Dog owners can save hundreds of pounds per year with top tips including £500 saving
Alice Beer shares tips for saving money on pets
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Owning a dog can be exceptionally expensive, but presenter and consumer journalist Alice Beer is on hand with top tips for cutting down the pounds. She shared her advice on This Morning.
Alice began: “Whether it be a budgie or whatever it is, it is a really important member of your family.”
She shared a “heartbreaking” statistic, that in just March, 80 people told Dogs Trust that they could no longer afford to keep their dogs.
But Alice admitted that keeping a dog is no cheap task.
It can actually cost pet owners an “eye-watering” £27,000 over a lifetime.
The “ridiculous” sum is not just food and vet bills but various accoutrements such as toys.
In light of this, Alice shed light on how dog owners can make easy saves, starting with food, which has increased in price by 10 percent.
“Pet food is one of those emotive issues. They think, ‘Of course, I’ve got to give them the best, it’s got to be organic, it’s got to be free range, it’s got to be absolutely everything.”
However, Alice dispelled this myth.
“If it has got PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers Association) on it and it says ‘Complete’, then by law it has to have all the nutrients that your dog will need and in the right proportions.”
So, even if you are using a slightly cheaper dog brand to feed your dog, Alice urges owners not to “beat yourself up – your dog or your cat is going to get what they need”.
Rather than spending an average of £11 per month on dog food, Aldi shoppers can purchase the stuff for almost half the price, at £6, and it’s “popular with animals and with owners”.
Alice stated: “That’s a saving right there and then. £58 a year – I’ll take it.”
Alice’s next money saving tip was to skip the dog walker.
An astonishing 3.2 million people got a dog during lockdown and are now going back to work.
However, paying a dog walker even just once a week is going to cost pet owners a “ridiculous” £500 a year.
She proposed organising a neighbourhood gang of dog owners who can take it in turns to help walk each others’ dogs when they are at work.
She also mentioned BorrowMyDoggy, an app which connects dog owners with volunteer dog sitters.
As for protecting your dog against fleas, ticks and worms, Alice suggested trying places other than the vet in some cases.
Treatments can be much cheaper, as little as £4, at places like Pets At Home, whereas a vet can charge as much as £20.
“Look around for cheaper options.”
Alice’s next tip was regarding dog grooming.
“I let Stan go longer between grooms, but I’m looking after his coat.”
Recommending a Furminator, Alice warned: “If you’re not looking after your pet’s coat, you’re going to need to get him groomed more often.”
The same goes for teeth cleaning.
Finally, Alice said: “If you’re on benefits, the Blue Cross, the PDSA and the RSPCA will help you.
“Please don’t despair, there is help out there.”
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