I am hoping this will help a lot of people
Okay I was asked yesterday how to continue giving the best possible pet care when money is so tight.
I guess they figured I would know the answer since we have had so many vet bills lately but I don’t.
We are just taking it a day at a time.
This person who asked told me what they spend on their dogs every month and all the expenses coming up
(Well we are in a similar boat but we are finding the money)
These people are a couple we know, a couple whose dogs are playmates to ours.
They are living on 30,000 a year 1 income right now. She is working but her husband is out of work.
Here is thier breakdown:
Dog food: $60 per month (26lb bag of Wellness core)
Dog bones, Treats, Toys: $25 dollars per month
Grooming: $35 per dog every month (so $70 per month)
Monthly they spend: $155
Now vaccines are due for both dogs so next month on top of the normal $155 they have to get vaccines and its time for a renewel of heartworm meds and flea and tick.
The vet checkups and vaccines is $130 per dog so that is:
Vaccines and checkup: $260
Their flea and tick preventative is $170 (84 dollars for one dog and 86 dollars for the other)
Heartworm preventative: $60 for both dogs to have a 6 month supply
So all NEXT MONTH they will spend: $775
So my question is who in this hard times can we give our pets the proper health care and still pay all the bills?
Give all examples and sugguestions…..hopefully this will help a lot of people.
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My suggestion would be that they make their own dog treats and toys and learn how to groom the dogs themselves.
Learn how to groom the dogs.
Cut the treats, toys and bones costs.
Find cheaper dog food.
Make less regular vet checkups. Dogs that are treated well do NOT need that many checkups!
Use flea and tick CORRECTIVES. That would require spend more time with your dogs, to see if they’re already infested or not. Cost is usually less than preventing with that amount of money.
These solutions could lessen the expenses to $ 500-550, if you’re good at those.
Ok we only have 1 dog we just had a vet visit too and it was around 80 for his shots.Can they not find a cheaper vet?Or maybe get 1 dogs shots 1 month and the other dog shots the next month? They can switch to a different brand of Dog food like Chicken Soup.I hear it is only 1 something a pound,but still a quality food.As for the dog toys they will just have to cut back or go Dollar Tree.Or hide the old toys and rotate them out so it seem like they got some new toys.And either groom themselves or only every other month.
is there no animal hospital where they can get the vaccines for a donation to the hospital
It is not necessary that you (or whoever this is intended for) spends that much on dogfood a month. You can feed them Purina. That’s what I feed my dog and she loves it!
For dog treats… dont spend so much on them either. Get only dog bones or a one chew toy. You can go to the dollar store and get both of them for WOW.. only a dollar!
Groom the dog yourself until you can get the money to take them to a groomer. It may not look the best, but it will get done!
Me and my husband are on a tight income as well… who isn’t right now! And, we just do the best that we can. That is all you can do! Just spend time with them, love them, and give them plenty of exercise.
how bout this.
skip on the vaccines, the dog is already immune, he doesn’t need MORE shots, immunity doesn’t just go away.
does the dog really need 25 dollars worth of toys a month??? really? play with the dog. throw tennis balls, throw a stick, take the dog swimming.don’t waste money on toys.
they can groom the dog themselves. if the dogs are kept in special cuts, then they can go natural for a few months. brush them more to keep mats away.
heartworm you can’t skip on, but flea meds you have other options.
first, buy the next size up flea meds, and divide the little tube in half.
or use something like diatomaceous earth, it is super cheap, all natural, and works amazingly. a years supply is about 10 bucks.
instead of buying treats, use the dogs kibble as a training reward.
FYI, Innova EVO is cheaper than CORE, and is a better food(less carbs)
ADD: Rabies is the ONLY shot required by law anywhere.
You buy a cheaper brand of dog food, you don’t have to buy 25 dollars worth of treats, you can find someone to groom the dog for less, sometimes you can get teenagers to bathe your dog for 20.
There are low cost vaccine clinics that are held in our city every month, look in the newspaper for their details. The vet is only for serious illness not for every little thing.
I haved a maltese and I pay out maybe 50 a month for everything including grooming its all about looking for the bargains and going out of your way to pay less.
Oh check http://www.petmeds.com for low cost heartworm and flea meds.
The problem with their budget, it sounds like, is that they aren’t preparing a head of time. The purpose of budgeting money is so that you have it when you need it. They should’ve been preparing for the flea meds, vaccinations and heartworm meds months ago by setting a side a little bit every month.
If I were them, I would cut out the grooming and the toys. I haven’t bought my dogs toys in MONTHS, i give them a soda bottle (rinsed out) with dog food inside to keep them busy. It’s free and it works. Anything that you see that can be made into a toy will work, like a knotted up sock etc.
Make sure they are shopping around for the best price on the dog food that they get.
when I’m having hard times with money i sell eggs from my chickens outside the house.i know you probly dont have chickens but i was just telling you what i do.i also have a tip for you make your own dog food it is much cheaper it will save you money and is better for the dog look for recipes on the internet.
Shop around for cheaper places to by flea and tick and heartworm meds. Go to a feed store and buy vaccines and give them yourself. Rabies has to be done at the vet and they do need a health check, but all vets don’t charge the same. What I read for your vet visits and vaccinations is ridiculous.
I’d definitely change dog food. Wellness isn’t what it used to be. Investigate ingredients and do some price comparisons.
Dog bones. Go to a small butcher instead of a grocery store (if possible). Get real bones in the meat department vs ones at pet supply stores. Healthier and lots cheaper.
I would like to applaud you and your friends for finding a way to cope and keep your pets. Dogs and cats are flooding shelters everywhere because of economic troubles.
Best wishes to you.
The breakdown for my dog:
We groom the dog ourselves; it’s a lot of money saved for some time. And my dog isn’t small either, I have a golden retriever, so grooming tends to be time consuming. But it saves a lot of money! And with practise you can learn to do it just as well as any professional groomer; I have been told before that I should put my dog in auditions for advertising etc. because he looks so well groomed, but this has come with a lot of practise and effort!
Food: the dog food we buy costs only 40 dollars. There are good brands that cost even less. Iams and Purina dog food is just as good as the expensive brands.
Dog bones, treats, toys: Buy really strong toys; with my big dog, if I buy anything flimsy, he can bite straight through it, sometimes in less than half an hour, and that’s money down the drain. However, buying really good toys once is a really good investment; my dog has toys that he has been attached to since he was 2 (he is now nearly 7 yrs old). He has even learned how to take care of the; he brings them to us if they are dirty and puts them away in his toy box at the end of the day. Again, all this takes training.
We buy him Iams treats; they cost something like 6 dollars, and they are biggish, so we give him half at a time. We have also made a regular schedule for giving treats (its expensive AND unhealthy to feed them too many treats) ; he gets them after walks, and during playtime/training. We also buy dog bones in bulk, and give him one bone once a week; this way he knows what to expect, he looks forward to it, and we don’t end up giving him too many.
Finally: make sure to not cut down on the health costs; because 1. you took the responsibility for it’s life and wellbeing, and 2. neglect of health will end up causing more problems later on. Make sure they get all their vaccines/flea/heartworm treatmets etc.
The monthtly cost for a dog doesn’t need to be more than 60 dollars if everything is planned well.