Clark's Big Book of Bargains (10 page)

It’s always tough to have to return an animal, but it happens. Sometimes a dog that seems perfect in the shelter isn’t a good fit with the rest of the family. Maybe he’s too destructive, and training can’t fix the bad behavior. Or maybe he doesn’t get along with your child or another pet.

If it isn’t going to work out, try to decide as soon as you can, because it’s not fair to the animal to keep it six months, let it get comfortable in its new home, and then return it. A relative of mine took in a dog that someone else had been unable to make a good home for, and it turned out the animal had psychological problems. She tried, but it didn’t work out for her either. She returned the animal in two weeks.

Regardless of where you get your new animal, take it to the veterinarian right away, to make sure it is healthy. If a dog has advanced heartworm or hip dysplasia or some other serious illness, it’s best to find out right away.

Before you adopt a dog, do some advance planning to increase your chances of success. If you have children or plan to, don’t buy a breed of dog that doesn’t live well with children. If you’re not sure if you are a dog person, pet-sit for a friend’s dog while they’re on vacation.

Look over your budget and make sure you can afford the cost of food, annual shots, heartworm prevention, flea control medication, and an occasional trip to the vet to treat an illness. Pets can be expensive, and if you’re not willing to shoulder the expense, don’t get one.

Never buy a pet for another person as a gift, because that’s a recipe for failure. They may not like the kind of dog or cat you think they would like. Many shelters prohibit taking a pet for someone else, even for a child, for just this reason. It’s why a lot of rabbits are brought to shelters after Easter and a lot of kittens come in after Christmas. If you want to buy your child a pet as a gift, buy him or her a stuffed dog or cat to represent the gift, then take your child to the shelter to pick out a pet they click with.

With other kinds of animals, such as birds, find out how long this kind of animal usually lives. Some varieties of parrots, for example, live for eighty years or more. Can you commit to keeping a pet for such a long time?

The Humane Society says people should not keep wild animals, such as exotic birds and reptiles, as pets. Some are illegal to own, or simply don’t make good pets. According to the organization’s Web site, www.hsus.org, “They often grow to be larger, stronger and more dangerous than owners expect or can manage.” And they can carry diseases or parasites that can be dangerous to people. My veterinarian, Dr. Nicholas W. Petty, said that decades ago, a couple brought him an ocelot they were keeping as a pet. An ocelot is a twenty-five- to thirty-pound wildcat that bites and urinates straight backward. The guy had wounds on his arms, and as Dr. Petty said, “These people had no friends.”

Pet Food

Lane and I have two dogs: Costco Wholesale and Q.T. (named after the regional discount gas retailer QuikTrip). The deal was that Lane got to have dogs if I got to name them. If we get a third, I’ll probably call it Charles Schwab, or Chuck for short.

Costco has eaten inexpensive store-brand dog food her whole life (she’s six) and has always been very healthy. Q.T., on the other hand, has always had health problems, and goes from one vet-ordered special diet to another. She costs as much to feed as a human being. It’s a riot, because one dog must cost 10 cents a day to feed, and the other $10.

If you have a healthy dog, I think it’s just fine for you to feed it store-brand food, until a problem presents itself, because the savings through the years are so gigantic. Any pet food that has AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) on its label will meet the complete nutritional needs of your pet. Pet food is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, by each state, and by AAFCO and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mark Meltzer used to feed his dogs a brand of dog food that’s sold in supermarkets, until both developed kidney stones. The dogs went on an expensive vet-ordered low-magnesium diet, and the kidney stones went away. Mark didn’t want to put them back on the food he believes contributed to the kidney stones, but he didn’t want to keep them on the vet’s expensive food forever. So he switched to one of the pet-store brands, and never had another problem.

Dr. Petty says some inexpensive foods can bring on skin problems in some dogs, and he says cheap foods can contain more fillers, meaning the dog would have to eat more to get the same nutrition. That could mean the dog would have larger stools.

Whatever brand you choose, dry dog food is much cheaper than canned food. My dog Costco, appropriately, eats Costco’s private-label brand of dry dog food.

Pet Health Insurance

Pets, like people, get sick, and caring for them can be expensive. I just paid the vet $472 to treat my dog Q.T. for pancreatitis, an intestinal disorder.

One of the ways to deal with the rising cost of pet health care is to buy health insurance for your pet. Veterinarians encourage you to buy pet insurance because they realize that a lot of people are in a money crunch. The procedures the vet can perform on animals—surgery, X-rays, and other treatments—can be very expensive but potentially life-saving for your pet. A lot of people have to make an economic choice. They may not be able to afford a treatment that could save their pet’s life. That’s where pet insurance enters the picture. It may not necessarily save you money, but it gives you the option to do more heroic medical procedures for your animal. For example, the vet wants a radiologist to do an ultrasound of Q.T.’s pancreas. That’s going to cost an unbelievable amount of money. If such a procedure would have been impossible otherwise, it is possible with pet insurance. So like other kinds of insurance, it gives you peace of mind.

The pet insurance industry has been improving in quality and in its offerings. Insurers vary in the quality of coverage and claims processing. Yet, perhaps because it once was just about useless, only about 1 percent of pet owners buy pet insurance.

The best way to find a good pet insurance company is to ask your vet which insurance their customers have had the best results with. Premiums for pet insurance start at about $10 a month per pet, and are based on the type of pet, its age, and the type of insurance plan you choose. Some plans cover major illnesses only, while others also include routine vaccinations, heartworm prevention, and flea control medication.

I’m neutral about pet insurance. It makes sense if you would be financially or emotionally crushed if your pet became seriously ill and you had to decide between two terrible outcomes. If you’re interested, ask your vet what plans he or she likes, and which one customers have had a good experience with.

A great way to save on pet medicines is to visit PetCareRX.com, an online pet pharmacy. For example, Heartgard Plus, a chewable heartworm prevention medicine, costs $19.77 on PetCareRX.com versus $34.44 at PetsMart. Advantage flea killer for dogs costs $32 on PetCare RX.com, and PetsMart charges $40.02.

• Tips on Pets •

• If you want a purebred dog, get one from one of the rescue societies for the breed you like.
  

• There are a lot of good reasons to own a mixed-breed dog. Get one at the Humane Society or shelter in your city.
  

• Inexpensive store-brand food should be fine for most animals. Make sure it has AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) on its label, your assurance that it will meet the complete nutrition needs of your pet. Dry food is cheaper.
  

• I’m neutral on pet health insurance. It makes sense if you would be financially or emotionally crushed if your pet became seriously ill.
  

• Save money on pet medicines at www.PetCareRX.com
  

• Internet •

• www.hsus.org
  

• www.PetCareRX.com
  

• www.about-dogs.com
  

CHAPTER 3
NECESSITIES

Of all the things we spend money on each month, some could be considered things we need, and some could be considered things we don’t need. But the distinction between the two isn’t that easy to make.

What must we buy? Well, we have to wear clothes every day and have shoes on our feet. If we get sick, we may need a prescription medicine to help us get better.

Other products or services, such as a haircut or cosmetics, are less necessary, but have become an important part of today’s lifestyle. In this chapter, I’ll show you some strategies to save money on some of the necessities of life, and others you may think of as necessities.

I’ll also show you how to save on something I wear every day but hate: eyeglasses. Or, if you can stand putting them in your eyes, I’ll show you how to save on contact lenses.

We may need to get dressed every day, but we certainly don’t need the amount of clothes that many people own. I once bought a house that was built in 1937, and the closet in the master bedroom was barely larger than the door. In those days, ten outfits might be all a couple owned. Now those ten outfits might be enough for two people for a week.