When it comes to your drooly (but beloved) Bruno, how on earth can you stop the credit card bill ringing up when there are chew toys to buy, food and nutrition to think about and most importantly, vet bills to pay for? After sharing our pet care tips with you for saving money, you’ll realise it isn’t as difficult as you thought.
In case you’re a little tired of the budgeting research and compiling lists of where and how to cut down, we’ve got you covered on how to easily save money with these thrifty pet health tips.
Keep an eye on that belly (and give it a rub)
Overfeeding is a huge health risk to your pets. Giving your cat too much food and your dog one too many treats after dinner isn’t actually being as kind as you think. They don’t know better than to eat what’s in front of them, even if they’re full.
An overweight pet is more likely to be diagnosed with an expensive and unfortunate illness like diabetes, cancer, and hypertension.
Regular visits to the vet (and maybe even one of your choice)
Prevention is the best medicine, so they say. Nobody ever sees a bad thing coming, but pet parents who check their pet’s health regularly are likely to have more time to react when something changes. Getting a grip on health complications early on can save you tens of thousands of Rands later on. Early diagnoses will save you money and make the road back to health for your pet far easier.
For those looking to make regular vet visits easy and affordable, we recommend Oneplan Pet Insurance. They pay you before you visit the vet and let you see any vet of your choice because they know the struggle of finding the perfect fit.
Go for walks
A healthy pet is, usually, a less expensive pet in the long run. Make sure your dog gets regular exercise by taking them for a walk at least once a day – plus it really isn’t such a chore to see your pet excited and bounding about.
Four-legged friendly zones
This should be done before you even bring your pet home for the first time. Make sure that your home is safe for your pet, both inside and out. Ensure the parameter is secure and that they won’t escape (especially in big storms or during fireworks). You should also keep wires and heavy objects, as well as toxic foods and chemicals out of reach.
Get Pet Insurance
We could have (and should have because it’s really important) put this first and foremost, but we thought we’d slip it in naturally. Pet Insurance will always save you money – even if you only claim once throughout your pet’s life. That one claim could be the difference between being able to pay for an emergency illness or accident through your insurance or having to pay out of your own finances. We know which one we would choose.
Why we like Oneplan Pet Insurance
They offer pet insurance that is tail-o-made to your lifestyle and the life of your four-legged companion (or three-legged, they’ve still got them covered!).
Oneplan Pet Insurance has incredibly comprehensive routine care benefits under their Pet Med Savings, and with their Excess Buster benefit, you pay zero excess on all claims for only R30 – R40 extra per month (depending on your plan).
Having a Hospital Plan (from R190 per month) in place for your pet will save you money should your pet need an emergency hospital stay and this includes both unexpected accidents and illnesses events. The Pet Classic Plan (from R280) covers you up to the amount of R48 000 because yes, vet bills really do get that high.
Please note that prices are accurate at the time of blog publishing (insert date). Here, you can take a look at all their plans and prices.
Make your own treats
Okay, so this is a fun little way to save cash whilst still making sure your pet gets the treats she deserves! Making dog treats can be cheap, full of nutrients and you get to skip out on all the preservatives. We found a great recipe for easy, cheap, and crunchy Beef “Bones” on PetHelpful where all you’ll need is:
- 500 grams ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of water
To find out how to make these tasty treats for your pooch, head over to their website where they share the full recipe.
We hope these pet care tips will be useful in helping you to keep within your budget when it comes to your furry friend while also making sure they’re healthy and happy!
Until next time, from your not so average pet advice team,
Petinsurance.co.za