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Aging Dog Owners
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Getting Older with Your Dog: Budget Tips For Aging Owners with Aging Dogs

In these tough economic times, it can be hard to know how to take care of your four-legged friend as the two of you advance in age.  I wanted to share a few important budget tips for aging dog owners with older dogs.

Making ends meet becomes an arduous and challenging chore, even in the very best of circumstances, and looking after the family dog as he or she gets older is tough.

Unfortunately, many pet owners aren’t sure about what they can cut back on and what they can’t.

Far too many dog owners are slashing essential parts of their pet budget, a potentially disastrous side effect of economic hardship, and are creating real problems for their pooches.

What Not to Cut

  1. When you’re arranging the family budget to meet new economic challenges, there are a few things that you don’t want to cut with respect to your pets.
  2. Do not, under any circumstances, cut back on routine visits to your veterinarian. While these expenses can pile up, cutting back on vet visits is really a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Many pet owners regrettably think that they only need to take their friends to the vet when symptoms arise, but routine visits are integral parts of ensuring that your older dog is healthy and happy year-round.
  3. Do not cut back on your dog’s dietary considerations, either. This is especially important when you have an older dog, as his or her nutritional requirements must remain consistent.
  4. If you are feeding your dog a commercial pet food, do not downgrade to a cheaper brand. You don’t need to further diminish your dog’s diet, after all (more on that in a moment).

What to Cut

There are some things that you can cut back on if you’re having financial difficulties and still want to take good care of your older dog.

You can cut back on various dog toys and trinkets, as there are almost always completely viable and completely free real world options for getting your pet all the entertainment and exercise he or she needs. Save for a good leash, taking your pooch for a walk outside costs very little but time. And comforting your dog with indoor play and affection costs nothing and dogs of all ages thrive on one-on-one attention from their owner.

You can also cut back on your dog’s dietary budget by making some good decisions to steer away from commercial brands of dog food toward home made meals. But, be careful here because you’ll need to balance your dog’s home cooked diet yourself when cooking for your older dog.

So, include ingredients such as good meats and fish that are on sale, cooked steel cut oats and steamed kale; then balance it as mentioned above. You can also buy meats and vegetable options in bulk to save a little money. Plus, I share some great ideas for home-made dog treats that can cut down on cost as well.

As you can see, there are some very practical things you can do in order to cut back on your budget when it comes to your pet. Remember that your older dog is a vital part of your family unit and that any cuts to the family budget will be felt.

Try your best to mitigate those issues and prioritize your pooch when and where you can as you grow old together.

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