Saving You Money: Frugal Frontline Plus Treatments

Having several pets can get expensive to treat with Frontline Plus for fleas and ticks.

That is if you don't know the frugal secrets for using Frontline Plus!

My dog groomer (now ex-groomer... I do my own grooming to save money!) let me in on this great secret and my vet confirmed it.

When you purchase the 3 packs of Frontline Plus for the smaller dogs and cats, the majority of your hard earned money is going towards packaging, not the solution.

The secret is to buy the 4.02ml tube for large dogs (89-132lbs) and measure out the appropriate amount for your pet yourself.

She told me her vet told her (and I've been doing the same for two years now) to open the large tube/tubes and squeeze into a glass vial, tube or small jar that has a lid. Then using a plastic syringe (with NO NEEDLE) like that is used to give cats and babies medicine orally, measure out the correct individual dose for each pet. Store the remainder until needed.

The large tube of medication (for dogs 89-132lbs) is the EXACT medication that is found in the boxes with the smaller individual doses. The only difference is the liquid volume that you give.

All Frontline Plus for dogs formula (regardless of size of animal) contains 9.8% Fipronil and 8.8% Methoprene. Frontline Plus for cats contains the same amount of Fipronil and 11.8% Methoprene which is more than what is in the dogs and is perfectly safe for your cat. IT IS NOT SAFE TO DOSE DOGS WITH THE CAT FORMULA THOUGH!

Here is a chart showing how much (volume) solution is in each one dose tube when you purchase the 3, 6, or 12 packs and the average cost of EACH one dose tube.

Dogs 1-22 lbs. 0.67 ml solution in each tube, $11.33 per dose
Dogs 23-44 lbs. 1.34 ml solution in each tube, $12.00 per dose
Dogs 45-88 lbs. 2.68 ml solution in each tube, $12.34 per dose
Dogs 89-132 lbs. 4.02 ml solution in each tube, $12.67 per dose
Cats All Weights 0.50 ml solution in each tube, $11.33 per dose

One of the large 4.02ml tubes is enough for both my indoor cats for 4 months! Each cat gets .50ml per month of the 4.02ml tube. My vet sells these 4.02ml tubes individually for $14. Fourteen dollars to treat two cats for four months! That saves me over $76. That's not pocket change!

One large tube is enough for both my poodles (they use the 1-22lbs dosage) for 3 months. $14 to treat two poodles for three months! That is a savings of $54.

As you can see, this method will allow you to save a ton of money and throw away less waste!

If you have any questions or don't understand something, please feel free to ask!

I've even used my Amazon gift cards earned from Swagbucks to order Frontline Plus getting it FREE. If you're not signed up for Swagbucks, click here!

The Attraction to Cardboard Boxes

Have you ever bought your child a gift you just knew they would love only to have them play with it for a day or so, set it aside and play with the cardboard box forever?

Both my boys did that on numerous occasions when they were little. My husband use to say, why worry about what to get them. They are going to play with the box more. Just go to the grocery store and get them a banana box! lol

I know for a fact my boys are not the only ones to do this.

Peanut does it too!

I bought her something similiar to one of these:


She refused to get in it.

My uncle gave me something similiar to this:

She didn't like it either.

Every time she gets a chance, she steals Teddy's bed:


Hey mom, does this make my butt look big?


And all she really wanted was....



Her very own Nestle Pure Life Water box!


All I have to say is she better take good care of that box cause I normally don't buy bottled water, but due to the excessive heat and warnings, I had to pick up a case last week for free using my CVS extra care bucks. Hubby needed some extra water to supplement his usual water jug. lol

Frugal Low Cost Spay & Neuter Programs

I've often mentioned we have feral cats at my home that I feed. When we moved in there was mamma, pappa & 7 babies.

These feral cats would love to be inside. I think the mamma cat was the previous home-owners' son's cat and they moved off and left her. Isn't that mean?

When we looked at the house, she was here and pregnant. By the time we took possession of the house, Pam was still here and I could tell she was nursing kittens. Pam was sooooo thin and would stand at our back patio doors and meow FOREVER begging for something to eat.

I couldn't take her away and I couldn't let her starve or her kittens, so she stayed. I paid to get her and all her kittens fixed. Pappa John figured out something was up and ran away three days before his appointment!

Prevent a litter. Fix your critter!

I gave away as many of the babies as I could find homes for and am left with Pam and her twins. I figure they were a liability that came with the house, and it's my responsibility to take care of them.

The small town I live in does not have animal control, there are feral cats every where. When my aunt was still living she fed close to 20 cats on her deck that were feral. She actually lived in town. We live about 2 miles outside of town.

Her ferals had all kinds of problems. Almost all the males had one back leg that was bad. Most of the females are polydactyls. Most all of them had runny noses and eyes. I'm sure these problems were due to inter-breeding, and breeding way too young.

