When I adopted my 8½-year-old Greyhound–Weimaraner mix, Greyson, he inadvertently brought fleas into our house. Eliminating them was a real ordeal.
If you’d been my neighbor back then, you might have caught me stripping down in the backyard at 3 a.m. to shake the pests out of my sweatpants — but that’s another tale.
As the caretaker of two large dogs that total about 250 pounds, I’ll admit pet ownership can be pricey. Vet visits, preventive meds, quality kibble, grooming, toys and cleanup supplies can quickly eat up a budget.
To keep our expenses in check, my partner, Marco, and I have become resourceful. Below are several tactics we’ve used to reduce pet care costs. Most tips apply to dog care, but I’ve also included a few ideas for cat and bird owners.
Homemade Flea Spray
To protect our home from fleas and to reduce the risk of Lyme disease and other flea-related issues, we keep Greyson and our Great Dane, Clyde, on commercial flea treatments during the warm season.
However, during low-risk months we don’t want to pay $30 a month for both dogs. So Marco and I whip up a gentler flea spray that works well in the off-season.
The formula we follow uses water, lemon, lavender and witch hazel. It also leaves the dogs smelling wonderful.
The original creator of the recipe uses it on her cat in summer, but after my earlier flea debacle, I still spring for the stronger products during peak pest season.
DIY Dog Snacks
Treats are useful for training, rewarding good behavior and simply making your dog excited. That said, premium treats can be pricey.
We bought a food dehydrator for roughly $35, and it quickly paid for itself with all the snacks we make. Our household favorite is dehydrated sweet potato, but plenty of recipes online cover other options like chicken and salmon jerky.
Not ready to purchase a dehydrator? Check out some simple recipes featured on Savinly.
Saving on Dog Food
For a long time, Greyson ate Taste of the Wild, and Clyde went through giant bags of Blue Buffalo in no time. Both are large dogs with sensitive stomachs, so finding suitable food was tough — and expensive.
Then we joined Costco. Costco’s Kirkland line sells Nature’s Domain at a much lower cost, with ingredients comparable to what Clyde and Greyson had been eating.
A 30-lb. bag of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream (salmon and sweet potato) ran about $50, while the Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal and Sweet Potato bag was roughly $35. Even if we didn’t use Costco for groceries and household items, the membership pays for itself given how much our dogs consume.
I’m a fan of Costco’s dog food. Since the switch, Clyde’s digestion has improved and Greyson’s coat looks healthier and more vibrant than before. On top of that, we cut nearly $540 per year on dog food.
Bathing at Home
Grooming can be expensive, especially for long-haired breeds. Even if your dog doesn’t need specialized trims, routine baths are important (though the frequency varies) to manage allergies and keep skin in good shape.
Clyde is too big for our tub. If you have a large dog and dread bath time, Marco and I have a couple of practical ideas. First: buy a kiddie pool. If you have a yard and a hose, fill the pool, put on swimwear and get in with your dog for bath time. Our $15 pool made washing much easier and helped us avoid professional grooming fees.
Our second plan is still on the to-do list. We recently purchased our first home together. Among the basement projects is building a dog-wash station. For the cost of a small curb, some plumbing and a detachable shower head, we’ll have a walk-in washing area to clean both dogs without messing up our bathroom or waiting for a warm day.
(A note: That second upgrade will cost about $75; if you don’t bathe your dog often or don’t plan to keep dogs long-term, it may not be worth the investment.)
Long-Lasting Toys
Most store-bought toys don’t survive our dogs for long. If your pup destroys toys quickly, consider buying durable, high-quality toys that may cost more upfront but last far longer.
The toys that have lasted the longest for us are Kongs, Nylabones and sturdy rope toys, which are ideal for tug. Rover.com lists a selection of durable toys worth the spend.
Marco and I also make DIY toys at home, especially to address feeding speed and separation anxiety. Fast eating can cause bloat, so we sometimes use a muffin tin as a slow-feeder game that forces Clyde to eat slower.
To ease Greyson’s separation anxiety, we smear a small bowl with peanut butter, stuff in pieces of his kibble and freeze it. When we leave, we give him this “busy bowl,” which takes time and licking to thaw and keeps him occupied.
Find more homemade dog toy ideas on Savinly Readers’ resources.
Skipping Boarding Fees
Marco and I enjoy traveling, but it’s not always easy with dogs. Still, we’ve never paid for boarding — and we don’t plan to.
Instead, we’ve cultivated close relationships with several other dog owners. Some are friends, some family, and some we met at the dog park.
When we ask someone to watch our dogs for several days, we require that we’ve spent time with them and observed how they care for their own pets and how our dogs behave around them. We typically do a trial overnight first.
These arrangements benefit everyone. When we watch someone’s dog (or they stay with ours), we know they’ll reciprocate, and we enjoy the company. It saves money on boarding, reduces stress for the dogs, and gives us the chance to play with extra pups now and then.
Cleaning and Stain Prevention
Accidents are inevitable. Whether it’s a muddy dog barreling through the door or medication-related accidents, you’ll likely need to clean up. Pet hair alone can change the look of your carpet.
After losing a few pet deposits in rental places because I didn’t treat stains promptly, I invested in a carpet cleaner and a solid vacuum.
The Spruce highlights top carpet cleaners for owners with pets; we opted for this BISSELL model. That purchase helped us recover our last rental deposit in full and likely saved more than $1,000 in forfeited deposits. More importantly, our home feels cleaner despite two messy dogs.
Preventive steps — flea control, quality food and regular exercise — pay dividends by reducing future vet expenses and improving your pet’s wellbeing.
Greyson and Clyde have been costly (but incredibly rewarding) members of our household. We use the strategies above and pet insurance to manage vet costs, and those measures have made a significant difference for our family.
