Affordable Pet Parenting – hints and tips with Marc the Vet

With the rising cost of living impacting each household, how can we make sure the health and welfare of our four-legged friends is maintained so that they’re less likely to fall ill, require unexpected vet treatment, or even be abandoned into rescue? With literally millions of pets purchased during the various lockdowns, now’s the time to make sure we look after them as best we can, on the budgets we have.

Looking after a pet is never cheap. Keeping them happy, healthy, and pain-free can be financially challenging, especially in times of financial crisis. I’ve put together some practical tips you can try, to reduce your spend without impacting the health and welfare of your much loved pet(s). Some of the tips are quick fixes, others require a little forward planning, but I truly believe that in the long-term these simple changes and understanding what help is available for you as a Pet Parent can help you properly care for your pet for many years to come without having to break the bank or go without yourself.

I’m Marc the Vet, a Veterinary Surgeon, Broadcaster, Author, and Animal Welfare Campaigner with over 25 years of veterinary experience. Above all I’m a massive animal lover who is passionate about helping animals get the support they need, and I’m committed to helping pet parents do just that.

My tips and recommendations fall under two main categories – quick wins and forward thinking. Let’s start with the quick wins, to kickstart you on what you can save.

Money Saving Quick Wins

Saving on pet food without scrimping on the right nutrition

It is okay to spend less on your pet’s food providing they still get the right food for their needs. Ensuring a good diet for your pet will save you money in the long-term too as pets with healthy diets have fewer health problems on average.

When it comes to nutrition, the most important thing is that your pet’s food offers what is categorised as complete nutrition. Avoid food labelled as complementary as it won’t provide everything your pets needs from their food. You may need to check the back of the pack to see which type of food it is. If your pet doesn’t get food that offers complete nutrition, they will not be getting everything they need to be healthy and thrive.

It may sound obvious, but it is important to state if you have both a cat and dog, they can’t eat the same food to save money as one of them won’t be getting what they need and could get sick. Next, you need to look for food that is designed for the age of your pet. For example, young kittens need kitten food and adult cats need food suitable for their age. The age range is usually stated on the front of pet food packaging.

Once you’ve done this, familiarise yourself with pet food nutrition labels. It’s important to look past the advertising and see clearly what your pet will be getting nutritionally from the food. The ingredient list is a great place to start for this. Ingredients are listed starting with what makes up the bulk of the food, through to what is contained in the smallest amounts. A pet food that provides quality nutrition will normally list the ingredients in plain English so you can clearly understand what the ingredients are. You may see ingredients listed such as meat/ vegetable derivatives and cereals. Your pet needs a balance of these things to get the vitamins and minerals they need. This is also the time to look out for any ingredients that you know your pet is allergic to, to avoid them getting sick and a trip to the vets.

Another important thing to watch out for when choosing a pet food is the language on the packet. Does the packaging say beef or beef flavour? Chicken or chicken flavour? There will be a significantly lower amount of meat, poultry, or fish where flavour is stated. This is because the legal requirements, in terms of percentage of ingredient for that wording, are much lower. If flavour is mentioned there only needs to be 4% of the ingredient in the food. If flavour is not mentioned and it is outright stated the food has a particular ingredient, there needs to be at least 26% of each ingredient listed within the food. For example, if the food says made with chicken and vegetables the food must legally have 26% chicken and 26% vegetable content within the overall food mixture.

Buying your pet a higher-quality pet food may seem out of reach but buying in bulk from wholesalers online can also be a way to save money on their food over the course of the year. Of course, the initial cost can be higher.

Finally, if buying pet food at all is just too much of an expense for you right now, you could try contacting a few vets in your local area or a national pet charity such as the PDSA about being put in touch with a pet food foodbank. If there is one in your area you could get pet food for free if you are eligible.

Charitable help available

If you’re really struggling financially, your pet might be eligible for free or significantly cheaper treatment through animal charities that offer vet services such as the PDSA. I know it can be hard seeing your pet suffer and knowing you can’t afford treatment but never attempt any at home DIY remedies. This could only make the matter worse, cause great suffering to your pet, further stress to yourself and potentially higher vet bills. It is much better to reach out for help. There is no shame in asking for help to care for your pet, it shows just how much you care.

Pet and animal charities that provide free or low-cost care are:

• PDSA https://www.pdsa.org.uk/
• The Blue Cross https://www.bluecross.org.uk/veterinary

Cutting the cost of prescriptions

With pets living longer than ever, many need long-term treatments for health conditions such as heart failure, arthritis, or thyroid disease. These can be expensive for a stretched budget. So, another money-saving tip, especially with life-saving medications, is to consider purchasing medications from a reputable online pet pharmacy. Ask your vet for a written prescription, and even if buying online is just a temporary measure, you’ll have peace of mind that your pet isn’t going without important treatments.

Free fun – enjoying time together doesn’t have to cost a penny

Having fun with your pet doesn’t have to cost you a thing.