The two gas stations in town, both have mammas that live there and the owners of the stations feed them the left over fish and chicken that does not sell so they don't starve. The one station's mamma had 4 babies last year. One of the babies took up residence at the station across the street. A few weeks ago she had 4 OR 5 kittens! Nothing will be done, they will grow up and keep inter-breeding and multiplying.

When I go to the station in the evenings to get gas, they are all sitting outside the storage building where apparently they live under. When you try to approach them they scatter like mad! I tried to get a picture of them, but they didn't oblige.

I feel pet owners should be more responsible for their pets.

There are programs & clinics where you can get your animals fixed, their shots, declawed, etc. for a low cost rate. Depending upon the situation, sometimes it can even be done for free. Mine cost me $15 per cat for them to be sterilized and their shots. I chose to not get them declawed.

The program I went through was called No More Homeless Pets KC. No More Homeless Pets is a nationwide movement to bring about a time when homeless, unwanted animals are no longer being destroyed in shelters, and when every healthy dog or cat can be guaranteed a good life in a caring home.

The NMHP FixKC clinics are offered for people who are financially disadvantaged and/or individuals who are dealing with feral or stray cats, or large populations of cats. Individuals must qualify for the FixKC Cat Clinics and appointments are required.

The clinics are in high demand and the appointment books fill quickly.


There are several clinics in the Kansas City Missouri/Kansas area that offer discount services also. No More Homeless Pets KC has them all listed.

There are also low cost vaccination & microchip clinics. To find out more go HERE. For other states, just google No More Homeless Pets to find locations in your area. I know Utah, Florida, Atlanta, Las Vegas, South Carolina, and New Mexico have big organizations. I'm sure there are more. Ask a local veterinarian for your closest location.

Prevent a litter. Fix your critter!

If you'd like to offer financial support and help those who cannot afford to have their pets fixed, please Sponsor a Spay.

Easy Ways to Keep Your Pet safe from Summer Heat

Summer's rising temperatures may be great for a day at the beach, but they can pose hidden health risks for your pet.

To keep your pet happy and cool:

Paw Care is important! Dogs and cats have sensitive pads on the bottom of their paws, these can easily burn on hot pavement (parking lots & sidewalks) or sand. Their paws can burn and blister! Walk your dog in grass. Mist his paws. This is the only place animals sweat, making them prone to heat stroke. Spray your dogs paws with cool water and use a cool moist cloth for cats.

Keep your pet groomed! Matted coats retain excess heat. Brush them often to keep them tangle free. Keeping your pets coat clipped to one inch in length will help with grooming also. Invest in a set of clippers and do it yourself to save money. I purchased a set of clippers for $100. I was money ahead after I clipped my two poodles myself twice.

NEVER LEAVE AN ANIMAL IN A PARKED CAR! Even when a car is parked in the shade with the windows cracked, the temperature can rise to over 120 in a matter of a few minutes.

Twice in the last three years I have seen dogs left in cars (with windows cracked) in parking lots. Both times I called Animal Control, stayed there until they showed up, which took them 10-15 minutes and the owner was still no where in sight. Both times they alerted store managers who announced over the intercom for the owners to report back to their vehicle, where they were given citations. Have you ever reported anyone? The first time I did, I was very uneasy, and kept thinking, "It's none of your business, don't be so nosey" but then I asked myself, "IF it were a child, would you keep walking?"

Outside pets must have access to shade and fresh cool water at all times. One thing that I found hard to make both my sons understand during their summer feeding chores was that even though their dogs have water, it heats up quickly in such a small container. The dogs will not drink HOT water.

What's your favorite summer time pet tip? Do you have a "pet" peeve?

Lucky, Teddy and I hope you and your fur babies have a great safe summer.
And my boys say don't forget, make some summer time cool treats for your fur babies too! Just freeze some no/low sodium beef or chicken broth in ice cube trays, a chunk of watermelon, or balls of cantaloupe to munch on (outside of course). Your furbaby will love you even more!


PS... Here is a great resource for all animal lovers!
Merck Online Vet Manual

What I Seen On My Morning Walk

I was able to find some ear drops for my Suzi at (of all places) Dollar General. Wally World and our Farm Supply store didnt have any.

She seems to be feeling more like her old self again, jumping up on her favorite perch in the living room. After putting her ear drops in I took her and Teddy out for our morning walk. Here's what we saw.

WARNING: If pictures of dead wildlife bothers you, proceed with caution. There is no blood, just deader than a doornail.

After putting her ear drops in, Suzi was ready for her morning walk with Teddy. We went out the back door, down the steps and this is what our Mamma Cat, Pam, left for us at the bottom of the stairs. Of course Teddy turned his nose up to it and Suzi was ready to grab it up. Ahhh, the joys of living in the country.


I hate rats! This one was just a juvenile. But I'm glad it's dead! Our next stop was our koi pond by the back deck.


