Spill the beans... on how to care for Fido or Tiddles for less

dawnie1972

I think the general point I would make on this (and I've learnt this from recent experiences) is to not be afraid to ask your vets advice. Milo was really really ill recently and as a result his liver will never be fully functional again so i have to be very careful what he has especially with things that have Vitamin A in, Copper etc. In the last 4 months he's gone from a dog that lost 5kg in body weight and wouldnt eat anything to a dog that is now licking his bowl clean again and tipping it upside on the off chance he might have missed a speck of food! However, since he got ill neither him nor my other 2 dogs will touch the food they used to have - maybe they konw something I dont. They now all have butchers tinned and whilst this may not be the best they all lick their dishes clean.
Re medications, dont also assume that the online pharmacies are the cheapest - you may find it cheaper at the local chemist. If you've ever taken your dog to the vet and been given those pink antibiotics tablets Synulox, you can get the exact same from boots for about a quarter of the cost (except their not pink and called something else but the ingredients are the same). Milo is on tablets (possibly for life now) and my vet charges £8 for a prescription and the tablets are a quarter of the price from the chemist - when he's taking 4 tablets a day it makes a massive difference.

SneaksyWhippet

gsddusty1 wrote: »

Another method for cheap dog treats is to buy cheap liver from the butcher or supermarkets and put in a blender with 2 eggs and a little water. Mix the mixture with about a third to half a bag of self raising flour in a mixing bowl and add a little garlic crushed. You end up with a gooey cake mixture which you put in the microwave for about 20 minutes. You end up with a large cake which I cut into slices and freeze the slices. I defrost and cut into small cubes to use when I want for training treats. Dogs love it and dogs who won't normally accept treats according to their owners all take the liver cake. The whole cake only costs about £1.50 and I normally get about 10 good slices. Once defrosted the treats last about a week in the fridge.
You can also put the mixture in the oven but I find it hard to clean the baking tray afterwards as the mixture sticks.

If you find your liver cake mixture sticks to your baking tray, I'd recommend trying a silicone tray. I got one especially for cooking liver cake and it is AMAZING! You just turn it over, bend it and out plops the cake

Katiehound

I also make the liver cake but substitute half flour with rolled oats.
A friend who is vegetarian used to use frozen turkey mince to make the same treats- it was free flow frozen so she didn't have to handle the meat.
Also worth trying with a cheap can of fish- I'm not sure what that might be. Are pilchards a cheap option these days?
Only once has a dog at training classes has a dog refused such goodies!

krlyr

Tinned mackeral is the cheapest per 100g last time I looked (excluding offers) - I buy the ones in sauce, tip into a colander and rinse well, then they mash up quite easily with a fork.
If you follow a similar recipe but switch to plain flour, and add enough to make a rollable dough, you can make training biscuits too. Some people use fancy cutters for pretty shaped ones, I can't be bothered so it's rolled out flat, scored both directions and baked - can then break into small squares along the scored marks when cooked.

marsha8

I don't have a pet but my friend has a dog. Because the vets fees are so very high & the pet insurance fees, he has opened a bank account for his dog! Each month he puts in a regular amount & when he needs to pay a vet bill the money is sat there waiting to be used.

SneaksyWhippet

Katiehound wrote: »

I also make the liver cake but substitute half flour with rolled oats.
A friend who is vegetarian used to use frozen turkey mince to make the same treats- it was free flow frozen so she didn't have to handle the meat.
Also worth trying with a cheap can of fish- I'm not sure what that might be. Are pilchards a cheap option these days?
Only once has a dog at training classes has a dog refused such goodies!

I've made a sardine variety which worked well. I added some fresh parsley too and the dogs loved it!

rising_from_the_ashes

marsha8 wrote: »

I don't have a pet but my friend has a dog. Because the vets fees are so very high & the pet insurance fees, he has opened a bank account for his dog! Each month he puts in a regular amount & when he needs to pay a vet bill the money is sat there waiting to be used.

There is a huge BUT to this ...... what happens if a) your pet needs treatment before you've sufficient funds put aside or b) the cost of treatment is either huge (can be £000s) or ongoing?

Lady_Annabel_Aardvark

marsha8 wrote: »

I don't have a pet but my friend has a dog. Because the vets fees are so very high & the pet insurance fees, he has opened a bank account for his dog! Each month he puts in a regular amount & when he needs to pay a vet bill the money is sat there waiting to be used.

That's fine unless something major goes wrong. My dog recently went paralysed and had slipped a disc requiring major specialist surgery. She was in hospital for three weeks and still going back for physio. Luckily my insurance covers her for £7k as we have topped that now.

For others who say they save by not getting vaccinations done annually - be careful because insurance requires that you are up to date with ANNUAL vaccinations.

Weetabix - I'm surprised a vet recommended this as many dogs are intolerant to wheat.

Just things to bear in mind.

krlyr

Lady_Annabel_Aardvark wrote: »

For others who say they save by not getting vaccinations done annually - be careful because insurance requires that you are up to date with ANNUAL vaccinations.

Weetabix - I'm surprised a vet recommended this as many dogs are intolerant to wheat.

Good point with the vaccinations - speak to your insurers. It can vary some are happy to accept vaccinations as per the manufacturer's/vet's instructions - some vaccinations can be every 3 years, for example. Some will just exclude conditions that could have been prevented with vaccinations (kennel cough, leptospirosis, etc), but some will void the policy completely. Get verbal and written confirmation.

Not too surprised with the vet recommendation of Weetabix given how little time they actually spend learning about animal nutrition. I've heard that it's generally 1 or 2 lectures, often funded by big food manufacturers like Hills or Royal Canin. Worth bearing this in mind when discussing nutrition with a vet - check that they've taken the initiative to do their own research or further studies before you take their advice too seriously.

StudioBeau

krlyr wrote: »

Good point with the vaccinations - speak to your insurers. It can vary some are happy to accept vaccinations as per the manufacturer's/vet's instructions - some vaccinations can be every 3 years, for example. Some will just exclude conditions that could have been prevented with vaccinations (kennel cough, leptospirosis, etc), but some will void the policy completely. Get verbal and written confirmation.

This is true, we did check because Quinn has IBD, an old wrist injury and megaesophagus which also will not be covered, but because we actually told them about it and were happy for it to be taken out, our insurance actually dropped by £2 per month.

You may actually have to tell your insurance company you feed raw too as some companies count this as 'putting your dog at excessive risk' (bit stupid) and if there was anything they could associate with raw feeding they will not pay out on.