Fleas and Ticks and Worms OH MY!

Monthly costs are what will really be a concern when owning a Great Dane... as many current Dane owners have told me: everything costs more, more dog more money, and that's a lot of dog!
Anyways as I'm sure everyone is expecting I've found a way to cut cost on pet meds even those fit for a Dane!

The top of the line all in one treatment for heart worm/flea/tick control is called Triflexis and it will set you back $150 for a 6 month supply! It's a chewable tablet that you give once a month, so far Curie has only thrown it up once, which can happen but when eaten with food is rare. I just simply gave her another tablet with her dinner and she did fine, but a very expensive puke none-the-less! 

ProTip: Hartz now makes an affordable flea and tick control topical that costs about $15 for a 6 month supply! Even for the giant size!!!

I linked the coupon to save $2 for you super savers!!

http://www.hartz.com/Coupons.aspx

Summer Job and customer interactions

My family owns a small business called The Aquarium Shop and over the summer I am helping out as needed plus Curie gets to come along and see all the fish!!!

This is Curie's hannibal look. She is still in the puppy phase of biting and nibbling on everything including strangers and since this is a place of business we can't have her chewing on the customers! So my uncle gave us a soft muzzle which she can still drink water, breathe, and lick with she just can't bite. 

When we didn't have any customers I let her explore muzzle free and thought she would full of energy going to a new place but being such a puppy she couldn't help but curl up for a nap (or 10). 

By the end of the day she was queen of the castle or aquarium I should say and most customers complemented on how well she behaved! 

"Hello everything is mine, who are you?" Meeting the family pets

Here we see Curie and Chloe(beagle) interacting in the backyard. Chloe is a 12 year old puppy and our family pet and I wasn't sure how she would react to a young whippersnapper like Curie coming in to her house and sniffing around. We introduced them to each other while Curie was docile not in a super energetic mood this proved to be a good idea since Chloe is more of the laid back beagle. They sniffed each other out and were eating in the same backyard in no time strangely enough it was Chloe not Curie who first initiated the 'puppy play' wiggly butt in the air from 12 year old beagle I couldn't believe it! Chloe was showing Curie the ropes and teaching her how to play! It was so cute and Curie quickly caught on!! I think if Chloe knew how much bigger Curie will get she might regret teaching her all her secret beagle moves! I'm sure the tables will turn soon enough XD

Officially a Dane momma!!! Adoption Day

Official: Curie Pi Gregory DOB: 04/27/2014

 Me annoying her taking pictures while she obviously just wanted to sleep in the car!

 She slept most of the way back to Alabama waking avery few hours to pee. Her breeder recommended not feeding during the trip just in case she reacted adversely to riding in the car. (she did not!)

Finally in home sweet home Alabama looks comfy in her tiny puppy bed from her great Aunt MayAnn!

The BEST Sister in the whole world!!

My sister Samantha bought me a subscription to BarkBox as my graduation/new puppy present. Curie and I are in LOVE!
Each month they send us a variety of treats and toys, its nice not to have to run to the pet store overtime you're low on treats and this way she can try a lot of different/specialty treats I might not have bought or weren't offered at my local pet supply!

It can get pricy and it is an all upfront cost. She got us the 6month pack with runs at $21/box for a total upfront cost of $126. 
www.barkbox.com
Obviously the more months you buy the cheaper the price per box. 

PRO TIP!
If you're more of a monthly budgeter like moi then 'Pet Gift Box', a a similar site that bills monthly instead of one lump sum, might be for you! (Pssst! it's also cheaper than BarkBox @$17.99/month)
petgiftbox.com

Meet my baby!

This is Curie Pi soon to be Gregory at 3 weeks old her eyes have not opened but I'm hoping for at least one blue (fingers crossed!)  

Just a tiny Lion King moment meeting Curie for the first time!

This is Curie with her momma and brothers and sisters! She is the white and tan spotted one taking a nose dive for dinner!!! Love her already!

DIY: The Great Cage!!

Ok the playpen soon to be crate arrived today!!! I was so excited that I decided today was the day to put it together!! it took me 2 hours with the help of a friend so it's extremely DIY-able!!

1. Order the play pen off ebay in the 48" model. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390759616350?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

2. Order a Trimmable or Custom Fit Cargo Mat for the floor of the cage.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058V9CF0/ref=oh_details_o00_s02_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. The play pen comes pre-assembled with these metal clasps that allow it to go into different shapes. This is all fine for a play pen but in order to create a cube I needed them to be attached at different points on the panels.

detach the panel right next to the door panel from the panel next to it so that the door and the next panel are still attached and you have the other 6 are still attached to each other.

 4.

5. Cut your rubber mat to fit your cage bottom with just regular scissors for the water proof bottom so that it is removable if there are any accidents.

