by Looking to save money on pet supplies? Check out these great ways to make pets more affordable!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Please read my affiliate disclosure here.
Happy National Dog Day!
Pets bring so much love and joy into our lives. However, along with them comes a lot of expenses. Of course, they are worth each and every penny, but why not save a few pennies along the way?
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to save money on our furry friends, making them and our wallets happier!
Here are ways to save money on pets!
Join Rewards Programs
This is an absolute go to for saving money on pets! With so much competition between stores of the same category, many offer loyalty rewards to encourage people to keep coming back. This makes for a great way to save money, especially when combined with in store promos and coupons! Here are the current rewards programs for pet owners in Canada:
Pet Valu – Your Rewards
If you shop at Pet Valu, be sure to sign up for the Your Rewards program for the following bonuses:
Free food with the frequent buyer program (get 13th bag of Performatrin, Performatrin Ultra or Performatrin Ultra Limited Dry Dog Food or Cat Food free, when the first 12 are bought of the same category within 24 months of initial purchase)
Exclusive members only flyer deals
5% off select brands with a case discount
Buy 6 get 1 free dog washes
Seniors and Military save 10% the last Thursday of each month
Global Pet Foods – Pet Rewards and Pet Zone
Another great program to join is Global Pet Foods Pet Rewards and the Pets Zone. While both part of Global Pet foods, these two programs offer different benefits.
Pet Rewards Card:
Free pet food – the quantity needed to qualify for a free bag varies from brand to brand, but offers include food for cats, dogs and small animals. The card keeps track of purchases, so there is no need to keep receipts, just scan and go! Information is available in store.
Pets Zone
This is Global Pet Foods’ email list, which gives subscribers a number of great benefits including:
An in-store savings coupon for 15% off
Coupon on your pets birthday
Entry into special contest
Regular 15% off coupons sent to participants’ emails
Ren’s Pets – Ren’s Rewards
Ren’s Pets is a relatively new franchise in our area, and quite lovely. Their Ren’s Rewards program is quite easy to follow and pretty straightforward.
When shopping at Ren’s Pets stores, Ren’s Rewards members get 1 point for every $1 spent.
100 points = $1 off future purchases. Easy peasy!
Ren’s Pets also holds special members only events and specials from time to time!
On top of points and special events, Ren’s Pets also offers a frequent buyer program. This program offers free food or litter (from specific brands) when a certain quantity of the same brand is met.
Buy 12 Get 1 Free
Orijen, Acana, Natural Balance, Go!, Now, , Pro Plan, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Grandma Lucy’s, Bixbi, Sojo’s (excluding Simple Remedy), Iron Will Raw (excluding meal deals), Big Country Raw (4lbs boxes, 6lbs totes, and 12lbs Mini Grab & Go Only), Crumps’ Naturals (Gutsy), Nature’s Logic
Buy 10 Get 1 Free
Merrick, Nutro, Wellness, Whole Earth Farms, Biologic Vet, Holistic Select, Nature’s Variety, Eagle Pack, Blue Buffalo, Eukanuba, Canadian Naturals, Taste of the Wild, World’s Best Cat Litter
Buy 6 Get 1 Free
Oxbow
Petsmart – Petsmart Treats
Petsmart is the closest pet store to me, so when I don’t buy pet supplies at Walmart or Amazon, it’s my go to.
To keep up with more and more stores popping up, Petsmart has revamped its rewards program with lots of great benefits for its members!
Petsmart Treats members get the following benefits:
8 points for every $1 spent online or in store (can be redeemed online or in store starting at 1000 points).
Free surprise on your pet’s birthday
Free shipping on online orders over $49
Free doggie day camp session when you buy 10
Exclusive coupons by email
Special bonus point offers
Pet Max – Frequent Buyer Program
Pet Max is a small Canadian business that offers a frequent buyer program, offering free product when minimum quantities are bought. If you purchase any of the following brands, this frequent buyer program is a great way to save!
Be sure to note that many of the brands require customers to save receipts and/or UPCs to redeem their free bag.
Blue Buffalo – 1 Free wub 10 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Boreal – 1 Free wub 12 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Canidae – 1 Free wub 12 -Dry food and cases of cans – Must be completed within 18 months – Must keep UPCs from each bag
Diamond – 1 Free wub 12 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Eukanuba – 1 Free wub 10 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Go! – 1 Free wub 12 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Legacy – 1 Free wub 12 – Dry food
Lifetime – 1 Free wub 12 – Dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Natural Balance – 1 Free wub 12 – Includes all formulas – Excludes cans and 5 lbs dog bags. Customer is responsible for keeping receipts & UPC’s – Must be completed within 14 months
Natural Choice – 1 Free wub 10 – All dry food and cases of cans. Customer responsible for keeping all receipts. Must be completed within 16 months
Nature’s Variety – 1 Free wub 10 – All dry food, frozen food, & cases of cans – Must be completed within 14 months
Now! – 1 Free wub 12 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Nutram – 1 Free wub 10 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Nutrience – 1 Free wub 10 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Oven Baked – 1 Free with 12 – All dry food. Customer responsible for keeping all UPC’s – Must be completed within 18 months
Pro Plan Cat Food – 1 Free wub 12 – 2.26Kg – 3.18kg. Customer responsible for keeping all receipts. Must be completed in 14 months
Pro Plan Cat Food – 1 Free wub 10 – 6.35 Kg. Customer responsible for keeping all receipts. Must be completed within 14 months
Pro Plan Dog Food – 1 Free wub 11 -All dog food 14 Kg and larger, Small Breed Puppy/Adult 2 Kg, Small Breed Puppy/Adult 7 Kg. Customer responsible for keeping all receipts. Must be completed in 14 months
Royal Canin – 1 Free wub 12 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Summit – 1 Free wub 12 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Taste of The Wild – 1 Free wub 12 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Wholesome Blend – 1 Free wub 12 – All dry food – Must be completed within 18 months
Coupons
I’m all about coupons! I use them for everything, including pet supplies! Even pet specialty stores like Petsmart take coupons. This was a total shock to me when I first started couponing, but definitely a great way to take advantage of the best prices!
