AS the economic recession deepens in the UK, more and more families are tightening their belts and looking for ways to save money and cut household expenditure.

Adults perhaps don’t have as many meals out, kids have to forgo the latest video game or new pair of trainers and savings are dipped in to in an effort to make ends meet.

Unfortunately it is common for the family pet to be the first victim of tightened cash flow with routine healthcare and feeding sacrificed for what are perceived to be more economic options.

In part one of this two-part article I’ll list a few ways in which you can save money whilst at the same time still provide excellent health care for your family pet. Part two will cover steps you can take to protect yourself against those unexpected vet bills.

Broadly speaking, cost associated with pet ownership fall in to three main categories.

Day to day feeding costs. As with most human food companies, pet food manufacturers have not found themselves immune from the rising cost of raw ingredients for pets foods. One pet food company reported a 70 per cent increase in the cost of ingredients in the last eighteen months. This clearly has had a knock on effect on the price that pet owners pay. So how to save money but equally feed a good quality diet to your pet?

One of the biggest way to save money is to feed dry food as opposed to wet (tinned or pouch) foods. On a nutritional basis, dry foods are approximately two-thirds the price of wet foods with even bigger savings to be made by buying the larger-sized bags. As an example, it costs about 28 pence a day to feed an average size cat on dry food compared to 45-70 pence a day on wet food (dependant on the type and brand).

Not only are dry foods cheaper, but they are also more convenient and usually have less wastage.

When choosing a dry food, don’t go for the cheapest one on the shelf as it can mean poorer quality raw ingredients, less availability to the pet and so more volume needs to be fed. Instead pick a middle-of-the- range food which although on the outside may seem to offer less value for money, usually less needs to be fed.

Additionally, ensure that your dry food has the word ‘Complete’ somewhere on the bag indicating that it is a complete pet food and doesn’t need to be fed alongside wet food. If you aren’t sure about what or how much to feed, speak to your local practice who will be only too happy to help.

Preventative healthcare. Preventative healthcare is usually the first victim of hard times and unfortunately is often false economy. Letting your pet’s vaccinations lapse means having to start a course again at a later date which costs more.

Additionally flea and worm prevention is much more cost effective that trying to get rid of a plague of fleas that are firmly entrenched in the house, sucking the blood out of anything that moves (including humans).

Again, the cheapest products may not be the most effective. If you find that purchasing a full pack of flea control (often three or six month’s worth at a time) is a stretch, ask your veterinary practice if they will sell you a month’s worth at a time.

Lastly, don’t let having your cat or dog neutered lapse. A couple of month’s delay for a female cat can mean the difference between taking one cat to the vets or seven!

Non-routine healthcare. This broad title covers everything from illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, diarrhoea and vomiting through to fight wounds and road traffic accidents. Whilst often nothing can be done to prevent such problems, accept that at some point your pet is likely to be ill and plan accordingly.

There is no NHS for pets and so if your pet does fall ill, liability for the costs will fall down to you. To protect yourself from unexpected vet bills, consider taking out private health insurance for your pet which will cover such eventualities (pet insurance will be covered in part two).

Alternatively, in times of plenty, put aside funds to cover those unexpected bills.

In part two of this article I’ll cover pet insurance – pros and cons and what to look for in a policy. Additionally I’ll cover alternative means of financial help for pet owners on a low income.