Pet Care for Pennies A Day
Having a pet can be expensive. According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners will
spend an estimated $51 billion dollars caring for their pets in 2011. Specially, about $11 billion
dollars will be spend towards pet supplies. So, how can you save a little money taking care of your
pet? Pet Care Expert and First for Women magazine Contributor Charlotte Reed can help you.
According to Reed, “Pet owners can save money and learn how to tackle everyday pet problems by using
ingredients (vinegar, olive oil, two-sided tape, cornstarch, yogurt, oats and lemons) that they already
have in their home.“
Here are some of Charlotte’s money saving pet tips:
1. Quick Clean Up: Don’t have time to give your dog or cat a bath or are you worried about that the temperature might be too cold to bathe your pet? Your pet solution is to make a dry shampoo of one part baking soda and one part cornstarch. Begin by putting your pet either in the bathtub or sink, or on a towel. Sprinkle the contents of the “shampoo” on your pet's coat and let it sit for 15 minutes. Brush out dirt, debris and dry shampoo from your pet’s fur. If necessary, use a towel to rub out the excess.
2. Tasty Treat: Other than throwing away the tuna water from a can of tuna fish, how can you upcycle this ¼ cup of liquid? For dogs, mix ¼ cup of water to the tuna water, pour into ice trays and freeze. Once frozen, give your dog this crunchy treat. For cats, prevent urinary tract infections and kidney disease, by adding one tbs. of tuna water to flavor their water bowl to encourage them to drink more. (Best to use low sodium tuna or albacore.)
3. Getting rid of fleas: Lemon juice when mixed with water is a natural deterrent for fleas. When rosemary is added to your lemon-juice mixture, there is extra incentive for fleas to flee. Add one sliced lemon, 1/3 cup of rosemary to two cups of boiling water and continue to boil for five minutes. Cover pot and let sit until room temperature. Drain contents and pour into spray bottle. Spray on your pet’s coat, avoiding the face. Pay special attention to behind the ears, under the arms, the legs and by the tail-the places fleas like to hide. You can even add this mixture to your pet’s shampoo as a flea deterrent.
4. Dealing with dried food from your pet’s bowl: Prior to adding wet food to your pet’s bowl. Add about 1/3 tsp. of light olive oil (10 calories) to your pet’s bowl. The greasing of the bowl will prevent food from drying up and your having to scrub the bowl. Moreover, olive oil is full of Omega Fatty Acids which are good for your pet’s skin and coat.
5. Removing Pet Hair from the Furniture: For a quick fix when company is expected, wet an old, clean sponge or pair of rubber gloves and rub them along your couch to pick up the pet hair.
6. Keeping cats away from plants: Cats and plants can be a deadly combination. Two common household problems cat owners experience is either their cat is nibbling on the leaves of a plant or their pet is urinating or defecating in the planter. To keep your pet away from the planter, either hang planter from the ceiling or place stones/shells or crinkled aluminum foil on the surface of the dirt. Cats do not like the feel of the foil/stones/ shells on their paws.
7. Vinegars: Use White Vinegar to eliminate litter box odors. After cleaning the litter box, rinse it out and pour about ½ inch of white vinegar in the box. Let it stand for about 20 minutes and then swish it around. Rinse with cold water and dry the box. Use Apple Cider Vinegar for pet hair care. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of water. Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and rinse it. For a leave in conditioner, pour mixture into a spray bottle and mist your pet’s coat twice a week to improve dry coat. Once dry, the vinegar smell will not be detected.
About Charlotte Reed
Charlotte Reed, a popular pet care and lifestyle expert, is also a notable entrepreneur. In 1995, she abandoned
life on Wall Street as a corporate lawyer to open Two Dogs & A Goat Incorporated, a premiere, full-service pet
care provider in New York City. Reed is the founder of The Business of Pet Writing Conference, and recently has
created PetCentricAuthors.com, the first internet site dedicated to promoting authors and their pet books. She
is the author of "The Miss Fido Manners Complete Book of Dog Etiquette" (Adams Media, 2007). Charlotte is the First for Women's
Pet Solutions columnist and The Pet Socialite blogger for NBC's Petside.com. In 2011, she will release her
new magazine, "Canine Culture, Arts and Style." In addition to her writing career, Reed also works as a pet
industry consultant. Although many manufacturers have hired her as a spokesperson, she also works with
advertising, marketing and social media firms as a pet trend expert, providing a unique understanding of what
drives pet consumer behavior. Charlotte is the owner of four dogs, two cats and one parrot. To learn more
about Charlotte and her other projects, visit www.charlottereed.com.
Press Inquiries Contact:
Katie Ross
pr@charlottereed.com
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