 6. Then you can fold it into a pretty compact 30"x48" and fits pretty nicely into the original bag that came with it.

"S.O.S. please someone help me".... Pet Rescue

Sorry about the song there but ya know I had to.. anyways like I said in my last post I am going to foster a rescue Great Dane before adopting him at the end of the Summer. This may be the most cost effective decision I've ever made. The puppy was going to cost $1000-$1300. But adoption is at most $500. That's a whole lot of savings!!
Yes puppies are cute and I could train him from the very start but then I think of all the previous owners who thought that too and then realized that they couldn't handle the Dane when it got bigger... and I get really mad first then I get overwhelmingly sad, it wasn't that puppy's fault it was nothing he could help, it was that human's fault. I know I always talk about planning and doing research and everything but the fact is some people don't and then those poor sweet doggies who in fact may still be puppies (albeit very large puppies) are out of a home. I think that even if I don't phone in and donate all my money to the poor puppies on TV, maybe Sarah Mclachlan will accept my adoption of a Great Dane as recompense. So here are a few Great Dane Rescue organizations whose sites I've been looking into and even some that I have contacted and had a positive experience in dealing with.
http://rescuedanecrazy.webs.com/
(ignore the Baha men in the background.. they are nice people lol)

http://www.greatdanerescueinc.com/

http://www.magdrl.org/index.htm

http://www.rmgreatdane.org/

http://www.foreverfriendsgdri.com/

if you have and site suggestions I would love to hear them in the comments and I tried to find sites that have national listings since the one I am looking at is only AL/TN. 

Thanks guys!

Update:

So I have been super busy with finals and grad school interviews and even some job interviews! But I wanted to just be clear and say I am not dead XD 
I have recently made some great purchases for my soon to be doggie!
I bought the playpen from my previous post and it should be here within the week so I will probably have a DIY for you guys next week! 
I also go the parts to make the feeder I will also do a DIY on that so you can see what I'm talking about half the time. 

UP-UPDATE: I talked it over with a current Dane mom and she has persuaded me to foster a rescue dog over the Summer with the intent to adopt in August/September. He will still be young but not a puppy she just thinks it would be best that my first Great Dane not be a rambunctious puppy.  

Au Naturale!

I sort of spoil myself on shampoo and other cosmetics so I was pretty excited to see the "Pet Head" shampoo and dog fragrance line at some commercial pet stores but then I saw the price and I was like ok its either I get nice shampoo or he does... until I saw how cheap they are online!!

and then I may have gone a bit overboard XD 

He will need Paw lotion right?!

and and he of course needs tooth brushing wipes so his breath is minty fresh!

and as far as shampoo you don want it to hurt his eyes so like baby shampoo no tears!

And if you're into the the natural option they have a great oatmeal shampoo

And if you maybe don't get around to a bath every week there is some fragrance spray

Like I said maybe a bit overboard... but these are extras, not necessities. Happy thrifty-ing and budget building!

If you find these or other items at better prices please comment below!

Clean up clean up everybody lend a hand! (or paw)

* To the tune of Barney *

Well now you're done with that terrifying childhood flashback XD 

One thing I have put into my budget that you can see in the checklist page, is cleaning supplies. This I think is important because I will be renting an apartment during grad school and I don't want to loose any deposit for something that could have been either prevented or fixed instantly.

Ive done a bunch of searching and found some really great pet product cleaning supplies from Bissell. These costs can add up quickly so I decided to make a list (who would have guessed!) of all the equipment and supplies I would be needing.

Spot Bot cleaner I'm torn between the Pawsitivly Clean and the Little Green the latter has a water heating system and it might just be the winner... too soon to call it XD

Drool Cleaner I've heard a lot about how much this particular breed drools and I think that this Bissell yecch Drool Cleaner

 will help me keep up with the best of them (of course with some drool towels handy)

Steam Mop This will be good for sanitizing and cleaning the kitchen floors not just for dog stuff but I'm messy too don't wanna blame it all on him XD But this one is from the same Pawsitivly Clean line.

Vacuum  for regular vacuum stuffs XD just from the same line so I'll link it!

Handheld Vac  the pet hair eraser for quick weekday messes and pet hair on furniture!

let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas or maybe even a site with cheaper prices!! stay thrifty!

ProTip: Bissell really impressed me with their pet supply line, and the cleaning liquid refills and replacement mop heads were reasonably priced! 

