[Debbie]

I consider myself extremely frugal but I’m struggling when it comes to my dogs. I have 2 Labradors and just their annual shots and flea/tick and heartworm is now $600 each per year (must do oral flea/tick as we hike in the woods).

I’ve priced out numerous vets. I have paid out $900 in pet insurance for non-routine care this year which I’m thinking is a crock.

A decent quality dog food is $50 per dog a month with an employee discount. Pet sitting costs when I travel for work or to see family is crazy (but cheaper than kenneling 2 dogs).

I’ve had to take my youngest dog to the vet 3 times this year as she’s had a few health issues and it’s only now I’ve met my $500 deductible. Will they pay?

All told I’ve got over $3,000 in my dogs this year and I’m frugal! I don’t buy them fancy treats or toys or accessories.

We don’t do dog day care or pay dog walkers/poop scoopers. They are lucky if they get a $1 stuffed toy from Goodwill every 3 months and a 10lb box of generic milkbones for $9.99.

What am I doing wrong? How can I save $$$ and keep the dogs. Should I axe the pet insurance?

[Regan]

Owning pets is not cheap or easy.

I don’t have pet insurance. I don’t think it’s worth it (for me). I’m “self-insured”. What this means to me is that I have a savings account for routine expenses. And for non-routine emergencies, I have a specific dollar amount in my head that I will not go over to save a pet.

I love my pets, but won’t go bankrupt for them. I’m a bit too pragmatic (I call it realistic) for some people on this uncomfortable subject. I know some folks would re-mortgage their house for a surgery for their dog. I don’t judge. But I think it’s very important to know ahead of time (before the intense emotion of a traumatic event) what you are comfortable/capable of spending.

Because we all know it’s not if, but WHEN they will have an emergency vet visit!

Preferred: What are some frugal ways to handle fleas with 4 dogs? It gets pretty expensive!

[Nancy]

Do the math backwards. You are paying about $8 per day for unrelenting love and devotion, joy and comfort. That’s pretty inexpensive in this day

[Cindy]

I order my heartguard from pet shed and avoid the unnecessary yearly testing. It’s a lot cheaper from them and it doesn’t require a script. After a dog is three years old I do not vaccinate. My close friend is a vet and she said we are causing health issues and older dogs don’t get those puppy diseases by over vaccinating dogs but they r taught in veterinary school that it brings in revenue to vet offices.

[GloriaLewis]

To be honest, maybe I should but I don’t add it up it’s like having a child and I’m going to do what I have to do to keep them.

I’m not going to not have my animals so I just figure out how to make it work because I’m not going to rehome them that’s not even a question (animals is five parakeets, two cockatiels one hand tamed, two lovebirds, 12 finches,a 20 gallon fish tank, three rescue dogs.

We did have a cat but we lost her a few years ago it just shy of 14)

[A.J]

Hard to do, I know! And the vet costs keep rising and the pets age, too. I put money in an envelope each pay towards the care of my 2 geriatric cats. It doesn’t cover everything but, when something unexpected comes up, I often have a couple of hundred in there to help reduce the shock.

I have also put money away for their final vet trip (if needed) and cremation.

I started this after a similar experience with pet insurance-they had so many exceptions and gaps and loopholes that I figured I’d never get out of it anything even close to what I put in so I started this DIY version.

[Karen]

I feel that this is one of those things you can’t really skimp on without sacrificing quality. I save on everything else so that I can take good care of my pets. The most I can do for savings is pet insurance and buying food in bulk.

[Carol]

I have spent thousands on a Frenchie I rescued 5 yrs ago. All they told me was that he had a sensitive stomach. It was much worse, diarrhea, vomiting, duff dig foods. But I had a wonderful vet and we were finally able to get on top of it. Now he has allergies, corneal erosions ( on med for this so he no longer gets them), fungal infections.

I spend 100,/MO for allergy med, 50/mo for eye med and over 100/MO for special dog food. But I love him dearly. I never tried for pet insurance as he was already 5 with numerous problems so I just assumed it would be too expensive. I have changed my mindset about the money, vet charges and my dog. It helps. Vets deserve every last penny as they work so hard and see the worse of humanity.

The advancement of technology also raises costs. The only thing I can say is decide on a plan of care and amount you can afford should one of your dogs get sick. My friend just had emergency surgery for her dog and wound up with an 8000$ bill yet the dog died on the table.

