As someone who works in the pet industry and a pet lover I thought I'd share a few money saving tips and thoughts.
I have a Labrador, when I got him, I knew what kind of risks came with that breed of dog. From day one he's been on Fish Oil and Glucosamine. I buy a year's worth of both from Costco for about $40. Do not purchase specialty dog products - it's the same thing for 4 times the cost. Costco fish oil works just fine, along with the human glucosamine supplement. Dose it for your pet's weight. My dog eats them both like they are cookies every night before bed. These are to help protect his joints, good for his heart, skin and coat.
I have him on a high quality food. You don't need to spend a bajillion dollars. Just avoid the top allergens and look for food without ingredients you can't identify. My friends, family, and customers have had good experiences with the Nature's Domain line from Costco - it's grain free and recall free - not a Kirkland Signature product. A 35lb bag lasts about two months with a 70lb dog and runs just under $40. Feed them well now, to avoid paying bills later I say!
If you want to take it a bit further, like me, here are things I do throughout the month. I give him a spoon or two of yogurt periodically. Maybe $4. (Will be cheaper when I start making my own yogurt.) When I make jerky with game meat I save all the bones and scraps and cook them down a very long time - until the bones start to demineralize. (I think that's the term.) Turns into a meat scrappy gelatin. That gelatin is great for dogs and great for you if you can stomach it! I can't. I can eat elk to the cows come home, but elk jello does not appeal. Great for the joints and coat. Very little fat in that because elk is so lean. I get the game meat for free from family and friends that are hunters. Most hunters can't go through all their meat and are happy to share it. He thinks it's amazing. $0
You can also do that with other bones, but I use those to make broth that I in turn cook with, so he's reserved the game bones.
Those are a few inexpensive ways to care for your pet's future. I'm aware of the amount of jumping he does and try to limit any big leaps (into vehicles ect) and keep him a good weight. In my experience, most people are overfeeding their pets. If you are feeding a high quality food like I recommended above, they don't need a lot. My 70lb Labrador receives 2 cups a day. One in the morning, one at night. He gets his pills before bed. Maybe a cookie or two during the day and few tablespoons of elk jello or yogurt. Not every day, not all the time.
The last think I do is pick up some raw beef bones from the butcher to supplement. He gets about one a week. Raw bones are far less likely to splinter and do damage to your dog. They contain lots of good enzymes and bacteria for their guts and keep their teeth sparkly clean. My dog is almost five and his teeth look like the day they came in. There is some savings in dentals right there. Cost for a year's worth is maybe $30.
Please keep in mind, since my dog was a puppy he has had rotating proteins and been fed a variety of foods. He has strong guts because of this. If you do any of the above suddenly, or too high of a volume, your dog may have poo butt. Try one thing at a time and slowly, in small amounts, add it to their diet.
Money saving tip ahoy! If you have a dog that is not an extra large breed you can buy the larger packages of flea medication and split it. I buy a 4 pack of Advantix for the St. Bernard size dog and break each container into two doses using a syringe. In addition, the active flea preventative in this medication, ivermectin, has been proven to work UP TO 90 DAYS. If you are dosing monthly, you are wasting money! Essentially, a 4 pack becomes 8 doses for my dog, which in turn becomes 2 years worth of meds on a 3 month schedule. This is what I've always done and it's worked for me, but note of caution: I am finding more and more people coming in saying they treat their dogs, but are still finding fleas. Fleas are becoming resistant to these medications in different parts of the country, partially because their manufacturers have encouraged overdosing of pets. So you may need to try a different med if one is no longer working. In addition, if you have dogs and cats, certain meds can be used on both so you can purchase the large package and split one dose between both your dogs and your cats. WARNING: CERTAIN FLEA MEDS FOR DOGS CAN KILL YOUR CAT. Make sure you know the meds are safe for all your animals.
And finally, my thoughts on pet insurance. I am very low income. There is no way I could afford medical care in excess of probably $200 at a time without going into debt. Because of this I purchased VPI when he was a puppy and have kept it since. I'm grateful I did. It has paid out over $6,000 in medical bills. I am reimbursed for basic things like vaccinations, flea medications, fecal tests, annual blood work, wellness exams and more. They have never NOT covered something. My policy has a $100 deductible and then they pay 100% of whatever illness up to their limit. My understanding is the exclusions are inherited diseases specific to breeds. IE: Labradors - hip dysplasia.
His health issues are not what you commonly hear about with labradors: ear infections, allergies, etc, but instead he began having seizures. Over the years I've been reimbursed thousands of dollars I could never have afforded on my own. Emotionally and financially this could have been devastating. Instead, I know that I can always count on them to care for my pet. Even if I had saved the monthly fee every month since I adopted him, I would not have ever half of what they've already paid out for him. I'm reimbursed within 2 weeks, so I can pay the credit card or family member off immediately. Speaking of family, it sure helps to have the pet insurance because people are much more willing to loan you money if you can pay it back quickly!
Those are my few cents. Hope they prove helpful:)
And a final note: Don't be afraid of cancer treatments in older dogs. They've changed a lot in recent years and are far less difficult on the body than before. It won't be nearly so rough or confusing for them and if they get another healthy 4 years it's worth a few months of not feeling great.