The economic downturn has meant unemployment and hardship. For many pets, it’s meant death. There’s no nice way to put what’s happening, at least in some places around America.

While according to all polls on the subject, upwards of 90 per cent of pets are considered family members, but apparently it doesn’t mean their status is beyond disposable. I truly don’t mean to judge. I can’t imagine the real anguish many families are experiencing. Some experts say we’re living through the most dramatic economic swing since the Great Depression. Back then, there weren’t over 250 million household pets.

At many shelters across America, intake is up, as countless previously loved and reasonably well cared for pets are given up on. At some places animals are just dumped on the street or into the woods. Animals are even being left in foreclosed homes, sometimes near starvation or worse when they’re discovered.

While for some relatively lucky ones, the economic slide simply means going without a new winter doggy coat; for others it means their families can’t afford to buy medicine or prescription diets. It may mean skipping a medical procedure such as a dental or even being spayed or neutered.

Right now bad things are happening to a whole lot of good people across the country. Out of desperation, at least some of you are contemplating giving up your pet(s). If you do, you may be losing out on more than you realize.

In fact, your pet might be the glue to hold it all together, particularly if there are kids in the family. With so many abrupt changes, and so much stress – it’s important that there’s one constant. At least there will be one family member who offers love day in and day out, no matter what. After all, your pets haven’t read if the market has gone up or done. If you re-locate, research shows taking the pets can actually help kids to adjust, serving as an icebreaker to make friends.

While medical experts agree some stress can be healthful, certainly the kind of off-the-scale stress incurred by many families these days is detrimental to our general well being. I have a colleague who recently had a baby, and sadly within a few months later both she and her husband lost their jobs. Soon thereafter, both were diagnosed with stress-associated disorders. Increasingly doctors suggest adopting a dog or a cat is good preventative medicine, understanding there are expenses, but believing the benefits outweigh the costs.

There’s no question, the data that pets are good for us is irrefutable, Simply being with your pet can provide positive health benefits - you can’t help it. Pets impact our brain chemistry in a good way. What’s more, pets can become a safe haven of retreat which allowing us to reduce negative chemicals that build up in our bodies from life’s stresses. People under chronic stress with continuous high levels of cortisol can become immunodeficient. Interacting with pets lowers those cortisol levels (sometimes referred to as the stress hormone), and increases healthful hormones (such as oxytocin and prolactin).

However, I most certainly understand that most people who give up their pets are inclined to want to keep them; they’re just worried about paying for them. So, here are some reasonable costing cutting ideas:

• I am all for fancy designer foods, but they’re typically more costly, and not necessarily better. What’s most important is to purchase diets your pets do well on. Of course, consider clipping coupons. Also rotating food (depending on what’s on sale) isn’t necessarily bad as long as you very gradually transition from one diet to another. Many communities offer pet food pantries to those in need.
• I am all for buying expensive toys – but they’re not necessarily more fun for your pets. A plastic bottle cap from the milk carton, even the milk carton itself (perhaps filled with catnip) can provide hours of entertainment for a cat. Cats love empty boxes. An empty toilet paper roll with the ends turned in, and a hole cut on the side can be a cat treat dispenser. Put a ping pong ball inside an empty tissue box, and you’ve made your own track toy for cats.

            Here’s how to get free dog toys. ‘Coincidentally’ walk your dog by an outdoor tennis court just after play stops. Guaranteed, there will be lots of extra tennis balls for your pup to sniff out.

• If you can afford the monthly premiums, and not everyone can, pet insurance can potentially save you money by providing a ‘safety net.’ So, if something traumatic happens, and say your pet requires say a $3,000 surgery, pet insurance could pick up a considerable part of that cost.
• Twice a year veterinary wellness exams may actually save money in the long run. If your vet catches a disease process early on, that’s less suffering for the pet and less cost for you in the long run. Many pet insurance carriers will pay for at least a portion of wellness visits.
• Some shelters offer low cost veterinary care and/or low cost vaccines to those in need.
• If you have absolutely no choice, order heartworm preventative and flea and/or tick control products on the Internet – but don’t stop reading here.  You have no idea for sure where the products are coming from, and there’s no standard for quality control. Believe it or not, counterfeit items are sometimes sold which look identical to the real thing, but they are not authentic. And besides, with shipping added on, you may not be saving money.
• If your veterinary clinic happens to be one of the more than 3,000 American Animal Hospital Association certified clinics, you may qualify for a grant (of up to $500) from Helping Pets Fund.
• Susie Orman and other financial gurus probably wouldn’t like the idea of adding just one more credit card payment, but if there’s no other choice – Care Credit, available at most vet clinics, offers monthly payments with an interest fee attached.
• Why pay to have someone else clip your pet’s nails when you can learn to do it yourself? Even pets who have learned not to like the idea can change their minds with appropriate behavior modification.
• Brushing coats of longhaired cats daily is a good idea anyway, but can also avert as many costly groomer visits.
• While professional dog walkers and pet sitters offer a valuable service, which they are greatly underpaid for, it may be significantly less expensive to find a responsible teenager who likes dogs and is seeking to sock away extra bucks (especially since mom and dad’s college funds are drying up). Your dog may even benefit with a longer walk as a part of the deal. Or turn the tables, have your own teenage kids work as a local dog walker – if they dogs taking the stroll are friendly to other dogs, your dog can benefit by joining in. As for pet sitting, start a neighbor exchange program, ‘I’ll watch your pet when you’re away, if you watch mine when I’m gone.’
• With all these ideas, if you absolutely still can’t afford to keep the pet at this time – consider a friend, neighbor or family member homing your pet(s) temporarily. In some communities, shelters will help to find foster homes. The goal is to have the pet reunited with your family when you’re back on your feet. Meanwhile, you can comfortably visit the pet, and you trust the caretaker, knowing the pet is in good hands. Also, if there are kids, they will be less traumatized by you saying “Fluffy is on vacation at Aunt Sally’s” than “Fluffy is going to a farm.”