With a cute, little dog, comes great responsibilities and joy altogether. You need to be considerate of what you feed your dog and how you are taking care of it. From being showered with unadulterated love to experiencing sheer delight, your furry friend will make you feel emotions of another kind. However, all dog lovers out there must be aware that dog food is quite costly. Taking out a separate portion of your income each month may leave a dent in your wallet.

If that’s the case with you, here are a few unique ways how to save money on dog food.

Note that these are just prospective methods to cut down on your pet’s food costs. Each method is different and may or may not suit your needs. Hence, peruse the list of solutions outlined below and pick the one most applicable in your situation.

Without further ado, presenting you our list of ways to save money on dog food:

Ways to save money on dog food

●  Art of Bulk Buying

When it comes to dog food, you can always choose the option of bulk buying from a reliable vendor. This strategy can be effective as long as you are familiar with the brand and know whether it’s right for your dog. Although a vast majority of people ardently oppose the idea of buying in bulk, it can hold a myriad of benefits for people looking to slash their costs.

Buying dog food in bulk can prove to be an extremely smart strategy. Not only will you end up taking a better deal per ounce home, but also save on time and extra fuel costs. A win-win situation, isn’t it?

● Keep the Measurement Strong

If you’re still wondering how to save money on dog food, here is a simple method that can be used at home. This practice is not only helpful in cutting down on costs, but also in ensuring your dog is healthy and stable.

For starters, try and infuse a practice of measuring the amount of food you provide for your furry friend. The process may sound odd at first but in reality, it is one of the best ways to feed your dog on a budget. We often tend to put a lot of dog food on their plate- much more than the amount they require to stay hale and hearty.

It’s easy to overdose on your dog when you don’t have a specific way to measure the quantity provided. Hence, try and measure the food given and only put an appropriate number of treats in his bowl. You can then see for yourself if the costs are lowered.

● D For Discount

A common misconception prevalent amongst dog owners is the lack of discounts in the pet food category. Most people are fooled to believe that retail chains do not offer relevant discounts on dog treats. However, that isn’t the case at all.

A detailed market survey would conclude that stores usually do provide a bunch of different discounts on food for pets. Still, thinking about where and how to save money on dog food? The answer lies in the lines highlighted above.

Pay a visit to your closest supermarket or pet shop and avail the range of discounts available for your cute and fluffy friend. The discount offered to the dog owners varies from store to store and occasion to occasion. On average, the discount rates can fall between a minimum of 5 percent to a maximum of 20 percent. These discounts are usually not advertised on the bigger level. Thus, head out to the store and see for yourself.

●  Reap benefits of Rebates

While visiting stores, you may have seen aisles marked with banners that contain important information. As humans, we often tend to ignore those announcements, disregarding them as irrelevant and unnecessary. However, it is important to note that these posters can help us in cutting back on our costs to a great extent.

This is primarily because these aisle banners are filled with cashback and rebate offers- ones that can help us immensely. For instance, a rebate offer may be phrased in the following manner: “Here’s a $15 rebate on a purchase of dog food priced at $34.9.” Talking about it this way, the aforementioned sounds like a fantastic deal.

Unfortunately, most people never claim this rebate. Though the reason for missing out on this benefit is unclear, it can perhaps be attributed to mere laziness on their part. But you don’t have to necessarily follow suit.

Yes, the process of filing paperwork and compiling forms may be extensive and tedious, but the benefits are endless. Imagine getting a rebate worth $15 for your purchase, wouldn’t the efforts be worthwhile?

● Vet to The Rescue

If you have a pet dog at home, visits to the vet would be part of your normal routine. As it turns out, vets can prove to offer more than just medical advice. That’s right, your animal doctors can even help you in testing times and offer solace by cutting your food expenses in half. Here’s how:

While visiting your vet, you can casually ask him about food samples lying around. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask such a question. Be assured, as it is completely normal and justified to seek help from your vet in terms of food supplies.

Several manufacturers send a bunch of food samples to veterinary clinics, hoping that they would in turn provide them to their customers. Thus, there is a high chance of vets having an ample supply of food for disposal.

In place of the given circumstances, visit the vet and take out a few food samples for your pet. What better way to save costs than this?

● Get your doggy to slow down

Many times, dogs tend to rush through their food. As a natural or a learned tendency, animals are in the habit of eating as quickly as possible. This suggests that they don’t relish the food as much as they should. It also hints at a far deeper problem of digestive or gastrointestinal issues that may arise due to quick eating.

In such a case, you can try and make your dog eat slowly and relish every crumb that he eats. This will not only help in enhancing his overall health but also in cutting back additional food costs. If you think you want to tread down this path, here are a few ways in which your dog can take a proper food take:

• Don’t put the food in his bowl all at once. Divide the food into different bowls so he can’t gobble it all down at once.
• Put a big item (like a ball) in the bowl so he would have to make an effort and eat around it.
• Place the food bowl at a raised height so that your dog would have to raise his head and eat the kibble.

These were just a few ways in which you could cut back on your dog’s food costs. Of course, having a dog as a pet is no less than a blessing, and slashing his food costs seems a bit inhumane. However, the methods highlighted above ensure that your little friend gets an optimum level of food, in line with your budget. Choose any method(s) and see which helps your pet and pocket the most. Best of luck!