- Joined
- Dec 21, 2009
- Messages
- 2
- Likes
- 0
- Points
- 0
What is the price of year round dog health care?
- Thread starter erickfranckie
- Start date
The cost of feeding the dog greatly depends on the size, giant breeds like Irish Wolfhounds and Danes can cost a couple of hundred dollars or more a month just to feed.
My dogs are Jrts and it costs about $10.00 a month per dog to feed them a very high quality dog food.
The cost of Vet care changes from area to area, I would suggest that you contact several Vet clinics in your area and ask them the cost of yearly vacc's/rabies, heartworm etc.
Be very very careful WHERE you get your new dog from, Pet stores, Puppy Mills and Backyard breeders should be avoided. Rescuing is always good, but again for a first dog you have to be careful not to get a dog that is beyond your skills to handle it and train it.
After you have extensivly researched the breed that you want, you can also look at adopting a dog that is retiring from the show ring and breeding from a good breeder.
If you want opinions from Chaz members on how to find a good breeder or how to access a good dog, and most importantly how to aviod a mill breeder...start a new thread in the General section........folks will be very happy to help.
My dogs are Jrts and it costs about $10.00 a month per dog to feed them a very high quality dog food.
The cost of Vet care changes from area to area, I would suggest that you contact several Vet clinics in your area and ask them the cost of yearly vacc's/rabies, heartworm etc.
Be very very careful WHERE you get your new dog from, Pet stores, Puppy Mills and Backyard breeders should be avoided. Rescuing is always good, but again for a first dog you have to be careful not to get a dog that is beyond your skills to handle it and train it.
After you have extensivly researched the breed that you want, you can also look at adopting a dog that is retiring from the show ring and breeding from a good breeder.
If you want opinions from Chaz members on how to find a good breeder or how to access a good dog, and most importantly how to aviod a mill breeder...start a new thread in the General section........folks will be very happy to help.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the average yearly cost can suddenly skyrocket should something go wrong. Would your family be willing and able to cover costs if an emergency should occur. My own dog is very low maintenance. About $22/month to feed, once a year vet visit that, grand total, probably runs about $300. But I know plenty of people who have shelled out thousands of dollars in just a day or two when something went wrong.
Be sure and listen to the advice Ado gave above about where to get a dog from - you are setting yourself up for more problems and more expense if you go the wrong route with that.
Be sure and listen to the advice Ado gave above about where to get a dog from - you are setting yourself up for more problems and more expense if you go the wrong route with that.
I completely agree with everything BB said, and can't stress enough how important it is to be prepared for an emergency. Emergencies just on their own can be expensive enough, but add on top of that if it happens during off hours and you have to find an emergency vet (that increases the cost exponentially).
My dog (a 45lb mutt of unknown parentage) generally costs me $30-$40 a month to feed, add on top of that treats as well. Regular vet visits range around $60 here, for a routine check. That goes up if anything needs to be done (like bloodwork). We've had two emergency thus far in her life (tail caught in a door, bled like CRAZY, and the other one she got into poison and had to be rushed in for induced vomiting etc.) each costing $300 or so.
My dog (a 45lb mutt of unknown parentage) generally costs me $30-$40 a month to feed, add on top of that treats as well. Regular vet visits range around $60 here, for a routine check. That goes up if anything needs to be done (like bloodwork). We've had two emergency thus far in her life (tail caught in a door, bled like CRAZY, and the other one she got into poison and had to be rushed in for induced vomiting etc.) each costing $300 or so.
I completely agree with every thing said thus far.
To feed all 4 of my dogs every month (a 32lb Border Collie and 3 Chihuahuas averaging 5lbs each), it costs about $70.
Heartworm medicine on top of that is about $25 a month total... if we were to use flea meds every month, it would be an additional ~$50 on top of that.
Not to mention, each dog has a yearly vet visit costing ~$100... and then there are the unplanned emergency visits. Tucker ended up at the vet office a few months back for vomiting/diarrhea which was about $300 total.
If you get a puppy, you have to figure in the cost of a spay/neuter as well... along with puppy vaccines.
So really, you can't say there is a "set amount" to spend on a dog every month. You can plan to spend such and such dollar amount, but a vet emergency can quickly change that!
To feed all 4 of my dogs every month (a 32lb Border Collie and 3 Chihuahuas averaging 5lbs each), it costs about $70.
Heartworm medicine on top of that is about $25 a month total... if we were to use flea meds every month, it would be an additional ~$50 on top of that.
