Taking on the responsibility of a pet comes with certain financial obligations. It costs quite a bit of money to ensure the health and well being of your pet. Many pet owners assume that there is wiggle room for expenses such as visits to the veterinarian and food. That wiggle room does exist, however, it takes a little bit of due diligence to find ways to keep pet care costs low. Here are a few things that you can do to keep your pet happy and healthy, while not spending a fortune:
Annual vaccines are integral to the health of your pet. Animal shelters interested in curtailing the number of bites from rabies infected animals offer clinics, and some will perform rabies shots at an enormous savings compared to your local vet.
Spaying and neutering is important. Animal shelters, interested with keeping the pet populations low, offer this service to residents at a significant savings and maybe even for free.
Flea, tick and heart worm medications are imperative in order to make sure that your pet does not get any diseases. Since these medications have to be administered regularly you can see huge savings by simply buying generic brands in bulk.
Grooming can be done at home. Check with your vet to see which shampoos would be best for your pet’s particular coat. If you are not able to shampoo your dog at home, you may want to check around to see if there are any charity organizations that offer pet-washings for fund-raising. These are usually less expensive than groomers, and the money goes to directly to a charity. Many communities also have self-wash facilities, which is a money saver since you wash your dog in the groomer’s facilities. You will surprised to discover that many pet owners take their pets to the groomers far too often, so the less you wash, the more you save.
Annual check ups are necessary and not negotiable. One way to save money is to call around to see if there is a veterinary school in your area, since the students may offer clinics at reduced rates that are supervised by licensed vets.
Another area that pet owners can see savings is through the diet you administer to your pet. You may think that purchasing cheap or generic food may be saving you money but a diet that is not tailored to your pet’s unique dietary needs may cause more harm than good. Just make sure that whenever you can, you purchase the pet food in bulk since it is less expensive than buying as needed. Also, there are many pet food coupons out there if you know where to look.
If you employ some of these tips, you will find that these savings will add up very quickly, and your pet will be well taken care of.
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