Comments on: Pet Savings

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:09:20 +0000

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.

By: Lorien

Lorien — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:08 +0000

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.

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:52 +0000

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.

By: flynnycat

flynnycat — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:57:09 +0000

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

By: flynnycat

flynnycat — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:49:02 +0000

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

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:06:01 +0000

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!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:08:31 +0000

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.

By: Tara

Tara — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:57:45 +0000

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.

By: Debby

Debby — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:23:59 +0000

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.

By: Willow

Willow — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:04:55 +0000

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!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:29:05 +0000

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

By: Joy

Joy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:16:42 +0000

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.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:48:50 +0000

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.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:40:29 +0000

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.

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:32:13 +0000

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.