Not to mention, each dog has a yearly vet visit costing ~$100... and then there are the unplanned emergency visits. Tucker ended up at the vet office a few months back for vomiting/diarrhea which was about $300 total.
If you get a puppy, you have to figure in the cost of a spay/neuter as well... along with puppy vaccines.
So really, you can't say there is a "set amount" to spend on a dog every month. You can plan to spend such and such dollar amount, but a vet emergency can quickly change that!
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 6,444
- Likes
- 0
- Points
- 36
Food here costs about 12 dollars per month for two dogs (yorkies on a high quality food).
Then there is grooming if you get a dog that needs grooming... it costs me 95 dollars to groom my two every 8 weeks.
There is heartworm and flea meds to buy (I use heartworm year round and flea meds only in the summer).
Then there is yearly vet care, vaccines, check ups, etc. Also there are initial costs of spaying/neutering, etc.
Also you need to be ready for anything... the smallest things can really add up.
This year my one dog broke a tooth and then it abscessed, the whole ordeal cost me over 1000 dollars.
Recently, another dog had a small growth that cost over 300 dollars to deal with.
The same dog also has some as of yet undiagnosed health concerns that have cost about 2500 to deal with (the number would be even higher but a few things were done by a family member who is a vet).
Then there is also the costs of things like leashes, harnesses, toys, treats, etc.
Then there is grooming if you get a dog that needs grooming... it costs me 95 dollars to groom my two every 8 weeks.
There is heartworm and flea meds to buy (I use heartworm year round and flea meds only in the summer).
Then there is yearly vet care, vaccines, check ups, etc. Also there are initial costs of spaying/neutering, etc.
Also you need to be ready for anything... the smallest things can really add up.
This year my one dog broke a tooth and then it abscessed, the whole ordeal cost me over 1000 dollars.
Recently, another dog had a small growth that cost over 300 dollars to deal with.
The same dog also has some as of yet undiagnosed health concerns that have cost about 2500 to deal with (the number would be even higher but a few things were done by a family member who is a vet).
Then there is also the costs of things like leashes, harnesses, toys, treats, etc.
Annual costs depend on a lot of things, as others have posted. If one of your goals is to keep the cost down...
- get a well-bred dog from a reputable breeder & pick a breed with few health issues. The dog will cost more to buy, but on average it will pay off in terms of long-term good health with fewer vet visits.
- get a small dog. Big dogs eat a lot! More food = more expense.
- get a dog that you can groom yourself = bath, nail trims, ear cleanings, teeth brushing.
- exercise the dog every day. Dogs maintained at the proper weight have a lot fewer health issues. And exercised dogs tend to chew less, which can save emergency trips to the vets for bowel obstructions, etc. And you won't have to spend money to replace things that have been chewed.
- keep your dog up-to-date on preventive meds & vaccinations, e.g. heartworm if a problem where you live.
Assuming you got a healthy dog to begin with, I think you could earn enough money doing odd jobs (babysitting, dog walking neighbors' dogs, mowing lawns) to pay for food and routine vet visits.
See the chart at the bottom of this web page.
The Cost of Dog Ownership - Affording a Dog
You can adjust the numbers up and down depending on your plans, add another column for the money you can make to help pay for it, and show it to your parents. If you can't come up with enough $$ to pay for all of it, maybe your parents would be open to paying for half of it if you show you can do your part by saving enough money to pay for the first year's upkeep. Good luck!
- get a well-bred dog from a reputable breeder & pick a breed with few health issues. The dog will cost more to buy, but on average it will pay off in terms of long-term good health with fewer vet visits.
- get a small dog. Big dogs eat a lot! More food = more expense.
- get a dog that you can groom yourself = bath, nail trims, ear cleanings, teeth brushing.
- exercise the dog every day. Dogs maintained at the proper weight have a lot fewer health issues. And exercised dogs tend to chew less, which can save emergency trips to the vets for bowel obstructions, etc. And you won't have to spend money to replace things that have been chewed.
- keep your dog up-to-date on preventive meds & vaccinations, e.g. heartworm if a problem where you live.
Assuming you got a healthy dog to begin with, I think you could earn enough money doing odd jobs (babysitting, dog walking neighbors' dogs, mowing lawns) to pay for food and routine vet visits.
See the chart at the bottom of this web page.
The Cost of Dog Ownership - Affording a Dog
You can adjust the numbers up and down depending on your plans, add another column for the money you can make to help pay for it, and show it to your parents. If you can't come up with enough $$ to pay for all of it, maybe your parents would be open to paying for half of it if you show you can do your part by saving enough money to pay for the first year's upkeep. Good luck!