First, we adopted both Bauer and Scarlet from shelters. There are about 762 reasons that people should adopt from shelters rather than buy from breeders, and cost is definitely one of them! We spent about $90 on Scarlet, and she came with all her shots, deworming plus a vet exam, so we avoided that awful "first vet visit" cost. Bauer was $60, but I had to pay for his shots myself. We use Petfinder.com when we are "dog shopping" and when we adopted Scarlet, I literally compared prices on shelters before choosing her. Costs vary from shelter to shelter, so shop around. Also, contrary to popular belief, you CAN find purebred (or "nearly" purebred, if you're not overly picky) dogs for adoption in shelters. The Petfinder website I mentioned above allows you to search by breed if you so choose.
Spaying and neutering can cost hundreds of dollars in your local vet's office. However, most cities have a "Snip Clinic" (Google it) or something similar where they perform low cost spays/neuters. We had Scarlet spayed through the local Humane Society and it cost us $75.
Dog food. We go through a big 40 pound bag of dog food a month. I didn't want to compromise on feeding the dogs quality food, but I didn't want to spend $45 every month on a bag of premium food. I did a lot of research (and I mean a LOT) and learned that there are a couple brands of food that are high quality (meaning they don't have "fillers" as the main ingredients) but are reasonably priced. The top two are the Kirkland brand (available at Costco) and the Diamond brand (available at Tractor Supply Co.). Kirkland is a few dollars cheaper, but you have to have a Costco membership (which runs about $4.50 a month), so they even out in the end. We buy the Diamond brand at Tractor Supply and it costs us $28 for a 40 pound bag (saving us about $17 a month--that's over $200 a year!).
Vet visits and immunizations are another budget-buster when it comes to pets. When I feel like something is really wrong with Bauer or Scarlet, I'm all for taking them to the vet. However, we have learned that we can do a lot of things from home for much less money. For example, we have successfully treated paw injuries by soaking them in Epsom salt and warm water and then bandaging them. Buffered aspirin can be given for pain (look online for dosage recommendations), Benadryl and Pepto Bismol can also be given as needed and hydrogen peroxide can be given to induce vomiting if, say, you're fostering a dog and she eats a whole jar of chocolate trail mix...but that's just an example. Our most recent cost-saver has been administering annual vaccinations at home. We used to dread when we would get the notice from our vet that said "Bauer is due for his annual vaccines!" because we knew a $200+ vet bill was coming. I did some research and found that the very same vaccines that your vet administers (parvo, distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza and leptospirosis) can be administered at home in one easy-to-manage shot. They are available at Tractor Supply Co. (its called Spectra 7) and are super easy to inject. If you don't have a Tractor Supply Co. near you, you can also order Spectra 7 online, through the Tractor Supply website or several other websites. You just mix the two little jars in the package together, suck it up into the syringe and inject into the scruff of your dog's neck (or leg, if you prefer). The best news? It costs SEVEN DOLLARS. Yes, you read that right. Even I can get over my needle-phobia for that price! We vaccinated Bauer earlier this month with great success. (Side note: if you board your dog, you might want to call and check to make sure they accept owner-administered vaccines. The boarding facility we used to use does, but they requested that we keep our receipts and keep a record of our vaccinations--when you buy the vaccines, they have a handy-dandy record keeping pamphlet there for free).
On that note, rabies is the one vaccine that legally must be administered by a vet. But don't think I will settle for paying full price for that either. By doing a quick online search, you can easily find a place in your area that offers monthly rabies shot at a super low cost. Charlotte offers rabies shots on the second Saturday of every month to Mecklenburg County residents for the low cost of FREE. Can't beat that!
Other money-saving measures for pets--we have someone come to our house when we go out of town rather than boarding them (we pay $35/night for both dogs as opposed to $50+/night for boarding, plus we have someone to take in our mail, water plants, etc.). I have also used Care.com to find someone to keep the dogs for a night or two in the city we are traveling to if needed. We also bathe the dogs at home as opposed to taking them to be groomed (although the do-it-yourself grooming places are affordable and so worth it in the winter when you can't do baths outside). We buy toys and bones off of Amazon.com at much cheaper prices than they are sold for in stores, and we buy collars (when needed) off of Etsy.com that are both cute and affordable.
So see? With a few money-saving measures here and there, owning a pet is feasible for anyone. And what they give you in return...well, that's priceless. Right, Mom?
I have to admit, even though I'm not a dog lover, Rawley is a good dog. He really is well behaved - I can't believe he was a stray living in a trailer park! And best of all, Dad and Mary are crazy about him! Good work Sarah!
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