Save Money on Pet Supplies

Animals lovers pay attention: Lets save money on pet supplies!

I think, taking care of pets has gotten down right expensive. Don't get me wrong, I love animals. I love my pets. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. In this tough economy, sometimes it's hard to take care of the kids, much less the pets.
I have been tweaking my ways to save money on pet supplies for a while. Some of these I have been doing for years, others I have only started.

1. Cook your Pet's Food. I mentioned this in my earlier post Unusual Ways To Save Money , but since this post is about pets I thought I should mention it again. I have been cooking our Dog's food for a while. It really is better for them and they love it. I have only recently started experimenting with cooking food for the cats. The cats are so much more picky. It's been hit or miss with the cat food. Some recipes they like some they don't. I think I'll get it eventually.

2. Use natural Flea repellents. With 2 kids, a flea problem is not something I want. Having 5 animals, I have to be careful. I've used the cheaper flea drop stuff that just doesn't work. The stuff you get from the vet (advantage?) works great, but it's expensive- epically with this many pets. And, I didn't think it was possible- our 2 oldest dogs seem to have become immune to the vet stuff (after about 5 years). It doesn't work anymore. So I've been trying the natural (read home made) flea repellent ideas I've found on the Internet: apple cider vinegar and garlic. So far, so good. I put the vinegar in their water and crush up the garlic in their food. No fleas! And I'm saving a ton of money.

3. Who Buys Pet Toys? You? I haven't bought a pet toy in years. Our 2 big dogs can chew through anything- even the hardest, toughest dog toys. Now I give them my daughter's old stuffed animals- they tear them apart, I throw the remains away. They get excited each time they get a new one. The little dog we have will keep a toy forever (at least someone in this house does). If you don't have a kid to pass on stuffed animals to your dogs, check with friends and neighbors, but you can always pick them up at yard sales for about .25 or less.
Then there is the cats. Their attention span with toys last about 15 minutes- then they forget about what ever toy it is that they just got. The cats like to play with straws. Actually, they love it. Hey, straws are cheap.

4. Ok, I'll be honest I don't do this next one but I have found directions for how to on the Internet. Make your own cat littler. They use newspaper. If your interested, you'll have to search for the directions. This would fall under my idea of when time is money. My time is money and I don't think cat litter is to expensive that I have to make it. But I wanted to include it.... Just in case.

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