Mr Frog was out sunning himself. He normally jumps into the pond immediately when he hears the back door open. He has gotten used to us apparently, because he sat there while the pups pottied and I got real close to take this pic. Here's a full view of the pond. Excuse the tub, I was having to change parts out for the new pump we had to buy. By the tub you can see Mamma Pam wanting to make sure I seen her latest kill. Now that we have the leak fixed around the waterfall part I will be able to plant some plants around the bio-filter (the black tub at the top).


The fish were begging for their morning feeding. Photographing fish is hard! I can't get them to sit still. lol


Here's my favorite koi in the back pond. Mr Big.


On out to the tool shed and I see I have another iris blooming. It's light blue and big.


On around to the front of the house to check on the koi pond there.



Can you find the baby cat we call Sissy in this pic?

She was up and getting her morning drink. They love drinking out of the bio filter on this pond.

Things have been looking up around here again. We have had to tear up the carpet and padding in the basement and worked on that some yesterday and today. My house smells like a cattery. Apparently the woman who lived here before us and left us with the 9 cats just let them pee where ever downstairs. Once it got wet...... shooooo eeeeeee!

I wont battle that. The carpet is gone!

Hope you are having a relaxing and safe weekend. We are relaxing more than we are working so it's all good again.

Boy wonder wants breakfast burritos so I'm outta here to go fix my baby boy breakfast.

Wordless Wednesday-Homeless Pets

HOMELESS PETS

Still Hounding For More Cat Food

When we bought this house almost 3 years ago we inherited a daddy and mommy cat. The day we moved in she had 6 babies. We also had two cats of our own. 4 of those 6 babies were females.

I started freaking out. My aunt also lives in the same town we do. It's a small town with no full time 24/7 animal control and there are cats EVERY WHERE. She lives within city limits, I live outside of town. She feeds approximately 20 feral cats a day. Anyway, all I could see was these babies multipling like litte bunny rabbits. I am an animal lover, but dont want my 5 acres run over with cats. They have a tendency to mess up my flower gardens and they are hell on the screens on the front of the house!



I started calling vets and quickly found that the cost was more than I could afford to get them all fixed. Then I read on line here about a program in Kansas City that would fix them and give them their shots for around $15 per cat. I called and made two appointments. One for the females and the second for the males. The waiting list is quite lengthy, but it gave me a chance to get closer to the cats so I could catch them.

The program is called No More Homeless Pets. They have around 6 different clinics around Kansas City area and require an appointment. I've also seen this program running in other states when you google "no more homeless pets". If you are needing help getting your pet spay/neutered, be sure to check your area.

The word got out what I was doing and daddy ran off before I could catch him and I see him about two miles down the road every once in a while. Two of the kittens (of course full grown now) have disappeared since being fixed. So we only have mamma and two of the kittens left. The ferrals are so cute, they will sit on the deck railing looking into the house through the window. They arent so ferral now after two years of feeding and attention.

Feeding 3 outdoor cats and two indoor cats plus 2 miniature poodles, 1 black lab, and 1 bassett hound we rescued can get quite expensive. So I am always hounding for cat & dog food and litter.
Meet Peanut, my indoor cat who loves to go outside in the spring.


And here's Lilly, who I've never been able to break of climbing the Christmas tree. Her and Peanut are sisters believe it or not that I rescued from a farm.


This is Lucky, my 120 pound lap dog!


This one is Teddy, he has to be the smartest dog in the world.


Francis, The Typical Bassett


And the baby of the family, Suzy.

The Girls Have Been Saved....

from the frying pan. They have begun to lay again. Lucky for them too! Arent their eggs pretty. They are so giving.


I actually had to buy eggs a couple of weeks ago! It was the first time I had bought eggs in 3 years. I guess they were on strike. Usually they will slow down in the colder months but not completely quit laying.


That rooster there is Jack. He was a beautiful big boy. His talons grew to be so frickin long! I've read you can cut them but by the time I found that out, it was too late. My husband and I never had a problem with him, but he took a disliking to my son and would try to attack him every time boywonder entered the chicken coop/yard. So we gave him away. We now have a different rooster and so far he has behaved. I call him Kellog cause he looks just like the rooster in the Kellogs commercials and on the box.

We didn't put a light in their coop this fall like we normally do. Maybe that had more to do with their lack of laying than anything else. I'm just glad I'm getting eggs again and the fridge is filling up. Now I need to start planning on one dinner a week using eggs like before.



This is the chicken coop my hubby built for me. Ninety percent of the material was removed from loads of construction debris that came in to where I work. The plywood, 2x4's, door, lattice, nails all were scavenged from the trash loads making it virtually free to build. I like FREE.

It won't be long before the koi fish will be waking up from their winter slumber. We will be doing some work on the koi ponds this year. I'll write a post in a few days with pics of them and their habitat and how I scavenged 90% of the stuff to build their ponds from the trash loads that come in, saving hundreds of dollars.

I'm going to kill me a cat!

I thought it was cute when she was a baby.



Now I dont feel the same way.

All my other cats outgrew the need to climb the tree, but not Lily. She can destroy a tree in one evening!


(NOTE: I would never literally kill my cat. I have 5 cats and love them all)