The following is a guest post by Elizabeth from 20-Something Saver.
A few weeks ago someone gave me a newspaper article about a $1,300 dog collar. Yes, you’re reading that correctly — a dog collar.
There is no doubt that people enjoy spoiling their dogs, and I’m no exception. I can tell you, though, that Cocoa and Oreo are not wearing $1,300 dog collars. They aren’t even wearing $20 collars. They are normal dogs who eat breakfast, walk a few miles a day, and love the dog park and cuddle time.
It seems almost impossible to watch your spending with Fido, but it’s certainly doable.
When dogs eat well, they aren’t sick as often.
Dogs don’t need table scraps, their health is best with regular dry kibble. Buy your dog food in bulk using coupons — many big brands like Pedigree, Purina One, and Nutrish offer hot coupons on their websites.
I know people who try to save money by feeding their dog table scraps and guess what? They usually end up spending a lot of extra money at the vet!
The best things in life are free.
Find a free dog park in your area. Go once a week and make it a special time for Fido. Do your research and save yourself some money.
The biggest expense is grooming.
We spend about $90 at the groomers each time Cocoa and Oreo go. Because it’s so expensive, they only go every eight weeks — which is wonderful. In between visits they are brushed weekly and given a bath if needed.
Splurge on the necessary stuff.
There are some expenses that are worth the splurge. For us, it’s their flea and tick medication. We splurge on that because we’re in the south and it’s hot — therefore, more fleas and ticks. It varies by family, but remember that you don’t have to splurge on everything.
My biggest tip…
Before making a purchase, ask yourself “Would I be embarrassed to tell someone how much I spent on this?” This worked very well when I thought about buying a $49 tuxedo for Oreo.
Remember, your doggies will be happy by just being walked, fed, and loved. They are simple creatures created by God!
Elizabeth is a 20-something learning to live on less. She blogs about her journey of saving money with her dogs at 20-Something Saver.
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Hmm. I typed out a response and it disappeared. (I think.)
I don’t think I can remember it all, so I’ll summarize – I spend a lot on good care for my dogs, not on stuff. I shop around for the right vet for us – one who lays out ALL the options and costs, and lets us choose. One who truly has the dog’s best interest at heart, and ours.
But more than anything – it’s all worth it. Every penny. What they give me is worth far more – unconditional love and loyalty, never ending laughter, company when my husband is deployed, a sense of security, snuggles and kisses… they more than earn their keep, and I feel extremely grateful to be able to take such good care of them in return.
Since this blog is about frugality, I want to say that if you can live without one, the most frugal thing is to not have a pet. I’ve had pets in the past and they are expensive in many ways. If money is really hard for you to come by, I repeat, don’t have a pet. After you acquire one, it’s too late, you fall in love with it.
I work for a vet. The most common problems we see are over weight/obsese pets. Also dental issues. I have heard the Dr. say with my own ears, no matter which brand of food you feed( back of the bag) lessen it by a 1/3 cup. It doesn’t matter if it’s Science Diet or Ol Roy. I have seen major medical issues come from over fed pets ie: Pancreasitis (sp) to torn ACLs. The same with dental issues. Hope this helps some readers.
I definately think quality dog food is the way to gol $35 – $45 on a 40 lb bag of dog food may sound like a lot, but I think they eat less of the quality dog food. Or at least our dog does. The few times he’s gotten the cheap stuff, it seems like he went through it faster. He ate more and pooped more. We have a 45 lb dog that goes through a 35 lb bag of Science diet every 2-3 months. I don’t think that’s so bad. They frequently go on sale at Petsmart, so I can save $5 or so. My last bag had a petsmart gift card in it, which they seem to do periodically.
Heartworm preventative is crucial — do not try to cut corners on this one. Dogs need it every month.
Many rescues taking in dogs that are heartwork positive spend thousands on them. thousands that could have been spent rescuing more dogs if their owners would have been more responsible.
A small tip on saving HUGE money on vet bills: if you can find a large animal vet nearby they are WAY cheaper. They usually don’t have a fancy office, a lot of clerical/tech help to have to pay so you get to share the savings. It may not work in every situation but for basic and preventative care we spent about 1/4 what all the “regular” vets in our area charged. Also, because cats and dogs aren’t their main focus they don’t try to sell you a bunch of extra procedures, tests, etc.
another suggestion…if you live in a metro area, check around at country vets on their prices. it might just be worth a little gas and extra time to make a trip out of town. Also, our vet told us that unless you plan on boarding your pet, you can give most shots at home. We vaccinate for everything(except rabies which our city requires proof of) by buying the vaccines at alocal farm supply place. Dont be afraid to ask for a multi pet discount..we have 3 dogs and 3 cats, our vet will only charge for 1 office visit by us bringing all the dogs at once for their rabies shots, then all the cats. Also, like anything else, ask for a discount if paying in cash(which is what we done at the exotic vet for the oldest’s bearded dragon)
i can hardly see how $90 every 8 weeks on grooming is debt free or any of this for that matter. i have 3 dogs and wash, dip and groom them myself. yes it takes time but i would not spend that kind of money grooming a dog. and NO on cheap dog food.
Science Diet, Pedigree, Purina, Eukanuba are all horrible, horrible dog foods.
If that is all you can afford, I understand and such is life. Costco sells grain-free dog food for under $1 a pound. That’s less expensive than buying the corn-riddled, by-product infused crap at Walmart or wherever you go to shop.
I would encourage pet owners to look into buying higher quality pet foods. While $55 for a 40lb bag of food may seem like a lot, they are made with better ingredients (and less fillers) so you don’t have to feed as much. I used http://www.dogfoodanalysis.org and was shocked to see that the “good” food I was buying was actually junk. Dogs are not meant to eat corn and chicken by-products.
Whoops. Make that http://www.dogfoodanalysis.COM
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