When people are thinking about getting a new pet, it is common for their excitement to overtake them, and for them to forget about how much this will actually cost. Pets can be a massive burden in terms of finances but there is a lot you can do to minimise this. Planning this out and thinking about this before actually getting your pet is key to make sure that you keep the costs as low as possible whilst maintaining a happy and healthy life for your new friend. In today’s economic environment with the rising costs of living and inflation at prominent levels, finding ways to keep these costs low can be an important agenda for many people. Below are some of these tips to keep the costs low.

Get the Pet’s Health Covered

One of the most expensive outgoings you could have would occur if something goes wrong with your pet’s health. In these circumstances, the pet may need to get complicated surgery or may need to receive treatment on a regular basis. This will all come at a cost, and it could be a cost that puts a dent in your bank account. Something that can help significantly with this is pet insurance. If you have an insurance policy in advance, then (depending on the cover you have taken), this will cover these outgoings. The costs involved to insure your pet are usually not significant and you can change the type of cover to suit your pet’s needs. For example, there will be policies that you can tweak that will cover the pet for basic treatment and others that will cover it for all eventualities. In addition to this, you can change the “excess” amount which has an effect on the policy price. For example, if you have treatment that costs £1,000 and you have an excess of £100, then you are only paid out £900 from the insurance company. You can change this excess to £0 or to £500 as an example, which will then clearly impact the policy price. You also do not need to pay the policy price in full in one go and can spread these costs over 12 months.

Branded Food

When purchasing a pet’s food do not immediately be sold by the branded food in the supermarket. A higher price tag does not necessarily mean it is the most appetising, healthy, or best for your pet. The best way to do this is to go online and look at the different options you have available for your pet. Maybe also get some advice from your vet. Try out a diverse mix of different food types and brands etc and see how this works out for you and the pet. Whatever then suits, you may then wish to bulk buy to keep the price even lower.

Second Hand Equipment

Some pets will need things such as harnesses, cages, toys etc and if you are going to purchase these in a brand new condition, this could be quite costly. As a result, it will be far much better for you to look online at site that sell used pet equipment, and this could save you a lot of money. Some of your local pet stores may even sell second hand equipment. If you are going down this route, make sure you are not compromising on the quality. For example, if purchasing a lead for a dog, make sure it is still decent quality that it will not snap or falter. And, of course, if you have some items that your doggo isn’t using, like a new blanket or toy when they love their old beaten one, you can always hand them into charity shops.

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