Great Feed, House and Keep Your Pets Hunt

couponqueen_2

My tip is to make friends with a local office - estate agents etc - and get their shredded paper - they're usually glad to be rid of it. our guinea pigs love it (they eat masses of it) and friends use it for rabbits, gerbils etc - not suitable or hamsters though
couponqueen

i-sparkle_2

I get my pet food direct from the supplier.

My two black labs are fed on Nature Diet,

"Naturediet Pet Foods is a British family run company formed 30 years ago. Our principle aim is to provide a high quality, holistic, healthy, palatable natural food with absolutely no artificial additives, preservatives or colourings, in an appetising form that your pet will love to eat"

They love this brand and we are always being complimented on their condition ( so much so that our 7 yr old is often thought to be many years younger ).

Most pet shops sell this brand anywhere upwards of around 65p. I order it direct from Nature Diet for around 57p a carton (depending on the quantity ordered) and they deliver it FREE to my doorstep within approx 3 days!! Although on their website ( https://www.naturediet.net ) it does not mention that they will deliver direct to consumer whenever I call customer service they always ask if I am a new or existing customer. Even though they do only provide an 0870 number to call on, I never been hanging on listening to sales talk for 10 mins before I get to speak to an operator and when you have ordered once and they have all your details ordering is very quick.

I believe that Natures Menu (the (frozen) raw meat products ) also offer this service, https://www.prizechoice.co.uk . I haven't tried their service as I don't have a freezer large enough to accommodate the minimum order quantity, but having contacted them in the past and I'm sure that their direct prices are more cost effective than the 'pet supermarkets' and you can order online with them. Minimum order is £50, carriage is £2.91 and you get to choose from the whole range of frozen meats, treat and the pouches of cooked 'ready to serve' meats.

:beer:

chimp_choker

I buy from Oscars pet foods.

They phone me up with offers to tempt me and get me to spend money. It doesn't work but I do buy their products when I need them as they are nutritionaslly balanced and a sensetive red setter loves the biscuits and treats.

I supliment this ( although it's not needed) with a bit of fresh / frozen cooked chicken or his current faves of cornbeef and quasoints ....8 for 20p late in the evening at tesco when the sell by date is close.

ejsmith

hanncy wrote: »

An even cheaper way is to go to your local boot fair on a Sunday morning. There are often dozens of people selling stuffed toys and if you wait until things are packing up they are usually quite glad to practically give them away. 25p each is the price I pay and I stock up at the end of the season to keep the dogs happy all winter when there are no boot fairs!

Our local PDSA charity shop has a basket of toys suitable for dogs (without plastic eyes etc, although beware the stuffing if you've a really 'eat anything' dog) which they sell for 25p.

One of my dogs love catnip toys, which cost less than dog toys. Empty plastic lemonade/cola bottle also seem a hit - just don't give them one when you want to watch tv as you can't hear yourself think!

Our vet gives a 10% discount if you take 3+ dogs for vaccinations (register all your family pets at one address if that's practical - my dogs & my parents dogs are down as one 'family'). Some food suppliers, like Pedigree, will register you as a breeder if you have 3+ dogs, which gives you a discount.

If you buy branded dog food, available at loads of shops, use something like fixtureferrets to alert you when different supermarkets run promotions. I had a £10 first-time online shopping voucher for Sainsburys when they had Pedigree foods on offer and all I bought was dog food, delivered free - a help when you don't have a car.

Some PCTs (primary care trusts) will give you money to buy a dog, because of the health benefits - 'social inclusion', fitness, low BP etc. For people who might qualify for 'direct payments' (money for social care needs) it may be possible to buy, and insure, a pet with that.

Finally, ask fish mongers and fish and chip shops if they've got any off-cuts for free. If you ask at supermarkets you need a fish counter which prepares the fish from scratch - Tesco often give me scraps but in Asda they buy the fish in ready-trimmed.

Oh, and for treats for you and your pet - go cockling, for free!

Elizabeth

LucyLoo2_3

What some off you are feeding your dogs is slightly worrying!

A super premium food may seem expensive, but when you look at the facts it really isn't!

My 5 month old puppy is fed on Eukanuba Puppy food £42 for a 15k bag (On offer at Pets at Home for £36.99 right now) bearing in mind as it's so nutritious you need to feed less, it lasts me 3 months! Which works out at £3.50 a week! Not really expensive is it?

If you are feeding a complete diet, you don't need to worry about extra supplements, cooking / mixing complicated diets etc etc!

Less hassle for you, and far better for the dog!

Most wet foods contain 80% water and if you look at the ingredients very little meat..... So less for the dog to digest which results in flatulence and lots more waste... The more a dog can digest the less waste! (Save on Poo bags!)

Basically when choosing a food look at the ingriedients, you will be shocked to see how little meat some contain less than 4%, all super premium brands contain a minimum of 22% human grade meat (not meat derivativies) a lot of cheaper foods just bulk out the diet producing more waste.....

Eukanuba produce a free puppy pack as do most manufacturers if you visit their website with money off coupons and free sampes etc...

Basically just view the bigger picture when choosing a food not just the initial cost of buying a bag.... A healthy dog will have lower vets billls.....

Also big up Marks and Spencer Insurance.... Cheap premiums and for a little extra each month no excess, and after having to claim last month (one of my cats got run over ) very quick to pay out!

Leonie

Entirely agree about M&S insurance - I've just insured my kitten, no excess, for £7.70 a month. They cover for life, so even if a claim runs over one year, they will still cover it, and don't refuse to pay out if the same illness recurs.

I agree about the food too - I'm looking for better quality this time, as the cat's health will suffer on the cheap stuff. I'm hoping to keep this cat healthy for all it's life, pay more for food less for vets! When i had a lot of cats, I couldn't afford the expensive foods, or so I thought - but in old age, their health was poor.

Have you seen the reports on the Iams recall in America - and that's supposed to be one of the good ones!

scruffy96uk

This isposted else where on these forums but not on here so just thought I'd post it here

http://www.videojug.com/

Look down the left hand side and go to pets, some really good ideas

Hope someone gets some use of it

I'm planning to make the doggie treats at the weekend! I'm not very good in the kitchen so will just have to wait and see!!

Scruffy

Kelinik

Don't take out insurance for small animals, instead save a bit a month in a jar/account for vets bills.

Leonie

I have to say I disagree with trying to save enough to cover pet emergencies and ill health. Last year the last of my 3 elderly cats died, not one of them died without extended periods of vets bills, the average each month was £50 - 100, which was only for examination and medication - blood tests for thyroid or kidney problems, which are common in elderly cats now, are a lot more. Anaesthetic and xrays are frighteningly expensive.

It definitely cost me more than £7.70 a month x 12 x 15 (average cat's life span) to cover just the basics - no surgery or anything elaborate. If I'd had insurance, I would have had more options. I'm not in favour of prolonging a pet's life when it's quality of life is poor, but their conditions could have been managed much better if I could have afforded even blood tests.

There's no way I would have saved enough to cover those eventualities - on a small budget, household emergencies like plumbing and heating and the car regularly take any smalll savings I manage to make. I would have had more years with some dearly loved pets if I'd had insurance cover.

Kelinik

Please note I said small animals, not cats!