Experts share eight practical tips to save over £1,200 for your pet every year

Did you know that the average cost of caring for a medium sized dog over its lifetime is a staggering £27,000? And for a cat it’s about £12,000?

With the cost of living rising, your pet shouldn’t be a burden on your personal finances.

To help pet owners save money when they need it, Andrea Knowles, the personal finance expert at Vouchers.co.uk, has shared eight ways to save up to £1,212 a year for your pet.

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Smart ways to save up to £1,212 for your pet every year, according to money-saving experts:

1.Buy your pet food from this type of store to save up to £40 a year

While local shops like Tesco Express or Sainsbury’s Local can be convenient, do some research at which? found that shopping in local stores costs an average of 9.5% more than in larger supermarkets.

As pet food can cost up to £400 a year to buy, this potential saving of almost £40 is quite significant if you switch to larger supermarkets.

2.Groom your pet between sessions to save £129 a year

Professional grooming for your pet can be very expensive, costing an average of £43 per session.

With the average dog needing four to six sessions a year this can cost up to £258 a year.

Instead, you could reduce those costs by keeping track of basic grooming chores like regular brushing or the occasional bath.

There are even loads of free YouTube videos that show you how to groom your specific breed’s coat.

Performing these simple tasks will not only help you bond with your pet, but will also increase the amount of time it takes between professional grooming sessions.

You could cut the number of sessions required and the price in half to £129.

3.Start a dog walking or pet sitting club with your neighbors to save £705 a year

Paying someone to walk your dog can be a costly expense, averaging £11.25 per walk or £585 per year should they get one a week.

To lower these costs completely, talk to your friends and neighbors who have pets and ask if they would like to benefit from a rotating dog walking service.

They could also run a similar pet sitting service, which is perfect if you’re planning to go on vacation.

With the average dog boarding costing £120 for a week, the total annual saving is £705 including the savings on walking.

4.Buy your prescriptions online to save 50%

Buying medication for your pet can be expensive, but did you know that you can order and order the prescription from a certified online pharmacy for a fraction of the cost?

For example, petdrugsonline.co.uk claim you save up to 76% on every pet grooming and they have a 4.9/5 rating according to Feefo.

5.Take your dog to charity training courses to save £115

The average cost of a dog training course in a private group is £45 per session, so a four week course would set you back £180.

Many local charities such as B. Dog’s Trust, however, offer cheaper four week courses for just £65 – a saving of £115.

6.Check your pet’s portion sizes

An estimated 40% of dogs in the UK are overweight. One way to get them to lose a few pounds and you to gain a few is to weigh their food.

To find out how much to feed your dog, look at the body condition system to calculate if your dog is under-skinny, over-heavy, or ideal.

From this you can then calculate the right portion of food.

7.Brush your dog’s teeth to save up to £223 a year

One of the most common causes of tooth and gum disease in dogs is their owner not brushing their dog’s teeth properly or often enough.

In fact, the average cost for a dentist to scale and polish a dog’s teeth is £233.

With pet toothbrushes and toothpaste costing less than $10, it’s definitely worth getting used to doing this yourself at home, as many dentists share step-by-step instructions online.

8th.Get pet insurance to save money in the long run

Although there is a monthly (or annual) cost to purchasing pet insurance, enrolling your pet in a policy can help offset the cost of preventive care along with accidents and illnesses.

However, make sure you get a policy as soon as you get a pet, as waiting until the pet is older increases their chances of needing a premium priced policy due to underlying health issues.

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