You may want to skip yearly check ups for when your dogs are seniors.

I gave up a vacation. Having my dog with me is more enjoyable than a vacation. Sad, pets are becoming luxuries. You may have to give up something you really like.. Sorry for this rambling response but I love dogs.

Appropriate: Is making your own dog food worth it?

[Amanda]

So, one day a decade ago in asked my friend who was a musher how he affords heartworm meds every month for his 20 dogs. He told me you can buy the active ingredient, inviromectin, at tractor supply or other farm stores and dose yourself. DO YOUR OWN DOSE RESEARCH, but I bought a $70 bottle 10yrs ago, give it to 2 dogs monthly, and it hasn’t run out yet.

My younger lab is a trail dog for my husband, up in the mountains and in the woods constantly, we do the Soresto collars and they work great! We’ve never had a problem. $60 and they say 8mos but we just get new ones every February when New England starts to defrost. If you go this route only buy the collars from a pet store. Not online. A lot of online ones are fakes and killing dogs or don’t work. If any of your dogs came from a breeder see if they also sell dog food. Mine does so my food is very cheap. My breeder has been in this game almost 50yrs and when you buy a puppy from them you get a big bag of quality food for free, so a lot of the manufacturers will send them a ton of food for free/cheap because they know if a puppy is started on their food it will stay on their food.

[Joanne]

Milk bones are bad for dogs actually. Full of garbage that will send your dog’s to the vets. Better to make homemade dog treats or just give them pieces of dehydrated fish or meat. Removing milk bones will save you money in future vet bills.

I also make homemade crockpot meals for my dogs. Cheaper and far more healthy for them. It’s a mix of meat or fish on sale, rice and veggies. They love it way more than dog food, it’s healthier, cheaper and it keeps them hydrated better. Dogs aren’t cheap to have. Hope this helps a wee bit

[Doris]

I gave up having pets after my awesome cat passed away. Took to much $$$$. Now I pet sit whenever I can so I can get my fur baby snuggles and spend time with furry friends.

[Gwen]

Raw feeding will help because dogs were meant to eat meat and will in turn not have so many health issues. Our dogs have been fed meat raw and cooked for 15 years and are super healthy. Our local butcher sell dog meat for a very good price. It’s all his trimmings.

We bag and freeze it.

[Margaret]

I donate plasma and make $500 a month. Is there a plasma place by you? The plans I go you have to be 18 to start donating and cant be over 70 years young. You can donate twice a week. The place I go puts the money on a pre paid debit card and you can take out what you need at the ATM when needed.

[Molly]

Check local shelters and PetSmart/Petco type stores. They usually do monthly vaccine clinics where a vet will come in to do vs cines and it’s so much cheaper than at their office.

I personally have never bothered with pet insurance. Instead put the money you would be paying for the insurance into a high-yield savings account until you have ideally $5,000 saved up for emergencies. Before I did that, my dog needed emergency surgery, so I got CareCredit. While I don’t recommend putting opening more credit cards, it literally saved her life. It can be used for human and vet medical expenses and gives you interest free payment plans, ranging from 2-24 months. The retailer sets the timeframe.

[Vanessa]

I order our flea/tick/heartworm med from Australia. That way I don’t need an annual fecal test which obviously means another vet visit. When we lived in the southern US, I was diligent year-round to dosing. Northern US, didn’t need during winter. Save the vet expenses for injuries. Rabies, I do mobile rabies clinics and only pay for the actual shot, not a visit. Other common vaccines can be purchased from farm supply stores and administered by you.

Huge savings just in meds alone!

[Tricia]

Order your pet meds online, you can get them much much cheaper than what you’re doing. If you aren’t taking your dogs where other dogs will be, next time you can do the minimal rabies / distemper and get rid of the rest, although that just saves pennies. As far as food, what are you feeding them?

I have four large dogs and I only buy two bags of dog food a month at $50 a piece which comes to $25 a dog per month. None of mine get milk bones, those things are poison. Mine get fruit and veggies.

When I cut up an apple, I make sure there are no seeds, but I always give everybody a piece.

Same with broccoli, same with carrots, same with green beans, cheese, bread, sweet potatoes, and any meats I’m preparing. When I walk into the kitchen I have a fan club. Serious kitchen groupies.

[Author]

Posts