Feature Image Credits: janetbarrcfs.com
Your pet is an integral part of your family that brings loyalty, happiness, and companionship to life. To reap these benefits, it requires a warm and caring heart to give it the love and attention it deserves. Besides, it is through care that your cat or dog will develop respect for you. On the other hand, we all know how pet costs can add up. This forces some people to surrender their best 4-legged friends especially when finances are tight. Are you wondering how to make your dog respect you without breaking your bank? In this post, we will share budget-friendly tips on how to care for your dog without cutting corners.
Dog Care and Grooming Budget
Owning a dog comes with additional costs ranging from expenses on vet services, food, toys, and many other supplies. At times these expenses may increase gradually to a level that stretches your budget beyond your reach. Fortunately, there are many ways for taking great care of your dog on a tight budget. This doesn’t mean feeding on cheap food that will impact its health or lesser-quality grooming. They are ideas for taming expenses while offering a healthy and fun-filled life.
Budget-Friendly Tips for Dog Owners
1. Making Smart Dog Food Choices
When buying food for your dog, it is easy to fall into the trap of buying low-quality food in the name of saving money. In reality, you could be trading off your dog’s healthy and this can be very expensive in the future. You should always go for a quality, balanced and proven diet with all the important nutrients and vitamins for the dog’s health. This reduces the risk of several health issues that can drain your pocket later in its life. The best approach is to:
● Research and consult your vet or dog feed sellers about the best food and portion for your dog.
● Closely monitor your dog’s diet – Most importantly avoid feeding them with human food as they can be unhealthy for the dog.
● Buy natural food for your dog – Though you may have to spend a bit more, natural foods are healthier and safer than processed and dry food.
● Replace store treats with your own treats – Making your own dog meals can be cheaper and give you full control over the ingredients that get into the dog’s body
2. Do the Grooming by Yourself
Think about all the money you spend on regular trips to a professional pet groomer for things that you can do at home. You should consider grooming your own dog without exposing it to any risks. To manage this, you may need to initially invest in the best professional grooming tools and learn some of the technical grooming skills. Some of the basic DIY dog grooming include:
● Regular bathing, brushing/combing its fur.
● Brushing the teeth and cleaning the ears.
● Trimming the hair and clipping overgrown paws.
● Checking your dogs during the grooming session to identify any potential health issues.
● Walking and training your dogs.
In case you need help, you can consult a pet groomer or research on best dog grooming techniques.
3. Routine Vet Visit
To keep your dog at its best health, you need to visit your vet regularly for checkups and vaccinations. Checkups help to identify any symptoms as early as possible before they escalate to a bigger health problem. Further, vaccines prevent your dog from life-threatening diseases, helping it to withstand breakouts.
4. Closely Watching Over Your Dog
Dogs are very playful and can get hurt or injured. Therefore, it is important to keep your dog indoors and put a leash on it in the outdoor sessions. Additionally, keep an eye on it when walking or playing to prevent accidents and injuries.
5. Get a Dog Insurance Cover
An emergency vet’s visit can be very expensive, which makes a dog’s cover a great idea for any dog owner. By spending as low as $10 per month on insurance, you can save more in case your dog needs emergency medical care such as surgery or cancer treatment.
Wrapping Up
As a dog owner, it is your role to keep it happy and healthy by providing the best care ranging from feeding to basic grooming. Taking good care of your dog can strain your finances. With the above tips, you can control your grooming and care budget without compromising the quality of life for your dog
