Great Feed, House and Keep Your Pets Hunt

gromituk

secondhandsusie6cats wrote:

My cats have been treated for various illneses - one had cancer at a very early age and 6 years on, is still going strong. I sat in with her when she had her chemo and she was not distressed by it and even got used to it. She wasn't insured and I didn't think twice about how much treatment would cost coz if my furry family need something they have it - no question. She is a very happy and healthy girl but what if I'd taken your attitude and had her to put to sleep????? <shivers> doesn't bear thinking about.

How do you know what my attitude is? The trouble with forums like this is that people seem not to be able to accept that one doesn't have to be completely polarised one way or the other. You seem to think that because I object to the blanket assertions on here that one must have insurance or one is not a responsible pet owner, I would put my pet down for the slightest ailment. I wouldn't - I have had my pet treated by the vet on several occasions. In fact, you tell us that your cat wasn't insured, so you are backing me up with my argument that insurance isn't always necessary.

And what would have happened if the chemo had been unsuccessful and your cat had had a slow, lingering death? My turn to shiver - doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

At the end of the day, we have NHS for humans and if a human child was very sick I doubt you'd be saying not to bother treating them. :mad:

No, because humans are not pets.

Gromituk, your post makes me think of a well-known saying "The more people (like you) I meet, the more I like my cats"

You know nothing about me and yet you decide to take against me in this way because you haven't read my postings with a cool head and due consideration. Please reserve your condemnation for cat haters: the ones who enjoy running them over.

lil_me

My dog is on Greyhound food, tax free £6 for a 15kg sack, or 2 for £10. He's not a Greyhound but thrives on it.

Going to be sorting insurance out for him soon, I have a suspicion he's got hayfever ?

Freecycle is handy for boxes and old duvets as pet beds, my dog doesn't like a bed but had loads for friends off there.

If you've got pet rats remember they like things liek chicken bones and meat aswell. Mine used to love things like that.

Lizards crickets cost me same each week but his fruit and veg are just cut off what we use.

sluggy1967

Thank you lil_me - I thought I was the only person in the world who had a pet with hay fever - I swear my cat gets it but people think I'm mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pipcola

gromituk wrote:

Well that depends.

Your pet may drop dead suddenly of natural causes and your premiums would then have been completely wasted.

You can go on pumping medication into your pet when it's well past its natural lifespan, because insurance is paying for it. Sometimes it may be kinder to call it a day. Upsetting for you, but the animal doesn't know it's happening.

Similarly, you can spend a fortune on operations following an accident, when the kindest thing to do would be to put the animal down.

Of course I would be very sad to see my cat go, but the shelters are always crying out for homes for the animals they have. I would find a new cat just as delightful over time as my present one.

Remember that insurance companies are not charities - they are there to make a profit from your premiums. Get insurance if you're legally obliged to or if you can't stand the worst consequences of not being insured. Otherwise, you are just paying for peace of mind. With pet insurance, the worst consequence would be having to put the animal down. I see the decision to take it out as being a lot less black and white than many posters on here are suggesting.

My thoughts also - could not agree more.
Less intervention more prevention - and some of the posts about feeding are .......................

Gaia

We have a beautiful cat, originally from the Cats Protection League. They neuter and vaccinate the cats before they are rehomed.

We used to use the Tesco Value brand cat litter because it is very cheap BUT our poor love was overgrooming (at first the vet said not to worry) to the extent where there was no fur on his lower belly. We changed the litter in case that was causing an irritation and the fur is growing back. We've changed to a recycled paper litter from Morrisons, which has the advantage of being lightweight as well as recycled and cheap.

Toys, he loves string(!!!), ribbons, corks, scrunched up paper and foil, and the plastic tags and tops you get from plastic milk bottles. He also loves pens and pencils, will deliberately knock them off a table to play with. He won't play with shop baught toys/toy mice etc and actively runs away from catnip!

We feed him Hill's Science Plan and find it's much cheaper to buy in large sacks over the internet. They have a long shelf-life and come in resealable, zipped sacks. Also, you get free delivery if over a certain amount. It's worth doing a fresh search each time you buy as the different shops can vary their prices and one is cheaper on one day and not the next.

Insurance, I did quite a lot of research into this and found that M&S was not only one of the cheaper, but was the only truely whole of life plan that allowed a repeated amount every year for a reasonable price. Pet Plan is horrendously expensive for the same level of cover!

We have a reciprocal agreement with a close neighbour to feed (and spend time playing with!) each others feline family members when away so no need for cattery fees plus they still get loads of attention and company. We have back-up family members in case we're both away at the same time. We also leave a radio on low in one part of the flat so that he can have voice/music if he wants, and quiet in the other part of the flat.

Our local pet shop gave us a large, second-hand scratching post/activity centre for free. Freecycle often throws up cat beds/scratchposts/toys etc but do be careful if they've been used, you don't want your loved one(s) catching anything, including fleas, from them.

Lidl and costco often do cheap, very good, cat activity centres.

You don't need special bowls etc, we use conveniently shaped/sized pottery/china bowls. A handy tip, we found that an egg-cup makes the perfect measured-scoop for the dried food.

Most importantly, I love my little darling and will do whatever is best for him to the best of my abilities!!!

lil_me

sluggy1967 wrote:

Thank you lil_me - I thought I was the only person in the world who had a pet with hay fever - I swear my cat gets it but people think I'm mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been to the vets about it and have no intention until he is insured but as soon as he's outside near grass at the minute he sneezes so much he falls over. His eyes water a little now but was bad over hot summer months. My friends dog had pollen allergies aswell as others, unsure about cats but dogs can get it.

bulchy

Hi, a few people have asked me about the food I feed my dogs, heres a typical weeks menu which varies from week to week depending whats in my freezer and whats cheap in supermarkets and whatever leftovers I've had.


