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Adopting a pet is a bigger responsibility than we care to acknowledge. One of the most important things to consider is the true costs of owning a pet. While having a loving family is important, it’s also important to be financially able to support for the pet.

Here are some of the annual expenses to expect when you own a pet:

  • Food
  • Annual exams
  • Litter (cats)
  • Toys and treats
  • License (dogs)
  • Pet insurance

How to Prepare for the Emergency Cash Costs of Owning a Pet

Figure out how the expenses will affect the budget.

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If you tend to overspend in some areas of your budget, you might have to cut back in order to afford a pet. Whether that means less eating out, not as much impulse spending, or cutting back on the traveling, you have to make sure you’re okay with minimizing the frivolous spending and that you feel like it’s worth it for the costs of a pet.

Set aside a couple thousand dollars for your pet emergency fund.

Never say never. The vice president of the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital found that owners will likely spend at least $2,000-$4,000 for an emergency bill at some point during their pet’s life. If you plan to adopt a pet, you should put a couple thousand dollars in an emergency fund just in case something does happen to your pet.

Research pet insurance.

If you are concerned about medical expenses for your pet being the budget breaker, consider getting pet insurance. There are pet insurance companies out there that can help with the costs of any medical necessities your pet may need – especially if they have an illness that will need treatment or medication. Annually, you could spend anywhere from $175-$225 on your insurance.

How to Budget for the Costs of Owning a Pet

Consider adoption over a puppy mill

While it is nice to have a puppy that is exactly the breed you’ve been looking for, puppy mills tend to not be regulated which can cause more problems for you in the long-run. Due to inbreeding and hazardous health conditions, dogs from puppy mills tend to have a lot more health problems than an adopted dog, which means more health costs for you.

Adopting from a shelter is the safest bet. You can still get a puppy if you prefer them over getting an older dog, and there are some shelters that will help you find specific breeds that you might need due to any allergies.

DIY grooming

Instead of having to take your pet to a professional groomer, you can learn how to take care of your pet’s coat yourself! You can purchase shampoo and the necessary brushes you’ll need to adequately care for their fur. Luckily for cat owners, you just have to give them baths and they like to groom themselves.

Train your pet yourself

Cat’s are easy to train since you just have to teach them how to go in the litter box. Dogs tend to need more training and teaching, but you can easily do that yourself and save hundreds of dollars. There are videos online, books, and even apps that help you with training your dog.

Second-hand supplies

To save money on supplies, you can shop at yard sales or with friends and family to get some of the reusable items like crates, kennels, cages, litter boxes, and other items you might need to care for your pet.

Coupons and subscriptions

Just like you might budget for your family, taking advantage of coupons and subscriptions can save you on yearly expenses. There are different subscriptions for food, litter, and even toys and treats for your pet!

When in need of additional funding for your pet, title loans may be a favorable option. Car title loans can be a great way to get essential funding without all the hassles that can come with traditional lenders.

Must-Have Accessories to Keep in Your Car if You Have a Pet

Having a dog can be like having a kid sometimes – they require a lot of attention, care, and love. If you travel in your car a lot or just take your dog places on occasion, there are some must-have accessories to keep in your car if you have a dog. It can help you keep your car clean, be prepared for emergencies, and just make a car trip more enjoyable for your dog.

You should have:

  • Backseat Car Cover
  • Entertainment
  • Pet Sling
  • Travel Organizer Kit
  • Outdoor Pup Tent
  • Medical Record Folder

Accessories to Keep in Your Car

Just like you may have accessories in your car for yourself or your kids, you should have accessories in your car for your dog. From entertainment on a long trip to something to have when you’re at their favorite park, these are some great items to have in your car when you have a dog.

Pet Backseat Cover

There are many places online and in-stores you can find backseat covers for your pet. They fit standard cars, trucks, and SUVs. They are waterproof, and protect from dirt, spills, scratches, hair, fur, and other accidents that your pet might create.

Bubbletastic Bacon Flavored Bubble Machine

Sounds a little over the top, but you never know when it could come in handy. This bubble machine has non-toxic, bacon scented solution that blows the bubbles for your dog to chase. If you’re on a long road-trip and want to get them active at a pit stop, or maybe waste some of their energy, this toy is great to pop out and have them running around.

