I thought it might be interesting to try to gather some information on the costs of owning a dog - for the benefit of prospective new puppy owners, and rescuers of older dogs. Anyone like to offer a rough calculation of how much they spend on their dog each week / month Things to consider might include food, insurance, day care, dog walkers, training classes - I'm sure you'll be able to think of others I may do an article on this, so it would be good to get some different opinions.
Sams food costs us about £50 per month, including fishy treats . His insurance was reasonable until the dreaded C word came into play , it has rocketed to £80 now , but it would be sods law that if I cancelled , he would need it for something unrelated to his cancer ! Also worth bearing in mind that insurance companies sometimes wont pay out for certain claims , unless you have unlimited cover . Sams immunohistochemistry tests were not covered , as they were not essential but rather, requested by us on pathology advice , gulp , huge cost ! Be prepared to pay more for self catering holidays , or kennels if you go away without the dog , the latter can be a huge cost . Very good idea , to have this thread , its often the costs we don't think about which are the highest !
We spend £30 a week on daycare. £30 a month on food excluding treats £20 a month on insurance Probably £10 a week on treats/carrots etc It makes my head spin when I add it up but the joy the bring is priceless. This excludes one off vet bills which have totalled probably 200 since we got Rolo.
Gosh! We have three dogs and they are very expensive. Insurance works out on average £40 - each per month (lifetime cover through Petplan) We have a + agility trainer who walks our dogs, out to a large secure area, 3 days out of 5 which costs £25 per day. Sometimes more, if we are both out past 6pm she does x2 visits =£50 per day. On average per week £75 Their basic food cost £90 per month excluding raw - bones, eggs, veggies which probably comes to around £15 per week.
Our monthly cost is: Roughly £150 on daycare and dog walking £60 on food £30 on treats/toys £27 on insurance £20 on training We've had quite a few vet bills - haven't had to claim on the insurance yet as they've always been less than the excess. £200 on therapy to cope with having a Labrador puppy just kidding!
Edited to say there's no point giving you costs because of the NZ dollar. I completely underestimated the day to day costs of a dog. I *knew* they were expensive, but it's all the little things that add up - collars, leads, harnesses, crates...then they grow and you need to upside. Good quality toys like Kong toys are $$. Then there's the money I spend on canned fish, quality kibble (you think Orijen is expensive in the UK, you try buying it in NZ), raw meaty bones, a cow's ear every other day, the petrol I use to get to our walks, poo bags...bloody hell, maybe it's just me but this dog's a money pit! We're all dog owners, we know that I haven't even covered the half of it! I'm a stay at home mum for now, but I occasionally put her in daycare for the day, and she spends the odd weekend in kennels when we have an event to go to. Pet insurance and vet care is considerably cheaper here than it is in the UK, but insurance doesn't cover the day to day stuff like vaccinations, microchipping, various minor infections, spay etc. Plus I have to pay an annual dog tax which is absolutely exorbitant. Dog training is with a local obedience club which is very affordable. I love Xena, but sausage, she costs me more than my kid. It's too hard to say what she costs me per week, but I know I'd cry if I sat down and calculated how much I've spent on doggy stuff over the past 8 months.
Also When we go away this summer it will cost another £200 on the cost of our holiday for boarding Rolo
This is Australian but I recently saw this website https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-and-you/life-events/getting-a-pet/the-cost-of-a-pet We spend the following each month: $50 on insurance $120 on dry food (excluding raw extras and treats) $27 on wormer Also: $100 per year council registration $100 per year kennel club membership $100 per year dog club/training membership $150 per year on vaccinations $600 for desexing (if applicable) I do think that you go to the vet a lot in the early months and, as @JenBainbridge said, most of the time it's less than your insurance excess so it just starts to add up.
For us the biggest costs are insurance and vets bills. They are the reason we don't have a second dog, much as we'd love one. Also, it's easy to ask friends to have her when we are on holiday - it wouldn't work with two so boarding out would be a huge cost. ...
Ok, I think this is going to be expensive.......I won't show my OH! Monthly: £28 pet insurance £10 vet package £75 food £40 treats / bones / toys £120-£150 dog walker / daycare £15 flea and wormer £30 joint supplements £30 agility classes £35 massage therapy On top of that other costs (over the past 3.5 years); Emergency spay (luckily insurance covered) £1200 Medicines from tummy problems approx £600 X-rays of back legs £350 Puppy training classes £50 Adolescent classes £75 Gundog training £150 Scent classes £160 There are other costs to take into account too. We had to get a carpet for the living room as it was parquet flooring and not good on her legs/joints, the same on the wooden stairs. Also, dog crates and beds, cool mats, paddling pools, fencing for the garden, collars, harnesses, leads, bowls, wellies and walking boots, waterproofs. The list is endless and I could go on, but I won't. Dogs really aren't cheap, but it also depends on your budget and your dogs needs. I'm sure I could cut several things from my lists, but I choose to do the extra things because I enjoy doing things with Harley.
