We decided to put it up the other night and I must admit, it does look pretty nice!

Even the boys were pretty tired by the time we got it up and running.

Although, I don’t know if I’m more spoiled, or the dogs with Handy Andy’s new contraption. He decided that since neither one of us enjoys going out in the snow to let the boys in and out, he would put a little door in their fence so we could put them out through the window in the basement.

Most people would stop there. Not Handy Andy. Nope. He thought we needed a ramp so the boys could walk up and out themselves so we don’t have to pick up their chubby butts and toss them out. So, now we’ve got this in the basement: 

It works pretty well!

Can you say HIL-ARIOUS?!?! I was slightly worried they might choke so I stood real close just in case. Instead, I laughed hysterically as Max played with it like a ball at first and watched as Putter stole Max’s marshmallow. I had to grab my camera and snap some shots! Tiger kept getting marshmallow caught between his little toes! Too funny!

Being the cheapskate frugal person that I am, I’m always looking for a way to save a few bucks where I can. So I’m happy I was able to treat Putter’s ears with inexpensive household products. But, that’s not so much the case with flea and heartworm medications.

To save on those things I started using 1800petmeds.com. You do have to have a prescription from your vet to get the medications but 1800petmeds will contact your vet and get the info for you. I’ve found that my vets aren’t big fans of you buying those products from someone other than them. They tell me the products do not have the same guaranty which may be true, but I’ve not had any issues.

I’ve learned of another way to help save A LOT on the flea meds. Typically, you buy boxes that have 3, 6, or 12 of the above little applicators based on the weight of your dog. Each container has a pre-measured amount of medicine. Usually you break the top of the container off and apply the full amount to your dog. If you do the math you will see you are paying A LOT more per ml for a smaller dog. You can save by buying the larger containers (intended for bigger dogs) and carefully dividing it into smaller doses.

Since you can buy Frontline and similar products without a prescription, something else I have done is buy a flea medicine “kit” from ebay. The kits come with the medicine, a glass vial, and a plastic syringe as shown above.

The idea is that you buy the medicine in a higher dosage, empty the solution into a glass vial, and divide it up amongst your pets using a plastic syringe. This is WAY less expensive than buying multiple applications separately. But, also very likely be frowned upon by some (including vets) because you’re increasing the risk of giving them too much medicine. But, if you’re careful you will do just fine.

Here’s the dosage from the 1800petmeds website:

And the math behind it based on my three dogs:

TYPICAL PURCHASE

• Putter – dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
• Tiger - dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
• Max - dosage for 23-44 lbs = 1.34ml = $46.99 for 3 months ($7.83 per 0.67 ml dose, but Max needs TWO 0.67 ml doses)

Total = $138.97 for 3 months for all three dogs, or $46.32 per month.

SAVE A LITTLE

Buy the 23-44 lbs package, which is 1.34ml, divide it by two = 0.67ml and you have two doses for 1-22 lb pets. $46.99 for 3 months which will treat my two smaller dogs for 3 months. So, one pack for them and one for Max is $93.98, saving me $44.99. This option would cost $31.32 per month.

SAVE A LOT

Buy the largest dosage for 89-132lbs (which equates to $4.31 per 0.67 ml dose) and divide that up amongst all three dogs for a total of $17.24 per month.

SAVE THE MOST

If you’re not afraid of buying on ebay you can save even more on your meds, just make sure it’s a reputable seller. I bought 6 month supply for 45-88 lbs for $51.99, add $2 for shipping/insurance for total of $53.99. This is 24 applications of 0.67ml, which is $9.00 per month for all three dogs – saving me $37.32 per month from the typical purchase!

I love my boys and while I will cut corners and attempt to save money where possible I refuse to switch to lower quality food or skip medicines to save a few bucks. I want them to be as healthy as possible and besides, a sick dog can cost way more than just paying to take good care of them in the first place.

What do you do to cut costs on pet care?

The other night poor Putter’s ears were really red, kinda crusty, and even cracked and slightly bleeding! I was freaked out but he didn’t seem to be bothered or in pain over it. I carefully cleaned his ears and thought I’d better visit the vet to get some medicine to clear it up.Normally I’m all for taking your pet to the vet if there’s an issue. However, since I’m very familiar with the pugs’ ear problems I already know what the “issue” is, so I consulted Google to see if there was a less expensive, more natural way to treat Putter’s ears. Of course there is!

Apparently you can mix equal parts of white vinegar and water to make a cleansing solution. Then you saturate a cotton ball and carefully swab the insides of their ears. I was very cautious about doing so, thinking maybe it would be a bit painful, vinegar being acid and all. But, Putter was really good about it and not bothered in the least. I’ve been doing it for a couple days and I’m happy to report his ears have really improved a great deal. I’ll probably cut back on this to once a week or something but it’s good to know I have a quick, easy, and natural way to treat the ear issues (not to mention WAY less expensive!)

Let me point out though if you are not entirely sure of what’s going on in your pet’s ear, DO consult your vet before trying to treat it yourself!