Pet Parents: These Hacks Will Help You Save Money With Your Pets

By Victor O

If you own a pet, it must have dawned on you that having a dog or cat is beyond their cute sounds, fun walks, and Insta pictures you take of them. Behind all that is a huge maintenance expense. The American Pets Products Association (APPA) reports that citizens spent almost seventy billion dollars on their pets in 2017.

According to the ASPCA, the cost of the first year of pet ownership can gulp up to a thousand dollars. We know you don’t have to spend that much, so we have devised the most brilliant money-saving hacks for you.

1. Home-made Dog Toys

You probably can’t count how many store-bought toys only last a few days. DIY dog toys are an even better way of tailoring your dog’s toys to suit its interests. You can use your creativity with PVC pipes and make flirt poles.

Image credits: @mariekek / Unsplash

Plastic bottles wrapped in fabric also make good chew toys. Other toys you can make at home include, Snuffle mats, Tug toys, and Interactive feeder toys. It would be best to supervise your dogs while they play with these toys.

2. Give them a lot of exercises

When your pets lie around all day, eating and sleeping, they are susceptible to weight gain, which comes with health issues or destructive behavior. Taking them on walks or making them play in the yard every day prevents this and those crazy vet bills.

3. Brush their teeth daily

This applies especially to dog owners. Taking care of your pet’s oral health is a sure way of avoiding the vet’s. You can cut down their vulnerability to different diseases by even as little as a single brush daily. Also, take them for regular wellness tests. Issues can be detected early and treated.

Image credits: @shvetsa / Pexels