Here are some free fun things you can try with your pet:

• “Walkies” are music to your dog’s ears! Throwing an old tennis ball can keep your pet full of delight.
• Have an old blanket that you don’t use anymore? These can be folded to make a comfortable resting place for your cat or dog, they are also washable which is ideal.
• Small, simple unwanted cuddly toys can also be repurposed for your cat or dog. Just make sure that they don’t have small parts that could fall off and be ingested by them. Keep an eye on the condition of the toy as should it be ripped open, and the stuffing spilled, it may need sewing to ensure the stuffing doesn’t become a choking hazard.

The little extras can add up

Try looking on free sites and buying things second hand from charity shops or websites like eBay. You could also ask friends and family if they have any unwanted items your pet could use. If you thoroughly clean the items before giving them to your pet to use, it should be no problem at all. For pet beds wash them on the hottest setting the fabric allows for.

For larger beds that don’t fit in the washing machine you can clean them by thoroughly vacuuming them before soaking them in a bath with hot water and detergent. This should kill bacteria and minimise odours. You can repeat this step until you are satisfied that the bed is clean. If there are any lingering odours or stains, you can sprinkle baking soda over the bed and leave it to soak up the odours for a while. The baking soda can then be scrubbed into any stains to help remove them before, rinsing the bed off and leaving it to air dry outside or in a warm room during the winter or rainy days.

Saving Money with Forward Thinking

Understanding What Free Veterinary Check Ups are Available

Most vet practices will offer free dental checks and weigh-in clinics which are great for catching any health issues at their earliest point. Treatment is usually more affordable as the extent of health problems caught early don’t require as much veterinary care. If you can’t afford these treatments, your veterinary practice can offer advice on what to do and could refer you to the PDSA or a local pet charity for help.

The veterinary nurses at these free clinics will also be able to advise on flea prevention. Fleas cause more than uncomfortable itchiness for your pet; they can spread disease and infest your home too. With pet flea treatment, the best and often cheaper course of action is to use a high-quality preventative treatment such as FRONTLINE^® to protect your pet. A flea infestation can quickly become costly, so prevention really is better than cure when it comes to fleas. The price of treatments can differ between retailers so be sure to shop around.

The dosage and concentration are different for cats and dogs so be careful not to use anything for a dog on a cat and vice versa.

Staying on Top of Their Health at Home

Speaking of prevention being better than cure, make sure you give your pet the once-over at least once daily, especially when they’ve come back from any outside activity. Become an expert on what’s normal.

Step by step guide:

• Start at the ear tips and work backwards, via head, neck, legs, and paws, all the way to their tail.
• Gently detangle mats with a brush, looking out for lumps, bumps, wounds, signs of infection, grass seeds
• Check their nails, are they overgrown?
• Are there any signs of unwelcome visitors such as fleas or ticks?

By familiarising yourself with what is normal for your pet’s body and being vigilant, you can catch changes and treat them before they become health concerns.

• Catching abnormalities early often means any necessary treatments are less expensive than they would be if any illness progressed.
• Consider learning how to clip your pet’s nails. Next time you take your pet to the vet, ask them for a demonstration so you can see how to do it before you try it yourself at home. Be very careful, as this isn’t always easy to do and getting it wrong may result in a painful experience for your pet, plus an expensive emergency trip to the vet.
• If you find signs of fleas on your pet whilst checking them over, you can treat them to kill the fleas with FRONTLINE^®. For more on fleas see our Flea FAQs and guide to Flea bites and allergies
• If you find a tick on your pet, don’t panic. Using a tick remover is the best and most efficient way of removing ticks but if you don’t you have one you can use a pair of tweezers. Get a hold of the tick between the tip of tweezers as close to your pet’s skin as possible. Don’t twist the tick or pull too hard as you can pull out the body of the tick and leave behind its mouth in your pet’s skin. Don’t squeeze the tick’s body either as it can cause the ingested blood to go back into your pet’s body which can cause infection. If your pet is prone to ticks, you might want to consider getting a tick remover as they’re more reliable and not overly expensive.

Calmly pull the tick in a slow consistent motion at the point it meets your pet’s skin, keep at it until it let’s go. You can kill the tick in alcohol or by squishing it in some toilet tissue and flushing it down the toilet. Once the tick is disposed off, check over the area of skin you removed the tick from to check if any of the tick got left behind. If it did, use the tweezers to gently extract it all. Then clean the area of skin with a cloth and warm water. Then wash the cloth and your hands afterwards.

Keeping Their Teeth Clean

Another way of assessing and maintaining your pet’s health is practicing good dental hygiene. Regular brushing of their teeth, even for a short amount of time, decreases risk of infection, bad breath, inflamed gums (gingivitis) as well as the probability of your pet requiring expensive dental treatment under full anaesthetic. Maintaining your pet’s oral health also reduces bacteria crossing the gums, and spreading to organs such as the heart, kidney, and liver via their bloodstream. 

Pet Insurance

Pet insurance is also worth investigating if you haven’t already as it can keep you safe from huge financial surprises you’re not prepared for.

Finally, remember there’s always someone at the end of the phone in an emergency, even just for advice. All vets provide a 24/7 service and will be able to tell you if your pet needs seeing or not. You can also continue to learn more about how to take the best care of your pet by checking out more of our Pet Parent guides such as first-time cat owner guide and how to groom your dog or cat at home