Companion animals are the family members we choose and in Australia,
we love them so much we spend over $6 billion on them a year. They say
the best things in life are free but when it comes to having healthy,
happy pets it’s just not true. As the daughter of a vet and an avid
animal lover, here are my top tips for keeping your Mr Bigglesworths and
Beethovens pleased.
Don’t Buy, Adopt!
Adopt an animal and you don’t just save money, you save a life. Over
50,000 dogs and cats are euthanised in Australia each year because they
do not have a loving home and puppy farming is a profitable but often
very cruel industry. Why pay thousands for a designer teacup poodle
when you can adopt a loving pup from the shelter virtually for free?
When you “buy” a cat from the RSPCA and you’re really getting him for
free. My male kitten cost $180 which included worming, flea treatment,
de-sexing and vaccinations. Had I bought him elsewhere and taken him
to the vet, the vaccination and neutering alone would have cost more
than that!
Adopt a mature animal and you’ll save even more money. The demand
for cute little baby animals is higher and as such, shelters often
charge more for the immature animals to cover the costs of keeping the
mature ones. Pups and kittens are a lot of work too, why not save a
lonely grown-up?
Discount De-Sexing
Please, please, please de-sex your pet. Letting your male pet out to
get busy with the neighbourhood ladies or letting your female pet have
babies you can’t afford to care for is irresponsible and cruel. They
will have very hard, often short lives. De-sexing does cost but it
needn’t be the financial burden you think it will. The National
Desexing Network is a team of veterinarians who volunteer their services
to neuter and spay animals at significantly discounted prices. Visit
ndn.org.au or call 1300 368 992 to apply.
Toys
Playtime shouldn’t cost a thing. I live near a novelty pet toy store
and every time I stroll past I shake my head in dismay at the array of
absurdities, ranging from the “Dogginger” champagne dog bath to the
authentic Louis Vuitton cat carrier. Animals don’t care about labels,
they just care about love. Throw you dog a tennis ball, he will love
you. Tease your cat with a feather, she’ll be thrilled. Put your
wallet away and smile.
Feeding Time
Food is the major cost of keeping a pet so if you’re on a strict budget,
I’d suggest looking at a smaller species of animal. Large dogs will
plough their way through kilos of meat in a week and even a cat can be
costly to feed well.
In considering what to feed your pet, keep in mind that cheap food can be a false economy. Low cost pet products tend to be filled with non-nutritional rubbish such as ash, rendering plant fats and excessive salt, none of which are beneficial for your fur-babies’ health and if they get sick, the vet bills can be astronomical. I gave my first cat a well-known brand of commercial biscuits until one day he suddenly became very ill. He was unable to urinate and in obvious pain. After rushing him to the all night emergency vet surgery I was told he had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) which had caused his urethra to block! The cause of FLUTD? Too much salt in commercial cat food! $500 later, an expensive lesson had been learnt. My cats now eat nothing but fresh, raw meat and the occasional vet-recommended biscuit snack and we haven’t had a health scare since.
In considering what to feed your pet, keep in mind that cheap food can be a false economy. Low cost pet products tend to be filled with non-nutritional rubbish such as ash, rendering plant fats and excessive salt, none of which are beneficial for your fur-babies’ health and if they get sick, the vet bills can be astronomical. I gave my first cat a well-known brand of commercial biscuits until one day he suddenly became very ill. He was unable to urinate and in obvious pain. After rushing him to the all night emergency vet surgery I was told he had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD) which had caused his urethra to block! The cause of FLUTD? Too much salt in commercial cat food! $500 later, an expensive lesson had been learnt. My cats now eat nothing but fresh, raw meat and the occasional vet-recommended biscuit snack and we haven’t had a health scare since.
Vaccinations
Vaccinating your pets is one of the kindest things you can do,
preventing potentially fatal and very nasty conditions like Canine
Hepatitis and Feline AIDS, but they can be costly. Puppies and kittens
are the most expensive, needing starter courses of immunisations around 3
times within the first 18 weeks of their lives. Mature animals will
need regular vaccinations throughout their life, but do you really need
to do them every year? Well, no, actually. The Australian Veterinary
Association says that mature cats and dogs who have had all their
puppy/kitten shots may only need boosters as often as every three years .
Of course, this depends on the individual animal’s needs and you’ll
still need annual check-ups, but it’s sure worth asking your vet about
it!
Pet Insurance
Pet insurance policies have been springing up everywhere of late but
are they really worth it? The answer is ( and I’m sorry to say it)
“maybe”. The problem with insurance is, you’re paying for things that
might never eventuate.
The biggest expense for most pet owners as far as vet expenses go, is
the ongoing health costs of booster shots, check-ups, flea treatments
and worming but most pet insurance policies won’t cover these
treatments. The majority of pet insurance policies are designed to pay
out in case of accident or emergency, which is fantastic if you need it,
but a lot of money wasted if you don’t. Of course, you can pay the
blue ribbon premium for the top-notch cover and get a percentage back on
your regular treatments, but in the end, the amount you spend on the
cover is more than what you get back. The big question to ask yourself
is, should something terrible happen to your beloved, could you find a
large sum (sometimes up to $10,000!) to help them? If not, you may want
to consider an insurance policy. But, as I always say, read the
product disclosure statement before you sign up to anything!
Companion animals give us so much and ask for so little, we owe it to
them to take proper care of them. Like having a child, it’s a lifelong
commitment and it will cost a fair bit of money but, with a little
forethought and care, can be done on a budget and it’s so worth every cent.
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