked.
They have “chosen” an all-natural brand from Petsmart. It’s just over $20 for a medium-sized bag, and lasts about 2-3 weeks. I don’t feed them people-food or even treats because I don’t know if what exactly my middle cat is allergic to might be in the treats. I would say if your pet ever starts showing strange symptoms though, you should definitely have them checked out by the vet. Because of his help, I am much more educated on what to look for in food, and have much happier cats.
April 24, 2012 at 2:48 pm
My husband says our dog(who is the absolute love of our lives) has no salary cap. Gail I read your blog every day and if my dog was our biggest expense we would be rich. She is clipped every 5 or 6 weeks, she only weighs 5 pounds so dog food last forever. But the joy she gives us is priceless.
April 24, 2012 at 3:16 pm
We recently put my oldest cat down due to cancer. She was 21, she never ate high end food, she was a hunter, ate table scraps (ice cream was her favourite) & ate whatever brand was on sale that week. She got regular activity and was very healthy & spry up until the last 6 months. She visited the vet a grand total of four times in her 21 years. 2 of which were the day we found the tumour under her tongue and made the decision to let her go.
We have a second cat that has cost us much more because of a run in with a truck leading to a tail amputation. We don’t spend too much on food though, she is overweight.
The Dog also gets bargain chow, he costs us a little more annually because of shots and had an emergency visit due to a digging mishap. He also gets table scraps and lots of regular activity.
I have seen people waste lots of money on stuff to keep the dog happy when a regular walk is all the pup really needs.
April 24, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I agree with Nicole, though I’m not a vet or vet assistant. Unless a person has specialized knowledge of pet nutrition, I don’t think that trying to formulate a pet diet is a good idea. I have had a dog and cat, and I fed both a high-quality pet food until they got older and developed health problems. On the advice of their vet, I switched them to prescription foods specific for their conditions. If I would have tried to cook from scratch to feed my cat, who was diagnosed with kidney problems, I likely would have caused more damage by feeding a diet that was too high in protein. Vets are there to help you and your pet; use their knowledge to make good decisions. I also agree with the previous posters who stated that you should research typical amounts for pet care, and budget for that amount. If you honestly can’t afford it…volunteer at a rescue group. Many groups are looking for foster homes for animals, and often, all the food and supplies are provided. So, you can get the companionship of an animal, and help the animal find a new home
April 24, 2012 at 5:04 pm
What a timely post! We just adopted a cat today! We are so excited to have this little guy in our life, it is nice to read all the comments so I can make sure he has the best care possible. Thanks Gail and everyone for all the info!
April 24, 2012 at 5:23 pm
We are probably not supposed to promote brands but the Kirkland dog food at Costco seems to be a good dog food at a very reasonable price. It generally gets a pretty good score on different web sites that rate dog food. My 18 month old dog has thrived on it since he was a young puppy. Costco also has great customer service; I have seen a woman return an opened 40 lb.bag because she changed her mind.
For any one who needs to scale back on pet related costs this may be a good option. Their other pet supplies are also very reasonably priced, but they tend to come and go so you have to buy what you want when you see it.
April 24, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I have spent thousands on my two dogs… high quality home-cooked food and vet care is expensive in my city and I am glad we have the means to pay for it. I have no human kids and the pets are our kids – the joy they bring us is immeasurable. I have a big emergency fund for vet care, and I have used it several times. Pets are precious – my belief is you should do the best you can with the means you have at your disposition, whatever those means are.
April 25, 2012 at 11:08 am
This is such a touchy subject for us. We spend a lot on our dog and I don’t mind. In fairness we do have the money to spend but still. Our dog has had some stomach issues and we couldn’t find a kibble that seemed to work for her that also worked for us (ie seemed like a healthy brand). We decided to make the switch to a raw food diet. There is a few great stores in my area that specialize in the diet and they are really helpful and make sure she is getting everything she needs. Our dogs food when bought bulk is $180 a month. At first I was appaled by the cost but since we made the switch she doesn’t have gas (which is huge because shes a boxer and they are known to be very gasy), she has solid poops and only 2 times a day and they have very little odor and her coat is super shinny. Not to mention she absoluley loves it! She also gets freash veggies and fruit as treats. Between this cost and the cost we spend to put her in daycare 2 times per week our little girl costs us about $400 a month. Again we have the money to do this and we both agree that the daycare she gets is worth it’s weight in gold! With her being so high energy daycare helps her get rid of that pent up energy and she gets all her dog socializion that she misses being an only dog. I think as she ages and slows down a bit (she’s only a year old now) we will likely only send her to daycare once a week or I’ll be home when we have kids and we wont need it. AT the moment we don’t have kids so the cost is fine but when we do we will have to make sure all our babies (2 legged and 4 legged) are taken care of to the best of our abilities which may mean making sure our incomes are enough to pay for it all. When we got our dog we knew it would be expensive and we accepted that. She has been worth every penny and we will keep caring for her whatever the cost even if it means being creative with our budget. To me a pet is like a child. You can’t take it back once you have it and it’s up to you to do what ever it takes to provide and care for them to the best of your ability.
