This is a timely post, as Liz and Sam are insisting the Being Frugal family will be proud puppy owners after the move.
The following is a regular feature by Kyle of Rather-Be-Shopping. If you like this post, consider subscribing to his blog’s RSS feed.
My wife and kids, and I, have a couple furry friends at our house. A Golden Retriever and a Basset Hound to be exact. Quite a combo! They are best buddies and they look like the old-time cartoon characters ‘Mutt and Jeff’.
The bottom line is that pets can get expensive, especially if you give them monthly flea and tick medicine. Since we live out in the country and have a lot of ticks around, this is a necessity for us. Now if I can only keep the poison oak off their fur! Our 1 year old girl came down with a poison oak rash a couple weeks ago, and needless to say, we don’t let her pet the dogs now unless they have had a bath recently.
But there are some things you can do to cut down on the cost of being a pet owner. Here are a few things we do that help quite a bit.
~ Ask Around About Vets. - The veterinarian closest to your home might not be the most affordable. When getting a new pet, ask friends and neighbors, who own animals, which vet they use and what their experience has been. Make an informed decision about the vet you will choose. Nothing worse than picking a vet and then getting your first vaccine and physical exam bill and having it be way more than you expected. I would recommend finding a happy medium as you don’t want a cheap vet who you don’t trust with your pets either.
~ Buy Supplies Online. - I buy all of their heart worm medicine and flea/tick treatments from 1-800-PetMeds.com. I get it for 15% less than what our veterinarian charges for the same exact stuff. I have not had any problems with their service and they send me handy email reminders when I need to order more. They also have online coupons which I have included at the bottom of this post.
~ Groom Yourself. - I assume you already do this every morning! But I am referring to grooming your pets yourself. Rather than using an expensive professional dog groomer, you can buy clippers and give him/her a haircut yourself. I do this with our Golden Retriever at the beginning of every summer and it saves us a lot of money. Although, I have a feeling that people that do take their dog to a groomer probably aren’t into frugal living in the first place!
~ Get Creative / Thrift Stores. - I make my own dog toys! A little imagination and some spare parts and you are good to go. I take some old string or rope and old tennis balls, put a small hole in the balls and thread the rope through the hole and I have a great throw, chew, and pull toy that entertains both our dogs for hours. Also, keep an eye out for second hand toys, bedding, and supplies at thrift stores. We scored a great deal on a barely used dog house at out local thrift store a couple years ago.
Feel free to add your own tips. Does anyone make their own dog food? How about carry pet insurance? And of course, here are some online coupon codes to help you save even more.
1-800-PetMeds.com
Get 5% Off your Entire Online Order
Coupon Code: WEBC5
Expiration: 12/31/08
See All: 1-800-PetMeds Coupons
PetCareRX.com
Get $10 Off your $100+ Online Order + Free Shipping
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 8/31/08
See All: PetCare RX Coupons
Petco.com
Get 15% Off your $100+ order through this link
Coupon Code: affloy
Expiration: 8/21/08
See All: Petco Coupons
PetSmart.com
Get 10% Off your Online Purchase through this Link
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 8/04/08
See All: PetSmart Coupons
Pet Food Direct.com
Get 10% Off your Online Order
Coupon Code: PER10PCT
Expiration: 8/31/08
See All: Pet Food Direct Coupons
Entirely Pets.com
Get 5% Off your $35+ Online Order
Coupon Code: JULY4TH
Expiration: 7/31/08
See All: Entirely Pets Coupons
Target.com
Get $5 Off your $50+ Online Order through this Link
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 9/30/08
See All: Target Coupons
Kohls.com
Get 10% Off your Entire Online Order (combine with coupon for free shipping on $75 or more)
Coupon Code: NEW1082
Expiration: 8/02/08
See All: Kohls Coupons
Photo by Tostie14.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:52 am
My girlfriend has a dog so this has been really helpful. Thankyou
July 30th, 2008 at 7:21 am
I have heard that some insurance companies are now offering pet insurance. I don’t know much about it, but if it covers vet costs or medicine costs, it could definitely be worth looking into.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:29 am
I have pet insurance for my dog and it’s only $13/month. It covers about 50% of vet costs, so if my dog ever got sick, I would be able to afford to take care of her.