Wondering where to find pet coupons?
Many can be found in the newspaper inserts delivered to your home each week, on the shelves of stores, right on packaging and various places online.
The following sites typically offer pet coupons that can be printed at home:
Purina
P&G Everyday
Smartsource.ca
Websaver.ca
Save.ca
In addition to physical coupons, many sites offer digital coupons that can be redeemed after making a purchase.
Checkout 51 and Caddle offer cashback for offers listed on their respected apps. If the pet food/product is listed on their portal, simply upload your receipt and have the money added to your account!
Reciept Hog and Coinout accept receipts regardless of what products have been bought. Simply snap pictures of your receipt and upload them to their sites to be rewarded.
Swagbucks Answer app accepts receipts from select stores for a quick and easy 5 Swagbucks (about 5 cents) added to your account!
Also be sure to check out Amazon’s coupon portal for discounts that can be applied directly to your Amazon purchase for instant savings.
Not sure how to use coupons? Check out this comprehensive beginner’s guide to couponing.
Subscribe and Save
As a busy mom whose mind has turned to mush, I absolutely love the subscribe and save options available at Walmart and Amazon.
Subscribe and save is simply a subscription service that delivers a particular product to customers at pre-determined intervals.
Not only is this option convenient, but it’s also a great way to save! Both Walmart and Amazon offer discounts on products when someone chooses to subscribe and save. Typically the savings are about 5%, but can vary based on frequency and the product chosen.
Pay with Gift Cards
If you have a bit of time to spare, completing surveys and offers at get-paid-to sites is a great way to get gift cards for your efforts! Many sites pay out in Amazon gift cards (they have a whole shopping section) and by Pay Pal deposit (which you can transfer to your bank account or use to buy discount gift cards).
Check out my monthly extra cash reports to see which programs are paying out, but my top recommendations are:
Swagbucks
Legerweb
TreasureTrooper (pays USD into Pay Pal and have a Visa gift card option)
Ipsos
Use Rewards Credit Card
This approach does require some discipline to avoid racking up debt and having to pay interest fees. If you have a rewards credit card, use it for every single purchase.
I absolutely love the Scotiabank Infinite Momentum Visa. Among its many great bonuses, this card offers 4% cashback at grocery stores and gas stations. I always use it to pay for groceries to automatically save 4% of my bill total!
Since so many grocery stores and gas stations sell gift cards, paying with your Scotia Infinite Momentum Visa will give you an automatic 4% savings on the gift card! Many grocery stores have gift cards for Amazon and pet specialty stores, so using your rewards card, you can get an automatic discount!
It’s a definitely a great way to pay!
Shop Online
Have you joined Swagbucks and Ebates yet? If not, click on the links and join right away
Both of these sites have features that give you cashback each time you shop at various stores. By simply adding a couple of clicks at the beginning of your online shopping, you can save money! It’s time well spent!
Not sure how to use cashback at these sites?
Check out how to earn cashback when you shop at Swagbucks here:
and how to get cashback when you shop at Ebates here:
Shop Sales
Just like everything else, there are always sales on pet supplies!
I keep a stock pile of many of the items our family uses (both human and nonhuman members). It’s super convenient to always have items on hand, and it also saves money since I stock up when things are on sale. Rarely do I have to run out and pay full price for items because we’ve run out.
Saving coupons for big sales is another great way to save even more!
Buy Used
I’m a big fan of buying used. Not only is it cheaper, but it also emphasizes two of the three Rs drilled into us in primary school (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
Many pet parents clear out lots of pet supplies as their pets grow or they no longer have use for the items. Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace are great places to find all sorts of pet paraphernalia at great prices!
Shop Dollarstores
I buy my kids lots of supplies for activities at dollarstores and was incredibly surprised to see the great selection they have of pet supplies too!
Wondering through the pet aisle, I realized that many of the items there are exactly the same as those carried in brand name stores, but at a fraction of the price! Why pay $10 for a cat wand, when you can pick one up at Dollarama for $1.25?
Don’t forget this not often thought of option for great prices on pet supplies!
Shop Around for a Vet
Feeding, grooming and loving your pet are all essential to your pet’s well being, but so is their physical health. Regular checkups and seasonal treatments at the vet, can add years to your pet’s life and help mitigate future health issues.
As such, choosing a vet should not be taken lightly.
Remember, that while experts, veterinarians are serving you and your pet. If you do not feel comfortable around a particular vet or assistant, you do not have to stay. If they are constantly pushing products, you not only don’t have to buy, but you don’t have to stay. Shop around. Get second, even third opinions.
When the time comes to chose a vet, be sure to shop around and ask for recommendations. Friends and family are a great place to start, but don’t forget about neighbours. If you are in any Facebook discussion groups local to your area, don’t be shy about asking there. Many people are quite willing to share the good and bad, helping you choose the best health provider for your furbaby!
