Having pets can get expensive. Between food, vet visits, and more, the bills can add up. It may be tempting to skip things or go cheap where you can in order to save money. In some cases, that may be okay, but for others areas, it’s dangerous. Here are a few dog expenses you should never skip:

1. Regular Vet Visits

Your dog needs to see the vet regularly to maintain a healthy life. This is preventive care. Even if your dog seems perfectly healthy, it’s important that they make their regular vet visit for a checkup. This will help your dog stay up-to-date on immunizations and will also help you catch any illnesses or conditions before they become serious. Treating conditions early often results in a better outcome for your dog and fewer bills for you over time.

It’s also important not to skip medicines and treatments. If your vet has prescribed medicine to help your dog overcome an infection or illness, do not skip it. Vaccinations can also get expensive, but are necessary to ensure your dog’s health. You also do not want to skip flea treatments. Even if your dog spends most of its time indoors, fleas and ticks are still a concern. There are plenty of treatment options available, so you should be able to work with your vet to choose the right ones for you and your dog.

2. Grooming

Regular grooming is imperative to your dog’s health. Matted fur is heavy and destroys your dog’s skin. Long nails are painful when moving around. Ears and teeth that are never cleaned are prone to infection. All of these issues are solved with regular grooming. You can do most of it yourself. Trimming your dog’s nails monthly, checking their ears weekly, and brushing their teeth daily is easy if you get them used to it as a puppy.

Brushing their coat will depend on the dog breed, but most require daily or weekly brushing to remove loose hair and prevent mats and tangles. You don’t want to skip or skimp when it comes to your grooming supplies. It’s also important to get your dog professionally groomed a few times a year. If you really want to, you can learn to do this on your own at home. However, you’ll still need to invest in a high-quality set of dog grooming tools to ensure the process is safe and comfortable for your dog.

3. Food

It should go without saying that you should never skip out on buying food for your dog. When things get tight, some people might just feed their dog human food instead of the dog food they’re used to. Although this seems like a good idea, it’s not. A lot of human foods are toxic foods for dogs and many are harmful foods that can cause digestive issues. You don’t necessarily have to get the most expensive dog food on the market, but you should invest in high-quality food that provides your dog with all the nutrients they need to be healthy.

4. Training

If you have a lot of experience owning and training dogs, you may be able to get away without taking your dog to obedience classes. However, puppy training classes often offer invaluable socialization opportunities. So, if you’re able to handle training effectively on your own, you’ll need to make sure you provide plenty of socialization to different animals, people, and situations.

If you’re a first-time dog owner or don’t have experience training dogs, investing in obedience and training classes is a must. This will help ensure training is a positive bonding experience for both you and your puppy. Plus, it will make you a more confident dog owner, which will make your puppy more confident in you, in turn.

There are some things you can skip when it comes to your dog. After all, they’ll be just as happy with a $10 KONG toy as they would be with a more expensive version. But, you want to make sure you don’t skip or skimp these dog expenses. Investing in these makes a positive investment in your dog’s health, happiness, and future.