The BARF diet?  Sounds gross, doesn’t it? It’s not what you think (yes, it’s not the “vomit diet”).   It’s an acronym for Bones and Raw Food diet or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet which has taken the pet world by storm.  I recently made the switch for my dog (in September 2009) because he was getting unexplainable ring worm yearly (which was a pain in the butt to deal with, believe me!).  Many pet parents have been making the switch from commercially prepared dog food (read: kibble) to raw food.  So, how does the BARF diet work?  The premise of the Bones and Raw Food diet is that your pet dog or cat has a shorter intestinal tract than us humans, and thus they are not meant to digest grains (such as rice and corn).

The main ingredient in dry dog food is corn meal.  This can be a source of allergy for many pets.  Grains are blamed in recent veterinary research to be the cause of a lot of disease in pets such as arthritis, diabetes, and cancer to name a few that weren’t present in dogs BEFORE dry dog food was introduced.

The reason I made the switch was because my dog was so allergic to I-don’t-know-what and I wanted to stop that in its tracks.  I was also tired of having to vacuum like crazy and quarantine the poor bugger every summer when he had ringworm.

Some may feel that the BARF diet is $$$.  It CAN be, but there are ways to make it somewhat easier on your wallet. Certainly, it is much cheaper if you have a small dog!

There may be stores in your city that specifically cater to raw dog food pet owners.  They have already packaged meat (any meat you can think of, be it elk, rabbit, ostrich, chicken, turkey, bison, buffalo) that sometimes are pre-mixed with vegetables.  All you need to do is chop it up into the portions that your pet needs.  This is the convenient and easy way, though it can be pricier… ESPECIALLY if you have a big dog.

The key to save money on the BARF diet is, like everything else, practically is:

(more…)

Comment on this post »

If you’re reading this through Monevator’s post on Can Money Buy Freedom, welcome!  If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing through RSS

The other day, I brought my dog in for his annual wellness check. In my Petcare QuickCare Optimum Plan, I’m allowed to claim $150 a year on wellness claims (anything routine). Since there’s no deductible and I’m basically paying into this every month, the youngandthrifty inside me always wants to make sure I use up the $150 allotted per year. Or else I feel like I’m getting ripped off.

The vet wanted to test for mange (yeah, I know! crazy huh?) and to further assess his allergies (I have the most fragile dog on the planet, I think- he’s already on a raw food diet and he’s still itchy and allergic!). She did a skin scraping for mange, did a patch test for yeast, gave him some shampoo and mange medication.. and the total bill came to $270. The general exam came up to $110 alone (yeah, this Vet’s expensive, but she’s good).

I am hoping that the general check up for $110 would be included in the $150 wellness allowance, but you never know. It’s up the the pet insurance company.

Sometimes I feel like I’m always at their mercy, like they can deny my claim anytime for any ridiculous reason. (Last time I submitted a claim for a $150 check with a different Vet, they denied it because they said they haven’t seen a general exam cost that much before, and they wanted a break down of the cost).  The insurance companies really go through the claims with a fine-tooth comb.

It feels like I have asked someone out on a date, and am waiting for them to get back to me… not really a fun feeling.  Kind of like you’re anticipating R-E-J-E-C-T-I-O-N.

At the same time, I worry that they will accept too many of my claims and then raise the monthly fee next year. You never know. I guess that’s why pet insurance companies may not be worth it in the long run…It really depends on the company and whether they will “penalize” you for making claims.

Do you use pet insurance? Any stories you care to share on your experiences with Pet Insurance companies?

Comment on this post »