DEFANG THE COST OF CARE

“Spayed and neutered pets have fewer health problems down the road.”

JENNIFER FEARING, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH AT THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

Few pet owners consider the years of spending ahead of them when they first pick up that puppy with the limpid eyes, but the costs add up quickly.

U.S. consumers spent $36.3 billion on their animals in 2005, up from just $17 billion in 1994, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. That jump hasn’t been fueled so much by pet-cost inflation as by human shopping weakness.

“There’s a whole lot of new ways to spend money that you don’t need to,” said Stephen Zawistowski, executive vice president for national programs at the ASPCA in New York.

“All of the basic stuff you need for your dog or cat, they haven’t really changed,” he said, pointing to good food and veterinary care. But “all of the other bling that’s come out — that’s for you, it’s not for your dog. Your dog could care less whether you got a Gucci collar.”

While prices for pet supplies generally rose slower than the overall inflation rate in recent years, pet-services costs, including veterinary and grooming, rose more than 5 percent per year from 2000 through 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices aren’t stifling Americans’ desire to own pets: About 63 percent of U.S. households own a pet, up from 56 percent in 1998. The number of dogs, cats and other pets now totals about 359 million, according to a consumer survey.

Tips for saving

•Take care of some pet needs yourself. For instance, brush your pet’s teeth regularly to reduce the number of vet dental-cleaning visits, which can run about $200.

Also, ask your vet about trimming your pet’s toenails, Zawistowski said. If you regularly brush your pet’s coat, you’ll reduce grooming costs and “your cats will have fewer hair balls,” Zawistowski said. If your dog is prone to ear infections, ask your vet how to clean its ears.

•Ask your vet whether that annual vaccination is absolutely necessary. The American Animal Hospital Association changed its guidelines, recommending that “a number of the core vaccinations (be done) every three years,” instead of annually, said Thomas Carpenter, a veterinarian in Costa Mesa, Calif.

•Shop medications. Call the local pharmacy or look online for lower prices.

•Shop for a veterinarian by comparing fees. But don’t sacrifice quality, and compare the same service by finding out what that routine visit covers.

•Shop for pet supplies. Don’t just assume the pet superstore, local mom-and-pop or the online market has the cheapest prices.

•Do you really need it? “Clothes and fancy bags are a completely unnecessary expense,” said Jennifer Fearing, director of economic research at the Humane Society of the United States. While 80 percent of pet owners report buying gifts for their pets, a better gift might be some play time, she said.

•Consider pet insurance. Check the policy’s exclusions carefully to see how well it fits your lifestyle.

•Think twice before adding pets. You might get a multi-pet discount on insurance, but regular costs will increase.

•Save for end-of-life care. “End-of-life issues could run $500 to $1,000,” said Catherine Williams vice president of financial literacy at Money Management International, a Houston-based credit-counseling firm. Some insurance policies cover the cost of euthanasia and cremation.

•Don’t buy the cheapest food. Higher-quality food helps keep your pet healthier. Plus, you might save on training costs, Fearing said, as cheap food with fillers can lead to hyperactivity.

•Don’t overfeed. Feeding the right amount saves on food costs — which average 40 percent of a pet owner’s total costs — and reduces the likelihood of obesity-related ailments.

•Spay or neuter your pet. “Spayed and neutered pets have fewer health problems down the road,” Fearing said, pointing to prostate and ovarian cancer.

Source: www.kansascity.com