Sat. chunky steak mixed with mushed up veggies
raw meaty lamb rib bones
supper time they had James Wellbeloved mixed with live yogurt
Sun. tinned pilchards
chicken necks
whatever is left over from sunday dinner (a treat for them)
Mon.Smartprice or Sainsbury's economy freeflow mince mixed with mushed
up veggies
chicken wings or thighs or drumsticks
raw tripe
Tues.Minced rabbit with raw veggies
raw meaty pork bones
minced chicken with veggies
Wed.Tinned pilchards
Raw meaty bones
Tripe
Thurs.Smartprice mince and veg
Chicken necks
Tripe or dried dog food mixed with live yogurt


This is probably a typical week (almost) but it does vary. For supplements I give them an evening primrose oil capsule each (just look out for promotions in H&B or Boots) a clove of garlic, a raw egg and a herbal dog supplement called Keepers mix, this cost me £8 for a huge tub and has so far lasted me since may and looks like It's gonna last at least another month. They usually get fed twice a day, amounts and frequency depend on the weather, how much exercise they've had etc but One of my dogs has just had a cruciate ligament operation, this is why I'm feeding them 3 times a day, to give him his pain relief as he gets them twice a day, first feed in the morning and last feed at night to make sure its 12 hours apart. I intend adding a vitamin c supplement soon as hes starting to show signs of arthritis where hes had his injury, vet says this is normal after a cruciate injury. Thankfully my dogs are insured, I wouldnt have been able to afford the £1000 for the vet fees, and it would have gone on the credit card, so yes I agree pets should be insured. He had an accident earlier this year which cost us £300, so we've made 2 claims so far this year on him.
I get a lot of my dog food from a pet food supplier I found in yellow pages, they deliver free, and its very cheap, they charge 25p a lb for tripe, the pet shop charges 40p, chicken necks are the same, havent seen these in any of our local pet shops, they give me a huge bag of chicken wings free and the chunky steak is 50p a lb, this is a treat for them,I also get minced rabbit and minced chicken from them, rabbit isnt always available but is about 45p a lb, chicken is 25p a lb. MY husband sometimes gets them minced fowl from the market, this is about 25p per lb.Butchers sell me trays of raw lamb and pork bones very cheap, remember they have to pay to get them taken away so are grateful to get rid of them, yesterday I got a binbag full of bones for £2. They do get turkey now and again but arent so keen on it. My 2 dont like offal, so I have to sneak bits of liver,heart etc in whenever I can, but they sometimes get chicken carcasses which have liver etc still in them. Veg is mostly fed raw, they get carrots, celery, turnip, courgettes and whatevers cheap and in season, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli and cauli is cooked first. All veg is mushed up in the smoothie maker and frozen in individual portions for whenever its needed. Never feed onions, leeks,grapes, currants etc. The pup will eat fruit by itself but the older dog wont as he hasnt been fed this diet all is life like pupster has, we mush fruit in the smoothie maker and mix it with live yogurt then put it in ice cube tray and freeze it, he loves this.
Anyone wanting to start there dogs on the diet should do so gradually, if your worried about dogs eating the bones too quickly, you could get them to eat it from your hands, you hold one end so you control the speed they eat it, also I used to smash the bones up for pup, incase she had difficulty eating them. Never leave them unattended with raw bones.
I think I've covered everything. Its a good idea to maybe register to a dog forum where you can get tips and info on amounts etc. Champdogs is a good one. I did have a link for another good site but my pc's been down for a few days and I've lost it, will try to post it later once we've got everything sorted. You can also get books on the BARF diet from Amazon or E-bay.
Hope I've been of some help.
Sue

gromituk

lil_me wrote:

I haven't been to the vets about it and have no intention until he is insured but as soon as he's outside near grass at the minute he sneezes so much he falls over.

Isn't that a pre-existing condition which you need to declare on your insurance application? And won't it lead to huge premiums?

ianfish

MSE_Martin wrote:

What's it about?

Whether your best friend is a dalmation or a dormouse keeping them fed, watered and generally healthy can take a large chunk out of your hard-earned wage. Of course if you have a pet you'd never be without it so the alternative is to cut the cost.

What to do?

I'd like to tap pet-owning MoneySavers' wealth of knowledge to find top tips, ideas and sources of cheap food, bedding, toys; anything that will keep your moggy or doggy happy and healthy without making your wallet less wealthy.

PS Also read Pet Insurance Cost Cutting article

Click reply to give your tips.

we have always found that the best type of pet insurance was NO insurance! Instead of paying a premium each month, open a building society account and pay the money into that for use when you need to pay vet bills. You earn interest and if your pet stays healthy you keep the money. OK it may cost you more initially until you have built up a reasonable fund, but it has to better than paying insurance premiums.

bulchy

ianfish wrote:

we have always found that the best type of pet insurance was NO insurance! Instead of paying a premium each month, open a building society account and pay the money into that for use when you need to pay vet bills. You earn interest and if your pet stays healthy you keep the money. OK it may cost you more initially until you have built up a reasonable fund, but it has to better than paying insurance premiums.

Having already ran up a bill of £1300+ this year with my dog, I dont think this would be practicle for me. I could never have afforded that amount without going into debt.
Sue