As for toys, I go to the dollar general store a lot. They have a decent selection of toys and they’re definately a lot less than PetSmart or places like that. Considering my dog is in the “im going to gut toys” phase, it saves me a lot of money giving her a $1 toy and havig the fuzz all over my living room instead of spending $15 for a toy with all the fuzz everywhere.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:58 am
What about this as a frugal idea when it comes to pets: only buy a pet you can eventually eat. That way you know that all your tender loving care will eventually pay off in a very big way when you have a 1500 pound Holstein dairy cow giving you milk and some very nice cuts of beef. Its a win-win situation if you ask me.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Great article. We are looking for a Vet now. We adore our pets but are constantly looking to save money.
We groom ourselves (we bathe them using Johnson’s Baby Shampoo & Murphy’s Oil Soap which makes their coats very shiny… an old Dog Show Secret).
We also feed exclusively raw food (aka raw meat). Our research helped us decide this was better for them than kibble, and will ultimately save on vet bills in the long run because we believe they will be healthier. Plus, during hunting season we get a lot of free range venison meat for free, so its a win/win!
We’ve also started using more natural/herbal medicines and less of the over-the-counter standard pest prevention. Neither dog has had a flea on them, since we built up their immune systems with the raw diet, and started using a homemade bug spray.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I have some different scenarios that make being a frugal pet owner a little harder. I would appreciate any advice.
1) Our oldest dog cannot tolerate being groomed, which has gotten worse since she has gotten older. As in she growls all through a bath and tries to bite us if we come NEAR her with a brush. I know this is a behavorial issue but we just take her to be groomed to avoid the drama. We do have them cut her very short though so her groom lasts about 3-4 months.
2) The same dog also was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago, so she now has a special diet, insulin, syringes and regular glucose monitoring. I purchase her insulin and syringes at Walmart (I called around–they were cheapest) but everytime we take her to the vet for monitoring it is $85. If she is having a problem–like she has been for the past two months–we have to take her more often. In the past two months, I bet I have spent close to $600 on her. It’s hard. Very hard. And always unexpected in a way, but in a way, not.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:31 am
@ Joe: Neat trick getting milk AND meat from a cow!
I wrote an article recently about how much our 2 Great Danes have cost us over the last 8 years:
July 30th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I use a site called National Pet Pharmacy (www.nationalpetpharmacy.com) or their sister site Pet Food Direct (www.petfooddirect.com). Both offer prescriptions much cheaper than I get at the vet, and they also sell regular food and supplies. I often get non-prescription food for the same (or better) prices than going to the store, even after factoring shipping. The trick here is that you have to check for coupon codes that give their ‘maximum’ discount which is 22%. They’ll e-mail about once or twice a week, and typically 1 of every 4 e-mails has the ‘best’ code.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
We just got a puppy last week, so this is very timely. Thanks!
July 31st, 2008 at 6:31 am
For regular vaccinations we take the dog to a traveling clinic that comes to the pet store every 3 or 4 months. It doesn’t take the place of regular vet visits, but it does lower the total cost.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
The best tick control if you live in the country? Chickens. Since we got chickens I haven’t seen a tick on any of our dogs. The chickens eat the ticks. They also lay eggs. Another win/win.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I should mention too, that we have a hobby farm and do all our vaccinations ourselves. We buy them at the local feed store. Even rabies, although vets will tell you that they won’t dispense rabies vaccines, some livestock feed stores will. It’s not hard to do, and saves a ton. Last vaccine I picked up at the feed store for the dogs was $5.00 as opposed to $40 plus a mandatory “wellness exam” at the vets.
We also gave up on cows, but have goats. Goats give milk in a much smaller package and are bonus weed whackers. Doesn’t take much to keep goats. They also have very fun personalities.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:40 pm
#1 tip? ADOPT! DON’T SHOP.
There are too many ethical reasons to choose a pet from a shelter or rescue, and cost is just one extra perk. You can honestly find any breed, any age at a shelter if you’re willing to hunt around a bit (easy with sites like http://www.petfinder.com). In addition to including a pet’s most costly initial vet care (spay/neuter, vaccines, heartworm test, feline leukemia test, etc.), many groups can also get you special deals on pet health insurance and training.
Keeping your pets licensed and safely contained (indoors) can also be a money-saver, avoiding vet bills for auto or wildlife “interactions,” and costly fines from animal control.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:02 am
if you are planning to own and raise a pet, you should be prepared with the costs accompanied in raising them. it’s like having a human baby that you have to supply its daily needs in order for the baby to grow strong and healthy. That’s why people who own pets are called pet lovers. through thick and thin, they will raise the pet in the most pampering way.GOOD LUCK to all pet lovers.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
The list is fantastic! It is helpful for someone like me who’s a bargain hunter. Thanks!