For pet lovers with a budget, here are some places where you can find food, shampoo and supplies for your pet dogs and cats.
Pet grooming, toys and food bowl at MrDIY
MrDIY sells pet products that are imported from China. Since these items are imported in bulk, they are relatively inexpensive. Of course the variety is not a lot and the items are very basic. Usually the pet section is just a small section but you would be surprised that the items are quite cheap:
They have items like toys for pets, pet wipes, water bottle, brushes, leashes, small plastic aquariums with stones (for those who like to keep pets like fish or tortoise), etc. I was told by the vet that brushing my dogs would help with the tick management. I bought some brushes to brush my pets as well as a pet pedicure (one of my dogs are very frightened of getting his nails cut but he suffered from ingrown nails so I had no choice but to cut his nails before they get too long):
The nail cutter above (looks like a plier) helps me to cut the nails for my pets. I also bought the glove that I can wear to use to brush my pets while stroking their fur. As for the pets pedicure which I bought, I did not get around to using it. Still trying to help one of my pet dogs to manage his phobia of getting his nails cut.
Pet shampoo
For most part of my life, we have kept pet dogs. My mom used to use soap to bathe my dogs on and off. But then in recent years, the ticks in my dogs have gotten quite out of control. At the advice of the vet, we no longer use soaps and shampoos that humans use to bathe our dogs. We use the pet shampoo. And I noticed that after using the pet shampoos, my dogs does not get itchy so much.
I buy the pet shampoo from Summer Pet Sdn Bhd (57, Jalan SS 2/64, SS2, 47300 Petaling Jaya) – this shop has existed for as long as I remember and it is located the same road as Kamdar in SS2. Usually if you are unsure of what is suitable for your pets, you can go in and ask for advice. That was when they introduced a relatively inexpensive pet shampoo, cost about RM30+ for one litre but can last for quite sometime (haha, definitely more expensive than the shampoo I am using). They also do pet grooming.
Tick management
My dogs are outdoors hence if we are not careful, they would develop ticks. I have tried all sorts of methods to manage the ticks in my dogs- and the most effective way is oral medication below which I got from the vet, Philos Veterinary Clinic in Sect 17, Petaling Jaya:
One of my dogs suffers from paralysis due to ticks as well as a nerve issue and we take him to the clinic for acupuncture. My dog is now on lifelong Chinese medicine prescribed by the vet and he is able to walk and run like normal. I’ve taken him to other vets who could not help him.
Pet food
I give my pets dry pet food as well as meat that I cook myself. When I was younger and did not know better, we used to feed our dogs with leftovers meat and bones example those from the curry chicken or KFC. I had to learnt that not only those type of food causes skin allergies and ticks, it is downright dangerous as the bones may choke them or pierce their digestive track killing them. So I literally stop giving them bones except the soft bones and from the soup that I’ve boiled that does not have spices and addictive.
Seriously, keeping pets are really not cheap. When it comes to food, I could not afford the dry dog biscuits all the time. My dogs also don’t really fancy them. In the past, my mom used to cook food for my dogs from leftovers that she picked up from either the chicken or the meat seller.
When I quit my job and took over the role as the caregiver, I find that the parts given were not good parts like skin or fats. So I would buy the meat and organs, take back and cook, then cut into small pieces. Actually the meat seller taught me how to cook with rice as it is what he cook for his dogs, and it is more affordable. Usually I would buy supplies enough to last for about 2 to 3 weeks which cost me between RM10 to RM15. I would cook and cut up all the meat and place into a few plastic bags, each one lasting for about 3 days or 4 days. They are kept in the freezer except the one that I am cooking for my dogs. When the meat in the bag completes, I would then take out another bag from the freezer and place near the vegetable compartment. By the time I need to cook it the next day, the meat would have defrost. I have written more on this post here.
If your budget permits, you can buy minced meat for them which you can mix it with rice. Initially I really don’t fancy cooking and cutting all this but when I see the happy faces of my pets enjoying their natural diet, it felt worth it. Just like how I do ironing, I listen to YouTube videos on topics that I am trying to improve on such as on organization, planning, cleaning and blogging.
Well, hope the above helps. Getting a pet is not cheap as most of the items required such as their shampoo and medical care cost more than a human. But pets are such a joy to have around. They are also therapeutic and make wonderful company especially for both seniors and children.