Pet Slings

Sometimes a sling like a satchel and other times like a papoose, a pet sling is a must for those with smaller dogs or puppies. If you’re going somewhere in a hurry and will need your hands, it’s an easy way to pamper your pet and giving you the freedom you need.

Pet Travel Organizer Kit

This makes it easy to store your accessories for your dog while making them accessible. This is great for long car rides or when you need to give the pet to a sitter. It comes with a 1-liter BPA free water bottle, two collapsible travel bowls, and a 10-cup storage bag for food.

Outdoor Pup Tent

If you’re a camper and enjoy camping, you won’t need to worry about tears in your tent with a tent for your dog. It gives them their own space to relax, without taking up your side of the tent.

Pet Medical Record Folder

If you’re taking a road trip with your pet, you should have their medical record folder on hand, and what better way to have it then storing it in your car. In case of an emergency, make sure you have their records with previous medical surgeries, shots, medicines, or other conditions they could have.

Shake Dog Potty

Sometimes grass may not be available if you’re taking them shopping or traveling. Especially if you have older dogs and puppies, this could come in handy for the pets that can’t control themselves. It’s lightweight, small, and folds up like a suitcase. It has grated holes to let urine pass through, but a reservoir that keeps it from spilling out. It’s also easy to empty and clean.

Waterless Foam Shampoo

If you’re taking your dog to the beach, the muddy park, or you’re camping with them, having waterless shampoo can make it easy to keep them and your car clean. All you need is a brush, cloth, and the foaming shampoo.

Waste Bags

This should be a must no matter what! Having a dog, they might need to do their business at some point, and you should have a waste bag on handy no matter where you go with them.

Car Care Odor Eliminator

We love our pets, but we can’t lie – sometimes their dog smell can be kind of smelly and absorbent. That’s why having an odor eliminator scent can come in handy. Sometimes we realize too late that our pet needs a bath and the smell lingers in your car. Whether they’re with you or not, give the car a squirt.

Pet Carrier

More suitable for smaller dogs, it makes for convenient transport of your pets. The see-through mesh material lets your dog see what’s going on around them, and it also is equipped with a tote-style handle.

Pet Car Booster Seat

Not only will it keep your dog from roaming around unnecessarily in the back seat, but it also creates for safe travel. It stays in place while giving your dog the option to look out the window. Most of them are also washable and come with a safety leash to keep them in the booster.

Pet Stroller

For pet-friendly places that require a lot of walking or your dog can often get distracted, a pet stroller is not only perfect for pampering them, but also convenient for making your life just a bit easier when traveling with them.

Waterproof Dog Travel Bowl

If you don’t want to invest in an entire kit, you can get just a single bowl. It should be a must to have this item because dogs can get easily dehydrated just like humans. You can carry the water dish wherever with you since it is collapsible, waterproof, and lightweight.

Pet First Aid Kit

You never know when your dog can get injured, so having a first aid kit is just as important as having one for yourself and kids.

Outdoor Bootie Set

You never know what the weather can be like or what sort of environment you’ll be going into when you take your pet somewhere. If you live somewhere where it snows, having booties is important because the salt used on roads and sidewalks can damage the pads on their paws. It can protect them from broken glass, sharp rocks, and thistles.

Pet Ramp

If you have an older, larger dog, it may be important to get them a pet ramp. Getting into the trunk or the car can get difficult for them, and a ramp will be able to fold up nice and easy.

Backup Camera

If your car isn’t already equipped with a backup camera, you might want to get one that comes on a license plate or attaches to your trunk. With a dog running around, you never want an accident to happen when they’re running around.

Pet Cargo Liner

For longer trips or when you put down the backseats of your car, a cargo liner can cover the folded seats and hard plastic to make the backseat more comfortable for your pet.

Front Seat Cover

Just like the backseat cover, the front seat will help protect your passenger seat from dirt, spills, and other accidents, as well as from shedding.

The Pet Owner’s Guide to Saving Cash While Keeping Pets Happy and Healthy

Having a companion can keep anyone healthy and sane. They love you unconditionally in a manner that suggests they would do anything for you. More often than less, that feeling of love is reciprocated and you would literally do anything for your pet. Even when times are tough, and your financial situation has seen much better days, you strive to afford the best for your pet and yourself. You may be worried about not only your well-being, but the well-being and safety of your pet.

