We all love our pets, but at what cost? The reality is that pets aren’t cheap, knowing that, we have prepared some easy tips for saving more money on your pets!

1.) Buy the right dog food

Making sure your pets have a healthy diet not only keeps them happy, but it keeps your wallet happy. You might be thinking to yourself, “wait, healthier diet means more expensive pet food, how exactly is that saving me money?” Well, let me explain.

Yes, healthier pet food is more expensive, but is the cost justified? The answer is again yes.

Pet food often contains animal fats and oils that help add flavor and nutrients. The problem is that these key ingredients will spoil over time. In order to combat this problem, pet food manufacturers started using artificial and natural preservatives to ensure the products wouldn’t turn rancid after a few days. The health problems (and increased pet expenses) come when you buy pet food with certain artificial preservatives, like ethoxyquin.

What is ethoxyquin? Well aside from being an artificial preservative found in many popular brands of dog food, it is used as a pesticide, as well as a hardening agent for making synthetic rubber. The FDA is currently investigating this additive’s relation to certain liver and blood problems in pets. In fact, this additive is not permitted for use in Australia, or the European Union according to dogfoodadvisor.com.

So what’s the point in telling you this?

It’s simple, cutting corners on things like dog food just to save a few bucks in the short term has the potential to not only jeopardize your pet’s health, but to cost you more money. The longer your pets eat food with artificial preservatives, the more likely they are to develop health problems, which leads to higher vet bills and costly medicine. The reality is that most commercial dog food brands contain artificial preservatives; this is an example of one. Don’t settle on cheap pet food because it might end up costing you more than just money in the long run.

2.) Shop online

Shopping for your pet’s supplies online is a simple and easy alternative to driving to the pet store. There are several advantages to searching online for your pets products, such as the ability to compare prices and do research on comparable products to see which one is the best for your pet.

With resources like RetailMeNot.com, saving money is literally just a click away. Check out this awesome pet supply coupon page to help you save more money online.

The biggest advantage of shopping online is that it’s a one-stop shop. You can literally find anything you need to help your pet stay healthy and happy. If you’re looking for more pet supply discounts online feel free to check out petsupplies.com.

3.) Create a pet budget

Let’s be honest, pets aren’t exactly cheap. Their unwavering love for us makes it worth it, but the reality is that pets can sometimes become a financial burden (you would never let them know that of course). Making sure you have enough money to pay for your pet’s needs can help you remain financially responsible while still being able to spoil your fuzzy friends.

Creating a budget for your pets is the easiest way to do just that! This budget should be able to cover their food, vaccinations and medicine, and a few toys each month.

According to the ASPCA, the average cost of owning a medium sized dog (30-50 pounds) and a cat is about $1,365 a year, which is about $113.75 a month.

These are just averages, but this should give you a general frame of reference when trying to decide how much money you should put aside each month for your pets. ASPCA has compiled an itemized list for some of the most common household pet costs, you can check it out here!

Creating and sticking to a pet budget will help you stay on top of and prepare for the costs associated with your pets.

4.) Prepare for emergencies

Preparing for an emergency is tough because you don’t know when it will happen or how severe the damage will be. These instances will often leave a pretty big whole in your budget if you don’t prepare for them. Setting aside some money each month toward a pet emergency fund will not only lessen the financial blow should something terrible happen, but it will give you peace of mind knowing that you will be able to get your pet the care they need when they might need it.

Well how much money should I put aside?

This is a tough question because pet emergency costs vary so much. Factors like age, activity, diet, and overall health will generally determine how much you should put aside. For example if your dog or cat is 13 years old, chances are they will likely need some form of medical care, meaning you will need to put more money aside. It’s hard to guesstimate how much you would need to put aside, so we found this chart of the top 10 most common medical surgeries that both cats and dogs need and their costs to give you a better idea of what an emergency might cost you.

Yikes! Cancer of the liver for dogs costs how much? $8,539? Not many people would be able to fork out almost $10,000 for one pet surgery. These are just averages again, but they should give you a pretty solid idea of how much pet emergencies can end up costing you without pet insurance.

The alternative to putting money aside each month would be to purchase pet insurance. With the continual increase in pet surgery costs, purchasing pet insurance is becoming more common, but the question becomes is it worth the cost?

The answer really depends on the health and age of your pet. Generally speaking, the older your dog or cat is, the more likely they are to run into health problems. As a general rule of thumb, once they reach age 10 it might be smart to start looking into different pet insurance plans to see if any of them will work for you.

An important side note: even if your pet is younger then 10, it is still smart to start putting money aside especially if you don’t plan on getting insurance. Just because they are young doesn’t mean they are invincible. Remember, putting a little money aside for an emergency is much better than not having any when something does actually happen.

Well, which pet insurance is the best?

That all depends on your pets needs, but don’t worry we have already done the work for you! We have included a link for the 10 best insurance companies online right now. Check it out and see if any of them work for you!