TOP MONEY SAVING TIPS FROM PET SUPERMARKET®

Owning a pet can be very expensive so as well as saving money shopping online at Pet Supermarket® for your pet supplies we have some great suggestions on how to reduce the cost of owning a pet. Did you know that;

£22,500 The total amount a dog owner can expect to fork out over the lifetime of their pet pooch, according to insurer Direct Line

£9,000 Amount the RSPCA reckons owning a cat will set you back over its lifetime (and even a rabbit will probably cost you more than £4,000)

£86m Total amount British pet owners spend on their furry friends each week, according to the Office of National Statistics

1. Shop around for the right pet insurance

Pet insurance premiums are based on the type of pet you have, its age, where you live and other factors that will determine how likely it is to get lost or fall ill. The best way to compare deals is to use the Pet Supermarket pet insurance comparison page. But make sure you read the small print as the cheapest policy might not offer the best deal.

As with other types of insurance, you could be able to cut your premiums by taking on a bigger excess on your policy. And remember that you might not be able to get cover at all for an elderly animal.

2. Don't skimp on cover

Some cheap pet insurance policies will cover an ailment for 12 months only, or limit the amount they will pay out. If your pet is prescribed medication or a prescription pet food for the rest of its life, you could be picking up the tab when the cover runs out - and Fido could last a lot longer than you expected, too! So it may be worth paying slightly more for a policy that offers ongoing cover.

3. Choose a mongrel

If you haven't yet got a pet but want one, choose one that won't cost a fortune to feed and look after. A pedigree animal will not only cost more up front than one of "less certain heritage", it will cost up to 34% more a year to care for, according to research done last year by Sainsbury's Bank.

4. Don't be too quick to go to the vet

You probably wouldn't visit the doctor at the first sign of a runny nose, so why seek expensive help as soon as your dog sneezes? Research done last year by More Than suggested unnecessary emergency vet appointments are costing UK pet owners £118m a year, made up of vets' fees, travel costs and lost annual leave.

Also, use cheaper medication - instead of buying lotions and potions from the vet, order them online from Pet Supermarket®. Pet Supermarket® sell non-prescription medicines and prescription veterinary foods for up to 30% less than the price you will usually pay. The flea treatment Frontline, or the wormer Drontal for example, is nearly 50% cheaper at Pet Supermarket® than most vets, and p&p is free when you spend £29. We also offer a welcome discount off your first order.

5. But don't skip jabs

Paying to get your pet vaccinated against nasty illnesses means a hit on your wallet every year, but not doing so could prove a false economy. As an extra incentive, the insurer Direct Line was offering £20 towards vaccinations to any dog owners who take out cover for their pet before the end of June 2010 - so clearly it is cheaper to vaccinate than to pay the vet's bills for an animal that falls sick.

6. Form a cat-sitting circle, or get a house-sitter

The cost of getting someone in to feed your pet while you're away can be sky-high, with some cat-sitters charging £15 a day to feed and spend "quality time" with your pet. Instead, find friends and neighbours who also have pets and help each other out.

If you are going on a longer holiday, consider getting a house sitter in. Using a professional service such as homesitters.co.uk will probably only be cheaper than kennels if you have more than one animal, but they will make your home looked lived in and so less attractive to burglars.

7. Buy toys from the charity shop

You don't need to buy expensive toys for your pet. Unwanted toys on the shelves of charity shops that look too sad to ever be picked up by a child are a cheap alternative to expensive pet toys.

8. And finally ...

Find out about subsidised neutering. If you are on a low income, you might be able to get help looking after your pet from an animal charity. Cats Protection offers financial assistance with neutering to cat owners who are full-time students or on means-tested benefits, while Blue Cross offers subsidised treatment for pets whose owners are on benefits or a low income.

Nice little earner

Cut the cost of pet food by as much as 50% by buying in bulk. Generally speaking, the bigger the package of food you can buy the cheaper it will be. At Sainsbury's, for example, a 1kg bag of Iams cat food costs £4.98, while a 3kg bag weighs in at £12.98 - almost £2 less than three smaller bags. Buy at Pet Supermarket® and you can order 15kg for £37.99 - that's just £2.50 a kilo. (June 18th 2008)

Feed a better quality diet

If you look at the ingredients of the pet food you currently use and consider that most wet pet foods contain only 4% meat and up to 80% moisture (Water) you have to feed considerably more than you would compared to a high quality pet food.

Feeding super premium pet foods such as Hills Science Plan, Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved or Eukanuba can work out costing you less in the long term. These can contain between 20-30% meat in comparison and added vitamins and minerals so you do not need to feed your pet as much.

As well as helping you reduce the risk of your pet developing health conditions later in life, these foods often work out cheaper than using brands purchased in the Supermarket, when you consider the daily feeding costs.

A better option for your pocket and your pets wellbeing would be choosing a product such as Eukanuba dog food where a 15kg bag would last a 30kg dog such as a Labrador for 63 days at a cost of just 80p per day, which is less than the cost of buying two cans of dog food. So don't be deterred by the initial cost of buying a bag but work out how long it will last using our feeding guides found on each product.

Planet saver

If you've got an "indoor" cat, think about switching to a greener litter: convential clay litter is not only "strip-mined" but also hard to dispose of. Pet Supermarket® sells a range of more environmentally friendly litters including paper-based litter, litter made from wood products and the modestly named "World's Best Cat Litter", made from corn. Your cat will love you for it. A 7-pound bag typically lasts about a month to six weeks for one cat. That's between four and 10 times longer than seven pounds of competitive litters.