With luck, your dog will live many years and grow old alongside you. However, with your pet’s advanced age comes increased costs associated with caring for your senior dog. Between normal age-related changes and an increased risk of illness, caring for an elderly pet can be costly.
The last thing you want is for money to get in the way of caring for your elderly pet. Fortunately, this is not required. With these tips and a few discount codes, you can save money on all the necessities that come with owning a senior dog and prepare for the unexpected costs of an aging pet.
Keeping your pet comfortable at home
We all slow down as we age and dogs are no exception. As your dog’s mobility decreases, he may need additional help getting around the house. Raised feeders, pet steps and ramps, and an orthopedic dog bed keep your senior dog comfortable at home. The cost of purchasing pet supplies adds up. You may be able to find used pet supplies at local markets on Facebook and Craigslist. Otherwise, look for sales and deals to save money on new products. Department stores are great places to find reasonably priced pet supplies.
Keeping your dog comfortable goes beyond staying at home. It is also important to maintain the health of your pet’s joints. Older pets are prone to arthritis. Supplements like Glyde™ Mobility Chew Promote healthy joints so your dog enjoys younger-looking mobility for longer. High-quality supplements don’t come cheap, signing up for an automatic subscription is a smart way to save. And often, like everything else, you get what you pay for.
Once you’ve set up your home to accommodate your pet, you may not want to send your puppy to a kennel the next time you’re away. If this is the case, consider hiring a pet sitter who can care for your dog in your home. Your veterinarian’s office is always a great place to ask for pet sitter recommendations. But if you like the ability to compare prices, try online tools that let you on-screen pet sitters based on location, price and experience.
Prepare for rising veterinary costs
Older animals need more frequent check-ups than their younger counterparts. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends increasing your senior dog’s annual wellness visits to twice a year.
In addition to biannual wellness visits, owners of senior dogs should prepare for the costs associated with age-related care. dog diseases such as cancer, kidney disease and heart disease. Although many dogs never develop a chronic illness, it is always best to be prepared.
Consider getting pet insurance to help reduce out-of-pocket costs associated with treating serious illnesses. This helps you avoid the difficult situation of refusing veterinary care due to cost. It’s worth looking into cover if you don’t already have pet insurance; however, you may encounter obstacles due to your pet’s age.
If you find yourself in a veterinary emergency and don’t have the funds to cover it, check out Care Credit. Care Credit allows you to finance your animal’s veterinary care at 0% for 6 to 60 months depending on terms. However, with deferred interest rates that can exceed 25%, Care Credit is only a smart strategy if you pay off the balance in full before the promotional period ends.
Ultimately, caring for an older dog costs more on average than raising a younger pet. However, with proper planning and money-saving strategies, you can reduce the costs of owning a pet for seniors.
Whether your dog is already elderly or still young and lively, start thinking about how you will manage the costs of caring for your pet in their old age.
— Submitted by special guest columnist Cindy Aldridge, a writer at ourdogfriends.org.