**Post updated on 4/9/2018
A recent survey by TD Ameritrade shows that Millennials expect to spend more money on their dogs over the course of the pet’s lifetime than they do on their own lifetime health care costs.
“Millennial respondents said they are willing to spend nearly $2,000 on treatment for a sick pet. And more than 1-in-10 Millennials (11%) said they would shell out a steep $10,000. While they may be mentally prepared to spend the money, not all Millennials are financially equipped to do so.”
Having an expensive breed like the Newfoundland can be quite costly, especially when they get to their senior years.
Here are 10 ways I have tried to save on pet care costs over the years:
Pet Care Rebates
The heartworm prevention that we use offers a rebate program.
It’s available right on their website and the veterinarian office usually has available also but it can only be used when the product is purchased from a veterinary clinic, which is where I prefer to buy our heartworm prevention from.
Buy 1 Get 1 Programs
Our veterinarian office also offers a buy 3 get 1 for free promo on certain flea prevention products.
I can’t get this special through an online retailer. (and before you say that’s probably because it’s cheaper if you buy online, it’s really not, especially when you’re getting free product.
Contrary to popular belief, veterinarians don’t make a killing off of selling products, there’s a very small mark up on flea and heartworm prevention. Go ahead and price it with the rebate or free product) There is also usually a coupon available on the product’s website to print off and take to your vet.
Frequent Buyer Programs
I buy our food from a place that offers a frequent buyer special. Buy 10 bags of food and get your 11th bag free. That’s huge seeing how fast we go through dog food around here. About 3-4 times a year I’m getting a free bag of food, saving me at least $200 per dog.
Feed appropriately and healthy
Overfeeding your dog or cat is like throwing money away. Follow the daily calorie requirements for your pet and feed accordingly.
The higher the quality of the food the less they need and the longer the bag lasts.
My dogs get 4 cups of food a day per dog, plus other things. That’s 2 cups of food at each feeding and they are 150 pounds.
It kills me when people who have a dog that is half the size of my dog’s size and are feeding the same amount of food a day.
Either they’re not paying attention to how much food their dog needs or they are feeding a food that has a lot of fillers in it so the dog needs to be fed a higher volume to reach the recommended calorie intake.
Pet Loyalty Programs
The place where I buy food also has a loyalty rewards program so whenever I make a purchase there I rack up points towards future purchases. I can’t use the points to get free food but I can use it for toys and other fun stuff So I’m getting free food a few times a year and other free products.
Do it yourself pet care
I’ve been spending a lot of money on dog treats and I really don’t need to be so I’m cutting back on store-bought treats and making our own healthy treats. It’s cheaper and better for them.
Absolutely, I still buy them some fun treats, but not nearly as much as I was.
Grooming supplies
Sure there’s an initial cost to getting all the grooming supplies that you need and there may be a slight learning curve depending on the breed that you have but doing all my grooming at home has saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the past 7 years.
Conversation
Believe it or not, striking up a conversation with someone who is in the pet care business can lead to tons of free product, especially when you give them a little shout out on social media or take the time to write an email.
Most smaller companies really enjoy receiving positive feedback about their product and will sometimes offer a discount or sample for your efforts. Don’t expect it though and don’t do it just to get free product.
I only do this with products that I honestly like and use. Be nice just to be nice and see what happens. Maybe there’s a coupon or something waiting for you.
Pet Insurance
It might not sound good at first but one day you’ll be thanking your lucky stars that you got it and kept it. Accidents happen, dogs get injured and dogs get old. Pet insurance can help pay for that and can save you thousands of dollars per year.
Pet Contests
There are so many great pet-related giveaways out there and I’m not just talking about treats and toys.
There are pet care giveaways too. I’ve won some great ear cleaners, supplements and grooming supplies that have saved me tons of dough. Where can you find these contests? Blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are where I find the most.
Almost every pet-related company is going to have a contest once in a while so make sure that you’re following your favorite pet products on their social media sites so you have a heads up on their upcoming contests.
Of course, working in various areas of the pet industry also helps me save money on pet care but that isn’t an option for everyone.
So how about you? Any tips to share on how you save on pet care costs?
Other posts you may be interested in:
Homemade Paw Balm
What To Do When Your Dog Is Limping
5 Easy Ways To Stop A Dog’s Bleeding Nail
Vaccine Reactions. Some Dogs Have Them And Some Dogs Don’t.
Antoinette
Sunday 11th of April 2021
Thank you for all your advise, my 2 newfies, are not big eaters. Oh yes when they want to its look out. They are mostly grazers but would rather nibble on green veggies apples zucchini broccoli etc. my cooper loves strawberries and watermelon firm bananas, my indie oh well only if she’s in the mood for fruit. Her favorite crispy kale broccoli spinach apples. My daughter spends $$ on there proper food for allergies. But either they eat it or not. They pick out the added vegetables. Rain snow fog etc, they just want to hang outside. Find favorite tree shit under it. But let a squirrel bird ect on the fence and they stare at it bark a bit run lengths of the fence , wont hurt it but think why wont you play with us.so next best thing is they BREAK the tree branches that they can reach, and its a site to see with them carrying it in there mouth. My ( female) INDIE has to have a stick in her mouth all the time, but brings her little squeaky toy, next to her sticks. OH if i only had a giant size doggy door, IN /OUT ALL DAY long.!!MY (male) COOPER learned how to open the door! BUT HE doesn’t close it. I guess newfies do there own crazy things. And then they come in plopping down on the throw rug, lift there paws arm ! SCRATCH my arm pits give me scratches please. I really enjoy your information on your babies.. my daughter lucked out when she rescued them from a hoarder house. At the time my 13 year old lola( schnauzer) took them on as her babies. When she passed at16, my male cooper has continued to look for her and hasn’t come downstairs since January 2019. The love Newfoundlands give is unconditional,yes the Hair and dirt they love to sit in is alot, BUT THE LOVE of mushy extra large babies is the BEST and very entertaining. To all newfie parents its a real experience.
DogsToLove
Saturday 15th of October 2016
Loyalty programs have worked best for me until now. After one year, the saving cost was numbered up to $200. Thank you for the post!
Jason
Tuesday 6th of September 2016
Spot on list! I think that number four is espescially important. You will spend so much more money on taking care of an obese dog. Many do breeds are prone to hip problems. Putting on extra weight reduces the quality of an already short life.
Lucky Paws
Monday 8th of August 2016
My wife and I have one dog and she absolutely loves to be groomed. She always gets really excited when she sees me pick up the brush and I totally agree when you say it promotes quality time. I have been thinking about some more heavy duty dog grooming here in Clayton, NC and maybe getting some tips on what else I can do. Thanks for the tips!
besttanninglotion
Sunday 12th of June 2016
great ideas, thanks for the help !!