Don’t get discouraged! We’re here to help you and your furry, feathery, or scaly friend get through the hard times! This is the ‘Pet Owner’s Guide to Saving Money While Keeping Animals Happy and Healthy’! There are a huge variety of pets across the nation. While many of you kind humans out there take in unconventional friends from different backgrounds, we’re going to mainly stay the course with the usual pals that are home fixtures. Take a peak at some of the cost-efficient ways to ensure you and your pet are provided for.

Things You May Be Considering

There are many responsibilities you’ll have when owning and taking care of your pet; being negligent to an animal’s health and overall happiness is even a felony in this country. Most pet owners, however, love their furry friend more than they love some of their extended family members. While you love your pet, here are some of the things you’ll need to consider when trying to figure out a financial and cost effective way of taking care of them.

Habitat

Sure, your buddy is going to be living with you, but where and in what way will they be the most comfortable? Having to think about this while also being fiscally conscious can seem like a problem. Fish live in filtered aquariums. Reptiles live in heated terrariums. While you can save on these by searching for second hand equipment, be sure to make sure it is properly sanitized and in working order. Nothing wastes money like having to buy the same thing twice.

Dogs and Cats are comfortable living on all of your things, even though you’ll buy them a bed. For some people, this just means saving money on furnishings for your pet. Search around for what’s best for your pet in your price range. Your goal is to save money, but also in a way that ensures that they live a long and happy life comfortably.

Food and Treats

You may have your meal plan squared away financially, but maybe you’re at a little bit of a loss when it comes to your little friend from the animal kingdom. Pet food can get pretty pricy, especially if you want your animal to eat healthy and organic. It’s always a good idea to buy in bulk or one of the bigger bags—generally, you’ll save a lot more than just buying one at a time.

Portion controlling your animal’s food, similar to the way you might portion out your weekly meals. A little bit of portion control keeps your pet at a healthy weight and can also help you save a bit of money by seeing how many servings you can get out of each bag of food.

When it comes to treats (which all animals love), it may be hard, but you need to be frugal so that the animal doesn’t become spoiled or worse, out of shape. Try to only give your pet the extra snack maybe once a day or use them for training purposes only. You will save a lot on over-priced goodies.

Health

Getting your pet to exercise and play will not only keep them around longer, but also makes them happier. Cat toy makers seem to fail to make toys that keep cats entertained for long. Instead of spending a too much money at the store for a cat-specific toy, try making a safe one with a DIY project; if the toy is shiny or jingles, you should be okay.

An inexpensive way to keep man’s best friend healthy is as simple as can be: the park. Whether it’s a dog park to keep them running around and socializing with other dogs or its just a park to play a game of catch, the park should offer you a place where you can have fun while saving plenty of money of in your pocket for things like day care.

Your animal’s grooming is very important as well, and aside from trimming their hair, you should be able to take care of your animal’s nails and teeth from the comforts of your own home.

Day Care

Life happens and whether you’re working all the time or you need to run out of town, your pet may not always be allowed to come with you. Boarding your pet may prove to be challenging, especially financially. Some cheaper alternatives to pet care may including trading favors with friends and neighbors or even offering to pet-sit for them sometime!

Savings

Now that you know what could possibly be done to save your money, where should you go to purchase goods and needs for your best friend? In this modern age, shopping online seems like the way to go for your pet’s every need. From scratching posts to fish bowls, everything seems to be a little bit cheaper while being of the highest quality. When it comes to food, however, it would be smart to sign up for a pet-store’s loyalty program that could potentially save you a whole lot of kibble at year’s end.