April 25, 2012 at 1:06 pm
My dogs mean the world to me and I would never give them inferior food. Having said that, I don’t think pet insurance is the way to go, because someone who takes care of their pets and feeds them right should not have too many bills. Unless a freak accident happens. And I don’t like planning for the unplanned. A more sensible solution, in my opinion, is to join a vet discount network, such as Pet Assure (or United Pet Care, but I don’t think that’s available everywhere), and pay a small amount a month to receive a percentage off at the vet. Works a treat for me!
April 25, 2012 at 3:49 pm
You’d be surprised and sickened by what goes into pet foods. If you wouldn’t eat that crap for fear of what it would do to your health, why would you ever feed it to an animal? Pay more for great food up front (or best of all, make your own) and save lots in vet bills down the road. Most dry pet food out there, even “vet recommended” stuff, is garbage. Vets are NOT nutritionists. Dogs and cats are not really made to eat dry food (kibble)—-it just is not good for them, and is one of the main reasons we are seeing skyrocketing obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes in pets (just like we are in humans—-all the crap we eat).
At any rate, I find it a shame that so many people refuse to open their homes to dogs and cats in need because it might cost some money. I live with two dogs and three cats, and I don’t regret a penny I’ve spent on them. Then again, if you can’t be bothered to provide good health care, maybe it’s best if an animal does not get stuck in your home. Just my thoughts. Oh, and tutus and little booties really are NOT necessary for dogs and cats. Save some money there
April 25, 2012 at 3:57 pm
PS Don’t feed cats or dogs a diet of COOKED food! Raw is what they need, NOT cooked
PPS Loved the comment about fostering–doesn’t cost you anything and helps an animal in need until a home can be found. LOVE it
April 26, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Mine are fed a good quality low carbohydrate food. They’re healthier, better coats, poop less, and eat less. Between the litter, time spent grooming, and how long each bag lasts, it hasn’t been all that expensive. Compared to the whiskas they came with when I got them.
April 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Maybe it’s because I grew up rural (read: pragmatic), but I wouldn’t, at this point, be spending vast amounts of money on my 12 year old dog or my 15 year old cat. They simply are not capable of understanding why they would be subjected to a great deal of terror (carrier, vet office, blood draws, xrays, surgeries) when their anticipated length of life is not outweighed by the lack of quality of life they have left.
I’d really have to ask myself, for whom am I investing this money? For an animal, especially an older animal, a longer life is not necessarily a better life. I believe it is the hardest, and most responsible act of a pet owner, to determine when the potential happiness quotient is overwhelmed by the sickness/sadness quotient and make the decision to mercifully end their life.
To that end, I try and ensure their life with us IS happy (and minimize vet bills!), and that includes feeding a high-quality, grain free food for both the cat and dog, with appropriate supplementation of fish oils and raw bones. My dog is not at all itchy and the cat yacks way less on a quality, balanced pet food.
I do believe that all meats are NOT considered equal: just because proteins etc. are at similar levels as measured CHEMICALLY between brands and ‘qualities’ of food, does not mean that source quality doesn’t matter. It’s not lips & beaks vs. steak, but meat from a grass fed organic animal will have more bio-available nutrients than a GM-corn eating feedlot animal with vitamins added. Organic truly has more nutrition than conventionally farmed foods, and the cost is worth it to my family, including our pets.
May 2, 2012 at 6:09 pm
All my adult life my current pet (usually a cat) has come with a $1,000 credit — that is to say, basically seed money for shots and extraordinary vet costs. Several years ago, I started something new — I call it Barnaby’s Skateboard account and I deposit $50 on the first of every month. When it gets to $500, I buy a GIC. What comes out of the account is vet visits (and any medications) and cat care when I am on vacation. So this is kind of like a self-administered medical insurance plan for him. (BTW, his food and litter come out of a separate budget).
While this is not really “pet savings”, what it gives me is peace of mind if and when there is a medical emergency, which will happen sooner or later as he ages.