Prescription Dog Food: Money Saving Tips
When your veterinarian utters, “Your dog must eat a prescription diet for life,” your heart and wallet sink. Prescription dog food diets can slow down a progressing disease due to their specific ingredients, vitamins, minerals and supplements.
Veterinarians prescribe prescription diets specifically formulated for kidney, cardiac, diabetic and gastrointestinal disease, and these diets do work. However, prescription dog foods are expensive, especially for dogs weighing more than 70 pounds. On average, a prescription inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diet for dogs can cost between $200-$350 a month for a 110-pound Rottweiler. Ouch!
Check out these money saving tips on prescription dog food.
Check With Pet Insurance
Pet insurance is a must due to rising costs of veterinary medicine. Many pet insurance polices cover prescription dog food costs, so check your policy or contact your pet insurance company for more details. If your dog isn’t currently covered by pet insurance, reach out to several companies for quotes. Many companies offer discounted pet insurance rates for employees too, so it’s certainly worth asking your Human Resource department for information.
Some monthly insurance premiums may be cheaper than your dog’s monthly prescription diet bill, which is an added bonus since pet insurance premiums will cover additional vet bills. Before enrolling, calculate prescription dog food costs and vet bills, then ask if a pet insurance policy will cover pre-exisitng conditions.
Purchase Kibble Over Canned Food
By far, purchasing prescription kibble is much cheaper than prescription canned food. Additionally, dogs consume more canned food than kibble, which again makes kibble an affordable option. Sometimes, purchasing prescription kibble in bulk will keep costs down. Ask your veterinarian about this option. Surely, bulk orders will keep shipping costs to a minimum, saving you money in the long run.
Turn Prescription Dog Food Into Treats
Skip expensive prescription diet treats, and make your own instead. Purchase a case of prescription canned food and turn them into dog treats. Each week, chop up the contents of 1 can of prescription dog food into pea-sized bites and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Baking will remove excess moisture, so treats will hold their shape. Place prescription dog treats in a zipped plastic bag and keep refrigerated for one week.
RELATED: Healthy Dog Treats
Make Your Own Prescription Dog Food
This last money saving tip will save you hundreds of dollars on prescription dog food each year. Plus, homemade foods are better for your dog’s health and immune system. Ask your veterinarian for a homemade prescription dog food recipe to make at home.
At first, your veterinarian may seem a bit stubbed, but explain that dog food costs are a concern. Most veterinarians will certainly accommodate your homemade food requests, and will likely point you to Balance It supplement website, which contains numerous homemade prescription diet recipes targeting most diseases. Also, Monica Segal’s “Optimal Nutrition: Raw & Cooked Diets- The Next Level” contains oodles of raw and homemade prescription diets for dogs too.
How do you save money on prescription dog foods? Please share your tips below!
