Ad Blocker Detected
Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Owning a pet is good for your physical and mental health. But is this also the other way around? As a dog owner, you want to believe that you are doing what is best for your pet.
However, if you feed them unhealthy foods, you can be responsible for their lower energy levels, obesity, and other long-term health effects.
To help you make affordable and healthy purchases to feed your pup, we have listed three ways you can feed him on a budget.
1. Start small before completely changing your pet’s diet
Before you take the plunge into paying for all natural organic foods for your dog, try slowly adding healthy goodies to your diet. This has two advantages.
ALSO READ: Everything You Need To Know About Raising A Puppy
First, your dog can naturally adapt to whole foods and an influx of nutrients.
This is especially important if they previously had a grain-based diet, as your dog may need time to adjust to certain diets (i.e. the raw food diet).
Second, slowly implementing healthier foods can help you improve your budget as you will get used to taking this surge in spending on your pet into account.
For example, you may be used to paying for dry food, which can cost around $ 1,415 per year (or $ 27.21 per week).
However, if you do decide to introduce healthier options for breakfast, such as: For example, ground turkey (which is $ 17.00 per week), allow for these additional costs.
Changing your dog’s diet slowly can help you anticipate the cost and response of your dog to the changes to ensure a smooth transition.
2. Get creative with alternatives
Another way to feed your dog nutritiously on a budget is to get creative with your ideas on how to feed them well. This could be as simple as mixing inexpensive vegetables (like frozen carrots and spinach) into the meat.
Or, you can mix some nutritional supplements into your dog’s current diet.
The American Kennel Club recommends giving your dog glucosamine, fish oil, antioxidants, and probiotics to aid a variety of functions, including pain management, keeping the coat shiny, and heart, immunity, and digestive support.
When buying nutritional supplements, be aware that some online retailers have inexpensive fish oil supplements for as little as $ 0.09 per day.
In addition to this, Good Dog People also offers very nutritious meals and supplements to help improve your dog’s health on a budget.
Dog Surcharge Costs in Singapore
3. Shop smart
Another easy way to save money on healthy pet food is to spend some time comparing prices to find the cheapest options available, as websites tend to sell the same product at very different costs.
Additionally, in most cases, it is best to buy groceries in bulk.
Not only does this save you trips to the grocery store because you can prepare meals in advance, but it can also cost a fraction of the price of individual groceries – especially if you’re buying frozen foods.
[[nid:462366]]]
For example, NTUC FairPrice sells frozen organic spinach for $ 6.25 for 400 grams, while fresh organic spinach costs $ 7.30 for the same serving.
Combined with a pound of ground beef, which costs $ 10.44 at NTUC FairPrice, you can prepare multiple meals to feed your pet for the week (depending on its size).
In that case, roughly $ 16.69 could feed your dog for a full week – at a cheaper price than the weekly average of $ 27.21.
Of course, you should consult your veterinarian about changes to the amount and type of food you are giving your pet to keep them from getting sick.
Comparison of dog food costs from pet food websites and human food websites
Also, shop smart by checking what discounts are available to you. For example, your veterinary clinic may offer discounts on certain brands of food.
Finally, you can use a cashback credit card with a huge discount. For example, if you get a 5.22 percent discount on general purchases, spending $ 50 a month can save you $ 31.32 a year on groceries only.
Feed them well now so that you can prevent illnesses later
Studies have shown that including healthier, less processed foods in your dog’s diet can increase their nutritional levels and make them healthier overall.
To help you do this on a budget, gradually introduce healthy foods, be creative with ways to increase your pet’s food intake, and shop smart.
This way you can avoid high veterinary bills in the future and help your pet in the long run.
This article was first published in ValueChampion.