That thing's gonna eat you out of house and home

So delicately put by some of my concerned family members when I brought the Great Dane idea to them initially.
And I had to admit they are big dogs! And I've heard they can eat and I have researched on how to feed them and prepared for that initial cost. 
Now it was time to do more research! Yay and more lists and more price comparisons! woot woot (basically my whole life, but like I've said I'm a planner, Janet, gonna plan contingency till the day I die{there is no Janet, damnit, Janet})
Recurring costs!
Food: well I have been in contact with my breeder since the beginning of October 2013 and have had many conversations and email discussions with him on several aspects of Dane ownership. And even though it goes against everything I've read online he still tells me to feed Iams giant breed or diamond. At first I shrugged him off saying in my mind 'the internet knows all' but then he informed me of his lineage's lifespans: males 9 to 13 years old! Well he must be doing something right (the average lifespan for Great Danes is 8-10 years) so I thought it is definitely something to look into XD comment below with your pet food brand and a review if you'd like!

Anyways I found a great website during all this searching and and best of all it gives discounts for scheduled delivers on weekly or monthly repeats. Also their products are already super discounted so of course this made swoon XD 

This is one of the sites I found its called pet food direct.  

Share any other deals you find in the comments section!

ProTip: The monthly prices are the best and that way you won't have to make any late night trips to the grocery store for puppy chow!

The Costly Crate

You know what costs a lot of money? 
A dog crate that could hold a medium sized child!
i.e. a crate I and all other Dane owners will have to get at one point. Whether it be for travel or daily crate training, this is a given cost that you will have to accept..............
unless.... You are nifty thrifty!
and if not (or you aren't willing to admit how much you liked that rhyme, because really who doesn't like a good rhyme?) I can shed some light on how I am going to save money on a large crate for my dog by making my own (sort of/ish) for a fraction of the cost! (1/4 to be nearly almost exact assuming a contiguous united states and friction-less surfaces and neglecting wind-resistance and well anyways) 

Here is a commercial giant dog crate. And for those lovely few of you that clicked there I probably should have asked if you were sitting down first! That's right ladies and gents for the free shipping $389.90 gets you one free arm and leg amputation.
Don't get me wrong I shopped till I was fed up looking for a cheaper version of the same crate amazon, ebay, craigslist, but the cheapest I could ever find was $180. Which if you're into that kind of stuff go for it, it is easy and I mean how do you say no to the free shipping?! 
I did but I also had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea! (and if someone else has had it already before me I am upset that they never posted it to the blogs and help sites I scoured!!) 

The pens that breeders and the people at Petsmart use to corral the dogs on adoption day, they are basically just a crate folded out into a circle...

behold the brilliant idea! (if you scrolled down for the link..

you're nearly there..

hahaha oh internet how short your attention--squirrel--)

Note this picture is not the one linked below that amazon picture was low quality but this is the same style

but really. It's just a matter of setting these playpens up as rectangles and using the other panels as the top and bottom!!
And wait for it... they only cost (even the great dane sized one) $50!!!! oh but Jessica the shipping is $25? Well a small price to pay I say to you dear reader (in a British accent of course) because if dear reader notices that is a mere trifle compared to the Big commercial costly crate. 
I will post updates on my personal DIY project the play pen panels are my next purchase! :D

ProTip: This DIY modification is not just for the mechanically inclined all hardware you need is provided with the playpen, just make sure your walls are stable and the pen you choose is coated metal, don't want any rust! 

ProProTip: This link model even has a door already!

The big bad B word: Bloat!

If you are interested in Great Danes, like I am, I'm sure you have come across this scary word. It is a major health concern for Great Danes of any age.
If you aren't familiar with this condition you can read more on Pet WebMD. 

There are several ways in which Dane owners can reduce their dog's risk of bloat. Habitual breaks before and after meals and some feeding tools can ease your worry and your dog's stomach!

Some of the best suggestions I have found in the many months that I have been researching and planning for my dog have been a mixture of both strict scheduling and commercial products.  

1. Before Meal Break: (~15min.) let the dog calm down/relax. Meal time anxiety can be problematic for any size dog. You can take this time to practice his new tricks (low energy) or just calm TV/cuddles time!
2. Elevated Feeding Stand: There are several on the market for 'normal' sized dogs but when it comes to Danes you are going to want something adjustable and tall :). This helps the feeding process to occur at a more natural digestive angle. This link is a DIY and I think an IKEA trip is called for! XD                
3. Slow Feed Bowl:  These types of food bowls usually have some sort of raised design (circular/x-shaped/dots) in the well of the bowl so that the dog cannot gulp up the food (and air with it!) and he is forced to pace himself by working around the obstruction.
    
4. After Meal break: (~15min.) down time like that before meals but this is more focused on no exercise right after feeding as to reduce the chance of stomach contortion.

I plan to crate my dog for the Before and After meal breaks just to set him up on a ridged schedule from the beginning! (This is mostly because I am a student and will be in grad school for the first years of his life and want him to be used a regimen) Don't worry there will be plenty of play time and walk and fetching but not around meals! (Safety First)

PRO TIP: They make slow feed inserts if you already own food bowls and don't have to buy new!