Comments on: Kyle’s Coupons: Love Your Pets, Frugally of Course!

By: remote trainer

remote trainer — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:16:20 +0000

The list is fantastic! It is helpful for someone like me who’s a bargain hunter. Thanks!

By: dog wormers

dog wormers — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:02:44 +0000

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.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:40:14 +0000

#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.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:37:14 +0000

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.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:00:22 +0000

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.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:31:46 +0000

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.

By: Trish

Trish — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:32:20 +0000

We just got a puppy last week, so this is very timely. Thanks!

By: MoneyBeagle

MoneyBeagle — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:20:29 +0000

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.

By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:31:42 +0000

@ 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:

By: Coupon Artist

Coupon Artist — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:26:14 +0000

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.