Frugal Family: Cutting the Costs of Pet Care

Pets hold a special place in most families but when finances are tight, pets are normally the first to be affected. According to the staff at WellPet Humane Clinic, a non-profit charitable pet clinic in Chamblee, thousands of pets are put to sleep in metro Atlanta each year because the owners can’t afford to maintain them.

If caring for your pet is putting a strain on your finances, consider the following ways you can cut your pet care costs.

Frugal Food Options

It’s tempting to save money by feeding your pet the cheapest food on the shelves; unfortunately, just like with people, eating overprocessed foods filled with preservatives generally leads to an overweight and unhealthy pet, which will cost you more in the long run. Instead of buying the cheapest food, try to buy healthier food in bulk. How do you determine which pet foods are healthier? Read the ingredients labels! Look for pet foods whose first ingredient is real meat and avoid labels that contain a bunch of chemical ingredients. Once you’ve determined which brands are healthiest, use the internet or call around to comparison shop for prices.

Another option is to prepare your pet’s food yourself. There are several websites that offer recipes for homemade dog or cat food; most are some variation of a combination of protein, carbohydrate, and vegetable such as chicken, rice, and carrots or beef, potatoes, and broccoli. Check the American Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals for a list of pet safe/toxic foods to help you get started.

Keep Your Pet Healthy

It’s easy to put your pet’s healthcare on the backburner when you’re stretching your budget, but again, this strategy may save you money in the short term and cost you much more in the long term. You can save money on healthcare by tackling certain wellness activities such as brushing your pet’s teeth, trimming their nails, cleaning their ears, and keeping them groomed yourself.

Regular check-ups and vaccinations are important for protecting your pet from harmful illness; charity pet clinics like the WellPet Humane Clinic offer discounted services with a sliding rate for people undergoing economic hardships. Other organizations that offer discounted medical services include Paws Plus, a company that hosts discount vaccination clinics in several retailers around the metro area , and Paws Atlanta, a non-profit organization that also offers low cost spay and neuter options. The Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together (SPOT) Society is another non-profit that can help with discounted low to no-cost spay and neutering.