7 tips for reducing the cost of pet care

This is Ernie. He was free. He is a rescue dog. We love him very very much. He tells us that he loves us too. I'm sure that you love your pets too. But there is no more frustrating expense category on the planet than pet-related expenses, well, other than maybe speeding tickets.

I've written about pets before. I wrote about my dog, Otis, dying. It was expensive. But we were fortunate to be able to pay for his care. But there are ways in which you can reduce the costs associated with pet ownership. I wanted to know what these ways were, so I turned to an expert. My friend, Dr Greg Magnusson, is veterinarian. Below, you will find his best 7 tips for reducing the short and long term costs associated with pet care.

1. Get pet insurance BEFORE your pet gets sick. Usually considered in hindsight,

pet insurance purchased before an injury or illness can repay up to 90% of what

you spend at the vet after unexpected accidents and illnesses. I recommend

Trupanion pet insurance.

2.Feed cheaper pet food. I realize this flies in the face of what most of us have

been taught by the pet food PR people these last few years, but here’s what I

recommend. If your pet is young and healthy and has no medical problems,

you probably won’t see any benefit over good-quality grocery-store food, by

feeding the high-dollar All Natural Organic Grain Free Grass Fed Farm Raised

Fancypants kibble from the pet store. There, I said it.

3. Don’t supplement your pet’s diet unless prescribed by your veterinarian. Every

commercial pet food is required by law to contain all the protein, carbohydrates,

vitamins and minerals to support healthy life. Any supplemental vitamins you

feed will just end up peed out in the litter box or the yard.

4.DO test yearly and give heart worm preventives. Just about the least expensive yet

most effective health maintaining medicine you can give your dog is a once-a-

month pill to prevent the deadly mosquito-spread blood disease, heart worms. Yes,

heart worm-infected mosquitoes can come inside your house. Yes, mosquitoes bite

your dog when she goes outside to potty. Heart worm disease is a terrible problem.

5.Don’t feed treats. The average 25 oz bag of Beggin' Strips at Wal-Mart runs about

$9.50 plus tax, which equates to feeding your dog crappy nutrition for $6/lb.

6.If your pet has chronic arthritis, don’t buy “pet-branded” glucosamine, use humangenerics. IMHO glucosamine that is adequate for my use is probably acceptable

for my dog.

7.Don’t ever buy “pet-branded” medicine, “medicated” shampoos, flea shampoos,hot spot gels, or other assorted varieties of snake oil from the pet store. I promise you, a complete physical exam by a licensed veterinarian will get you to the RIGHT treatment way faster, and way cheaper, than self-diagnosing and getting

your pet’s diagnosis wrong.

Greg Magnusson @IndianapolisVet is a veterinarian in Indianapolis practicing at

Leo’s Pet Care at College and 106th.