Costs for Pet Emergency Expenses

When it comes to pet emergencies, they can get pricey. Any out-of-hours veterinarian visit fees are a lot higher than daytime fees because they need to provide the staff with the compensation. An initial evaluation to figure out what could be wrong includes different requirements that range in price:

  • ER Exam – $75-125
  • IV Catheter – $60-75
  • IV Fluids – $50-75
  • Blood tests (basic) – $75-150
  • Urine tests (basic) – $25-50
  • X-Rays (basic) – $75-150
  • Blood pressure measurement – $25-50
  • Pain medication – $40-60
  • Hospitalization/Vtech monitoring – $50-200

For a typical evaluation for an emergency veterinarian visit, it could range between $475-935. Unfortunately, those fees are just for the initial evaluation to figure out what’s wrong with the pet. Additional expenses for specific problems could cause your bill to reach the thousands. Some common visits and costs could include:

  • Cat bite abscess (cat) – $1,250
  • Hit by car (dog) – $5,600
  • Urethral obstruction – $2,700
  • Toxin ingestion (dog ate mushrooms) – $6,500
  • Heatstroke (dog) – $4,200
  • Foreign object (dog ate diaper) – $3,275
  • Pancreatitis (dog) – $3000
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (cat) – $4,600
  • Ruptured disc surgery (dog) – $5,600

Title loans can be the best emergency cash you can ask for, especially for visits and costs that your pet may need.

How to Pay for Pet Emergency Expenses

As soon as you invite a pet into your home, they become family. Unlike family members covered by insurance, what do you do when your pet gets hurt or sick? Figuring out how to pay for pet emergency expenses is a matter of life or death when it comes to our pets, so you should be prepared for the costs of emergency expenses.

Here are some common emergency pet visits:

  1. Vomiting/Diarrhea
  2. Trauma (road accident, fall, bite)
  3. Severe collapse due to disease
  4. Breathing problem (asthma, allergic reaction)
  5. Stones/Cystitis
  6. Poisoning
  7. Bloat/Gastric dilatation volvulus
  8. Epilepsy
  9. Stroke/Neurological problem
  10. Eye problem

Pet expenses can range from $80 to $1,000+ in funds. Depending on the severity of your pet’s situation, paying for them to survive could break the bank. But, the last thing we want to do is pay for less-than-ideal care or euthanasia – even if the condition is flexible.

If you are in need of emergency funds for your pets, there are a variety of different ways that you can get the money you need to pay for their emergency hospital visit.

  • Disposable Income: If you are some of the lucky few that have the ability to use their income to pay for the emergency hospital bill for your pet, then you can use it. You could also have brought your pet to the emergency visit and wound up paying the bare minimum fee and some antibiotic medication. For those higher expenses like bloat or a car incident, you might need one of the options below to cover the thousands to pay for the expense.
  • Friends & Family: If you don’t have the ability to pay the pet expense by yourself, ask a relative for a generous donation or take out a loan with them. Borrowing money from a friend or family member is the next best option, especially if the family member has wonderful memories and emotional ties to the pet, as well.
  • Credit Card: With good credit and a high credit limit, consider paying for your expenses with a credit card. It’s easy to throw a couple hundred to a thousand dollars onto your credit card and pay it once you have the funds or over a monthly period. But, if your pet has racked up a hospital bill that’s a couple thousand dollars, it may be harder to find a credit card you can use with that much limit available.
  • Third-Party Health Care Credit: There are many third-party health care credit programs you can enroll in. You can use them for many health expenses that your insurance doesn’t cost like pet expenses, cosmetic care, and other necessities your health care doesn’t cover. They let you set up a payment plan similar to a credit card. You have to be careful, though, because if you miss just one payment or are late on your payment, the interest rate spikes dramatically.
  • Charity Funds: Some hospitals will collect charity funds from local pet owners who have the ability to donate. You can ask your pet’s hospital if they have any charity funds you can use, but you shouldn’t rely on them. Most of the time, the charity funds are scarce, and some private hospitals might make you prove you don’t have the capability of paying the funds another way.
  • Personal Loans: If you don’t have the credit limit, you can apply for a personal loan with your bank or other companies online. Most of them require a good credit score, but don’t worry if you don’t have the perfect score. There are companies that allow you to use items as collateral for the loan until you pay it off.

Title loans for example may have an option for those who might need financial help for their pet expense but have bad credit1. Title loans may provide fast and easy cash that doesn’t place high importance on you credit score, and may help you get competitive deals on title loans.

With visits like these expect big expenses. However, they don’t have to be with fast cash from title loans. In fact, title loans can be fast and easy to receive in as little as a day3.