[FiveAus]

I have a lot of pets and their general care costs quite a bit of money. I noticed there are quite a few here in this community who have multiple pets too. How do you save on costs?

I use a farm animal product (Avenge sheep drench) as a flea treatment for my dogs. It contains the exact same ingredients as one of the better known spot ons, and it's way, way cheaper.

Diet food for dogs is half their normal ration of kibble mixed with chopped celery, chopped parsley and a spoonful of plain yoghurt. It means I don't have to buy a separate bag of kibble for the fat one, and it's working. She eats it, and she's losing weight.

[Oriental lily]

A vet years ago gave me a tip about spot ons.

If you have small dogs get a large breed spot on pack.empty it in to a container and syringe half out and spread it between two dogs.

So a 4 treatment pack becomes 8

Saves money!

[The Old Bag]

I've not had more than 2 at a time but only large breeds so we get through the food.

Daily diet is chicken carcasses for breakie which are 5 for a dollar from the chicken shop at my local market, cheaper by the box but I rarely have the freezer space. Then the kibble for dinner is padded out with leftover meat/veg/rice or home brand sardines at about 70c a tin.

So we're feeding for less than 10 bucks a week including bones.

I'm keen to see what other tips you get!

[FiveAus]

A vet years ago gave me a tip about spot ons.

If you have small dogs get a large breed spot on pack.empty it in to a container and syringe half out and spread it between two dogs.

So a 4 treatment pack becomes 8

Saves money!

Yes I used to do that when I had two dogs but now I have 5 its still expensive. And they aren't small dogs so there's not much of a saving. Avenge is the same as Advantage. It's also the same as Confidor Concentrate (a garden insecticide) and Merit, a turf insecticide. There are a few other brands too. The Avenge (1 litre) costs around the same as one months treatment for 5 dogs but it will last the rest of my life! I told my daughter in law, she used to be a vet nurse and she already knew about it. Said the vets know, they just don't tell people. My vet knew about it too.

[gina70]

I have 3 cats all on different diets! I am finding City Farmers well priced for food, there is always a special or free item with the food. My 19 year old cat is on perscription food from the vet, but I still shopped around for the best price.

I buy litter whenever it is on special too, in bulk.

I am also starting a 'pet jar' were I will put a certain amount in each week to help pay for vet visits. ($10-$20)

Anyone have any other cat budget tips?

[FiveAus]

We buy our cat litter (Breeders Choice) from a stock supply place. They are much cheaper than the supermarket and stock the 30kg bags. They are also cheaper for brands of dog food such as Supercoat, Bonnie, Coprice etc.

[FiveAus]

This is my favourite place to waste money on dogs. They always have items that ship free worldwide and they change them often. A few weeks ago they had loads of awesome toys........Kong stuff is SO much cheaper in the US......and I got rather a lot for the dogs. And cool coats for the show dogs. No shipping on any of it.

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm


Make sure you click on the What Ships Free link.

[Mousky]

We mix our prescribed dental dog kibble with a cheeper brand, so the vet prescribed lasts twice as long. We also mix a super premium and supermarket brand cat kibble together.

As we have little fluffy dogs, they are groomed every two months. The groomer uses a flea shampoo, so we no longer flea the dogs. Actually I've never seen a flea on them.

We buy our fav litter in bulk from Big W where its $5 cheeper.

Collars are purchased on the internet. We buy very good quality leather ones that last years and they're only slightly more expensive than the pu leather ones in shops.

Found a pet supplies place that sells crickets for $3 cheeper than most places, you just don't get the Gut Load, and since my beardie is a good weight already, he doesn't need it.

P.s love Clean Run, our obedience and agility toys come from there.

This post has been edited by Mousky: 19/12/2012, 09:08 PM

[password123]

Be careful with the use of off-label medications (ie avenge instead of advantage). If something goes awry you will have no recourse with the company or the government regulator.
I work for the relevant authority and the number of reports of issues relating to off label use of product is astounding. I would absolutely not condone the use of home garden products on your pets as they will not have been assessed for animal efficacy and safety. There are other chemicals in them besides the actives.
One real problem is people buying the large dog flea and tick product, and then dividing it up to treat dogs and their cats. Note this product is toxic to cats and clearly says so on the pack. When the cat is dead, the complaints about lack of labelling roll in. Can't get much clearer than a picture of a cat with a cross through it. When I was a vet and I questioned owners about this, they'd say "but that's just marketing so you buy another product for the cat". Hmm.
Sorry for that but it's close to my heart.

[FiveAus]

I tried mixing cheaper kibble with the brand I normally use as I was running low and wouldn't be able to get to a dog show to get some before I ran out altogether. And one fussy bugger went through his bowl and spat each piece of Optimum kibble onto the floor next to his bowl.