How to Save Money on Pet Food
19 August 2006If you own a dog or a cat, you know that both cat food and dog food can be a big expense. Luckily, there are some good ways you can save some money on it. However, as a word of caution, I’m going to start out with what you shouldn’t do.
DO NOT: make homemade pet food for your pet’s primary diet. This can cause serious health problems for the pet. For cats, it’s virtually impossible to do safely because of a chemical they need called taurine. It comes in many meats, but it’s also added to commercial pet foods to avoid deficiency. If your cat doesn’t get enough taurine, it will get very sick, and can go blind or die. Homemade dog food can cause health problems such as obesity and other nutritional deficiencies depending on what you feed them.
DO NOT: Feed your pet people food. Lots of things in human foods are poisonous to pets - from chocolate to onions to garlic.
DO NOT: Buy the cheap food if your pet has health problems that require a special diet.
DO: Feed your pet dry chow. It’s nearly always cheaper than the wet food.
DO: Avoid overfeeding your pet. Read the packaging carefully to see how much you should be giving the pet. If you make your pet fat, it’s making it unhealthy - and wasting your money. Don’t put out any more than the recommended amount.
DO: Go with a good brand, but a cheap one. Purina and Alpo both make cheaper pet foods, and they’re respected enough that you don’t have to worry about health problems.
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