According to research, the average cost of owning a pet like a dog or a cat can range from $1,100 to $3,200 per year, depending on the type of pet and its size.
With rising pet care costs, many owners are looking for ways to keep expenses to a minimum, including food, pet toys, grooming, and other activities.
Keeping your pet healthy, happy, and comfy is like a never-ending responsibility; therefore, you should look for ways to minimize expenses.
Shopping second-hand, grooming your pets at home, making their food yourself, getting preventative vet care, purchasing items in bulk, asking your friends and neighbors to pet sit, and utilizing pet medical insurance are some of the ways that will undoubtedly help you save money.
Read on to learn more on how to save money on pet care.
Ways to Save Money on Pet Care amidst the Rising Living Costs
Owning a pet does not just bring joy and responsibilities, but it also adds extra expenses to your budget.
Once you have a pet under your care, you are responsible for every facet of their life.
Let's check out the ways to save money on pet care amidst the rising living cost.
1.Shop Second Hand
It is not necessary to buy the most expensive offering on the market to have a happy pet at home.
Many items like a pet bed, carrier, clothes, and toys can often be purchased second-hand and save up to 80% of the original price.
Moreover, buying pre-used pet equipment is much more sustainable and eco-friendly than purchasing new items.
Check out your local pet thrift stores or charity shop for second-hand pet supplies.
Do not forget to give the products you bought a thorough cleaning before you bring them into use.
2.Groom Your Pets at Home
Grooming your pet is vital to ensure they stay clean, healthy, and comfortable.
On average, grooming a pet cost between $30 to $90 per session, depending on several factors.
So why not try grooming your pet at home to save most of the cost?
- Clip your pet's nails
- Clean around their eyes and ears
- Bath them
- Trim their coats to remove dead hair, skin, dirt, and dandruff
- Brush their fur
You can buy pet grooming products easily from Amazon, depending on the type of pet and its size.
Grooming your pet at home not only saves costs but also gives you another opportunity to bond and show affection to your pet.
3.Make Your Pet Food Yourself
Skip the expensive treats with high prices. Your pet will be healthier and happier with simple homemade food as it does not contain the preservatives, fats, and chemicals that regular store-bought treats contain.
Not only is it nutritious, but your pet will enjoy it and drastically reduce the number of pellets you have to feed.
You can also try making DIY treats by getting the idea from the internet. There are many free recipes online that you can experiment with, as long as you use safe ingredients.
Similarly, if you have leftovers, make pet treats from them by adding supplementary nutrients and freeze them for later use.
Check the infographic below for more information.
4.Request Your Family, Friends or Neighbor to Pet Sit
It can be expensive for a pet owner to hire a professional to sit for their furry friend if they have to leave home for work.
Pet sitters usually charge an average of $12.50 to $17.25 per hour, which can quickly add up if you leave your pet often for professional sitting.
Instead, ask your family and friends to help take care of your pet when they are free or accessible at home.
Also, you can try to find a responsible neighbor who will be willing to check your pet two to three times a day and fill up the food and water bowl.
5.Get Pet’s Insurance
Pet care costs are rising especially medical and surgical costs.
According to American Pet Products Association (APPA), American pet owners spend about $638 on veterinary expenses per dog each year and $374 on vet bills for a cat.
And if your pet faces an unexpected medical emergency, treatment for your pet could be very costly.
But enrolling your pet in an insurance plan will help offset preventative care costs along with accidents, illnesses, emergency care, and other conditions.
Most pet insurance programs will cover up to 80% of veterinary expenses. This gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you will be able to afford the care and treatment your pet needs.
Thus, insuring your pet as soon as possible is vital. Monthly premiums for pet insurance can range from $10 to $100 based on breed.
However, even a small monthly premium payment can save you thousands of dollars on vet care and help your pets be happy and healthy.
6.Buy in Bulk
Invest in high-quality pet food your budget allows to ensure your pet's health, saving long-term veterinary costs.
Instead of buying the food in small quantities, buy in large bulk. When you buy in bulk, the price will typically be a little lower with discounts, saving you a lot of money.
Online stores like Urban Pet Supply offers considerable discount and special offers when you buy food and treats or subscribe to their monthly food replenishment plans.
If you have several pets, buying in bulk probably makes sense. But if you have just one pet, it might be wiser to create proper storage to avoid the risk of getting your food spoiled.
Similarly, if you have a friend or family member who is also a pet parent and buys the same pet food, consider combining your pet food ration in bulk and split up the cost.
Not only will this enable you to purchase food at a discounted price, but you will have less food to store without worrying about food being spoiled and expired.
7.Provide Preventative Care
It is estimated that one in three pets will need emergency veterinary treatment annually.
With steep costs for emergency vet visits, it is wise to provide preventative care to your pet and avoid expensive emergency vet costs.
- Take your pet for an annual examination with the vet at least once. Even if your pet’s health is fine, yearly check-ups serve to maintain your pet’s health through preventative action.
- Keep up to date with vaccines for fleas and tricks to avoid expensive and unexpected vet bills associated with parasites.
- Regularly brush your pet’s teeth with pet toothpaste to maintain their healthier teeth and help reduce the cost of dental treatments.
Providing preventative care not only keeps your pet healthier and happier, but you can detect any underlying health problems early, reducing the chances of expensive costs.
8.Consider Adopting a Shelter Pet
Last but not least, adopting your pet from a rescue shelter is another great way to get a new pet without spending much.
Over 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized in the USA yearly; therefore, many pets are up for adoption.
Adopting a pet from an animal shelter is a great way to help with the pet overpopulation problem. It will help save the lives of shelter animals that are waiting for a home.
In addition, buying a pet can easily cost $500 to $1000 or more, while adoption costs range from $50 to $100.
Therefore, adopting a pet instead of buying it makes good fiscal sense because it costs far less to adopt a pet from a shelter than to buy one from a breeder or pet store.
Conclusion
Unless you monitor your pet care expenses, you will not realize your expenditures and end up spending more.
With a little extra planning and research, doing all of the above ideas will help to lower the costly vet bills in the long run and leave you with a happy, content pet which is the end goal of every pet owner.
Get in touch with Urban Pet Hospital & Resort, the best pet hospital in Urbandale, for more information.