Saving money while owning a dog is not always easy. Unexpected vet bills, fancy new dog food to try, some revolutionary dog toys, etc. Yet, here are a few cool tips to save a few bucks while caring for your family pooch.
1. Home Grooming Your Pets
Going to the groomer is not a cheap activity so you should probably favor some sort of home grooming schedule. And no, I am not talking about getting a mobile groomer to visit you, I mean you clipping your own dog’s hair for instance. While it may sound a little overwhelming, it is really not that hard.
Just buy the right grooming equipment and get started with easy tasks like chunking away some extra fur on your dog’s coat. Then, you can start using round-tipped scissors, and so on. It is a lot cheaper and even creates a lovely bond between your dog and yourself.
2. DIY Toys Are The Best
Stop purchasing these expensive dog toys that literally only get completely damaged within days. Check out Pinterest for great DIY toys ideas for pets, and generally, they don’t even cost anything. You just have to use old rugs, pillowcases, socks, shoes, and your dog will love them even more.
If you have rope in your yard or garage, these tend to be amongst dogs’ all-time favorite toys. Socks, especially when stuffed up, get an enthusiastic response. Just don’t overthink the whole process and get started!
3. Buy Dog Food In Bulk
Dog food can be as pricey as you want it to be. Some people go with the cheapest kibble available while others prefer to focus on premium, sometimes even human-grade, dog food. But the surest way to drop the price of feeding your dog is to get some bulk dog food deal. If you absolutely must splurge on treats for your dog, pick long-lasting meaty treats, such as bully sticks or himalayan cheese chews. Go for single-ingredient treats with no additives, preservatives, and artificial flavors and colors. A bully sticks should be made of beef pizzle while himalayan cheese chew should only contain yak or cow milk, citrus juice, and little else.
Basically, it means you can contact your local pet store, tell them you want to place a large order so they can negotiate the price down themselves. Some websites also specialize in wholesale, group, and bulk buying of anything – including pet food.
4. Cheese As Treats
We have all been there as dog owners. We go to the supermarket, browse the alleys, see a dog treat shelf, and pick up any of them. Stop that, now. Take a minute and look at the ingredients list and it is probably full of carbohydrates, refined sugars, grains, and basically, everything but what a dog needs – healthy fats and proteins!
Go with homemade single-ingredient dog treats. You can do your own jerky chicken, parmesan crisps, or just dice up some hard cheese (Cheddar, Gouda, Emmental). It only takes a second and it is way tastier than any commercial product available.
5. Call Your Vet
Many times, dog owners just make an appointment and visit the veterinarian. When, in fact, a quick phone call can suffice. Indeed, you don’t always have to go there to get advice when it comes to small questions! Although, you don’t want to bother your vet weekly either. You can also check FurGenius for the latest dog products that you can get for your dogs.
Get to know your vet and they should make you comfortable to call them up when needed. You can save big in terms of vet bills but time, too…
See, saving money with dogs is totally doable! It just requires a little bit of imagination.