I used to call the late, great Brogan my "new car for the next 5 years" for a reason. And he was worth every penny. His biggest costs aside from food were medical - when he was young there was no decent vet insurance available in the US and when he was older we had the situation of us living in multiple countries. Also some costs existed when he was young (training for example) but not when he was older. His service dog gear was expensive to purchase, but was a once in a lifetime cost. Also some costs were less because of his SD status - he didn't pay a licensing fee and his support costs were tax deductible. Costs converted to GBP (£) as the majority of people here are in the UK. Monthly Food and supplements: 180 Monthly vet/medical: 90 One off/limited Training: 1.900 SD certification: 800 SD harness: 500 2 cruciate (TPLO) surgeries: 8.000 Oh, and in honour of @snowbunny and her calling me out on being a bandana addict, let's not forget: Yearly bandana and clothing fund: 300
I've just had a quick tally of Coco's cost (which isn't vast)- turns out I spend most of my money on joints of beef for his training treats - £600 per year! The rest is inconsequential next to this.
If I needed any more proof I spend too much on the dog.. Just been to do our food shop and picked OH up a subway on the way home (why do I food shop you may well ask ). Came in and shouted through.. I've got you a present. His response "me or the dog?".
Mmmmm this is a but scarey but: A month Food - £35 Insurance - £46 Dog walking and daycare - £70 will raise to £333 come September Toys - £20 Gundog training - £30 and quite a few one off vet bills of upto £80 so far. Its a good job he's so good looking and I am quite fond of him lol.
I think food and vet's fees (including workers, booster vacs etc) are our main expenses. And these are unavoidable. I think food, including treats, comes to around £35 a month. I don't have insurance but reckon I've spent about £1,500 on vet's fees so far, but this includes spaying and removal of a lump, as well as ultrasound scanning for an apparent blockage when she was a puppy. My last dog probably cost about £5000 over his whole life in vet bills, but he did need fairly frequent trips for skin problems. My two spaniels were very healthy and really only needed annual vacs, wormers etc. I spend very little on toys and equipment. Molly still chews up toys she is left with so she only has them when I play with her (which I do every day) but I just use things we find like plastic bottles, bits of rope and charity shop toys. We had a wonderful half an hour on Friday with a 75p teddy, playing fetch and tug, until at last it was shredded and went in the bin. She has a collar, lead and harness and when these are worn out I will buy new ones, but she doesn't have a wardrobe! She sleeps on an old double duvet folder into four. I had about £200 worth of gundog lessons as a birthday present in Molly's first year. I belong to two dog clubs which charge £7 each a year plus £2 per class, but I only pay for one class a week as I get one free in exchange for volunteering as an instructor with a lower class. Because I'm retired I don't need to pay for dog care - and have family for if we go away without Molly. Locally, however, dog walkers charge £10 for an hour's walk and daycare in someone's house is around £15 a day.
Our monthly expenses are pretty basic : Food £60 Treats (expensive if I've not been able to get them from the UK) £30 Spot on /wormer £25 We don't have any pet insurance in Dubai so vet bills can be eye watering ....his tail docking and aftercare were our biggest hit at about £2,500.That is something I always caution people I meet here who are thinking about getting a dog....make sure you can afford adequate vet care ...unforeseen things do come along . Additionally I'm now able to spend Summer back in the UK so flying him back with us is our biggest expense ,I realise this doesn't fall into 'normal ' dog expenses though. It's also a big factor in our decision to not get another dog .....we can justify the expense for 1 dog but it's gets steep for 2 ....
Our expenses in Canadian dollars: $75/month food $30-75/month treats/toys (we are over the top, this could be less) $60/month in insurance (higher cost to ensure breed specific issues such as elbow/hip dysplasia covered if ever required) $25/year city licence $160-$400/month for dog walker ($20 per walk, which varies week to week) $300/year training (approx) First year vet bills - around $2,000 (this includes spay, shots, heart worm treatment plus the extra visits for eating socks, skin infection etc) One off purchases - $100 coat, $80 harness, car seat protectors for both vehicles..."start up" costs of crate, bed, food dishes, collars, leash. Whoa...no wonder I don't buy new shoes anymore!
I mentioned this to my OH the other day and he reckoned around £100 a month. Good job I tend to do the finances rather than him. I think its: Food - £40 a month Insurance £20 a month Dog walker - £60 a month Treats - £15 a month Toys probably average £15 a month. Then we've spent £150 in vet fees since we had him in November. Plus the cost of new collars, harnesses, nails cutting (need to be brave enough to do them myself) etc it all adds up. But, whereas my sunday afternoons used to consist of a coffee and shopping they are now spent walking thor somewhere new and meeting new people, which aside from the joy of having him is one of the biggest benefits I've found. I've never spoken to so many new people since having him.
