is it possible...?

Question

Can you keep a dog happy and healthy at $60 a month? if not, how much per month does it take to care for a dog? Thanks in advance.

i want a papillon (its almost like a longhaired chihuahua, only a little different) and i want it to be a puppy, also im not gonna spay her, because i want her to have puppies someday. (before i get any lectures on this subject, i promise to be responsible about this) thanks yall

Answer 1

Taking in consideration vet bills and what not this is what you would have on a healty dog yearly:

Spay/neuter: 60-180 (depending on vet)
Yearly shots - 40-60
Year supply heart worm - 60-80
Food - 10-40 (depending on brand and size)
Toys - 0-100.00

I have a 90lb shepherd which I spend the following:

Food - 216.00
Vet - 115.00
Toys - 50.00

That is about 31.00 a month. There was the one time neuter fee of 115.00 and also puppy shots which I think was around 30.00.

So 60 bucks is decent. You might want to consider having a emergency fund set aside for emergenices. It is good to have at least 500 bucks set aside but not necessary to be a loving and caring owner. Dont let that deter you if you dont have it.

Answer 2

No, not really.
We got a puppy in March of this year, hear are our costs. (she's a Beagle)
Puppies require 3 sets of shots, heartworm pills, flea preventive (maybe), rabies, worming, and etc....this will cost you about $150-$200 every visit. First 3 month total= $600
Food, if you buy decent food that is, runs about $20 a bag. We stared off using only 1 every 2 weeks. Now we use about 4 a month. Add another $15 for treats per month. Month Total= $95
Puppy junk....such as crate, bed, toys, bowls = $250
Our puppy poked it's eye and had an ear infection.= $250
Grooming, you'll have a long haired, so it might be more....Our is $20 every 2 weeks...including nails. Month total= $40
Total for forst 3 months, NOT including actual cost of dog= $1550
Now, you can cut some things out, but you'll still be spending a lot of money the first year. After the first year you should expect to spend at least $100 on food and treats AND about $200 a year on vet (not counting sickness or an emergency).

Answer 3

Yes, but the possibility for emergencies won't be covered by that amount. As far as food, toys, treats, equiptment... $720 a year will cover everything well. Keep in mind there will be a greater expense for a puppy. He will need basic obedience training, a spay/neuter, and a few more vet visits than an adult dog... plus the initial purchase of food bowls, toys, a crate, bed, leash, collar, tags, etc... So, you will probably spend $500-600 on the first year, and around $300-350 for a medium sized dog after that... but you need to keep your budget, put that extra money away in a special account in case of emergencies... a dog with an intestinal blockage can easily run $500 to over $1000 in vet bills.

One thing I want to point out, which a few people mentioned, is yearly vaccinations. Yearly vaccinations are bad for your dog. EVERY American Veterinary college is teaching a 3-5 year vaccination plan because vaccinosis (over vaccinations) is the leading cause of preventable canine health concerns. Almost every vet in the US is aware of this, and those suggesting a yearly plan are just out fot the extra money.

Answer 4

Well, This is a pretty umpredictable subject. It might only cost you the food and the treats some months. You have to by him the flea prevention medicine, and the heart work monthly pill. But you have to keep in mind that you have to take him to the vet for vaccination, deworming, etc. In addition to that, there is also the grooming cost. A papillion is a little higher maintance than most dogs because they have long hair that has to be treamed constantly, brushed daily to avoid tangles and mats. If your dog does get mats then you have to take him to be shaved which can cost you around $50-70 bucks. Mats can cause the dog's skin to rip, brake or irritate, so you have to be careful with that too.
On top of that, remember the toothbrush, thoothpaste, shampoo, brush, a sweater for the winter, the bed, and the toys.

GOOD LUCK
A dog can be an expensive pet, but they are very lovely and loyal friend. The best companion you can ever have!!!!

Answer 5

It is possibly when they our past the puppy stage.When they are puppies they get shots every 3 to 4 weeks and then the cost of having the dog spayed or neutered. I have a golden and she is 7 mos old her food large breed ekunuba
and treats cost about $ 50.00 a month I also buy heart guard for heart worms and front-line for flea/tick control these are expensive if you buy a 6 mo supply at once. Also I buy the dog toys.
So a new puppy is quite costly and if your dog is sickly than $60.00 dollars a month would not be enough.
I have owned four dogs in my life and the cost is well worth it!!!
I hope this helps you make a well informed decision. Plus most vets post there fees on there web page

Answer 6

without vetrenary expences it`s would be possible. The only thing they need is food (30-40 dollars a month) and exercise (free), pluss maybe tothbrush and toothpaste. That is if you already have a craite, a leash, and the dog has had all the shots. But the reality is that almost all dogs get sick sometimes, and the need a vet to look at them pluss medicines. A normal budget for a healthy dog is about 1000 dollars a year, included one visit to the vet, which should be done every year.

Answer 7

$60 a month is an easy target. The #1 tip to hit it is to put her and KEEP her on a good dog food like Eukanuba. It costs about $1/pound but in all of my years of raising/breeding/training/showing I have NEVER had a single nutrition related illness in any of my dogs b/c I feed Eukanuba.

Since you are planning on breeding, I strongly recommend that you get involved in the show circuit in your area to see exactly what the other breeders are producing so that you don't end up beng just another backyard breeder. Even a CD obedience title can increase the price of your pups substantially. A conformation title will set you apart from the pack and command substantially more money, but also give you much more credibility with protential buyers. Also, if you are planning on breeding, PLEASE DO NOT breed a dog that isn't show quality.

Some breeders will have "show quality" and "breeding quality". That is a complete crock. If the dog isn't show quality, it shouldn't be bred as it will not further the breed. In a litter of 6 pups, you are likely to have 1 or maybe 2 that are show quality. Ther rest should be spayed/neutered and sold as "pet quality".

You do NOT need a vet to do all of your pet healthcare!

In Texas, for instance, you can give ALL of your own shots except rabies. So a rabies shot and office visit once a year will run you about $75.

Learn to give shots yourself (it's easy), and it costs about $5 per dose.

Semi-annual worming - about $3 and you can do it yourself with EXACTLY the same stuff as the vet.

Grooming - learn to do it yourself and it will cost you about $20 a year for a new set of clippers. The great thing about doing your own grooming is that if you screw it up, you just need to wait a couple of weeks for it to grow out again so you can give it another try. Plus, once you have learned to do it, it's fun! :D

Training - learn to train for yourself with books from the library - $0

Heartworm preventative - about $5/month

Flea treatment - regular bathing, a dusting with 7-Dust once every couple of weeks, and a dose of Precor once a year for the yard, about $30/year.

Toys - buy a couple of squeeky toys on clearance at PetSmart after X-mas - $3/year. Your dog DOESN"T CARE how much money you spend on the toy, just that you play with them! Tie your socks into a knot when they get holes in them and let the dog play with that. They love it and it doesn't cost you any more money. Just be sure to teach them to only chew on the socks with a knot. :D

Don't be a sucker and spend money for no reason. You can do a LITTLE work yourself, bond with your dog better, and get just as good (if not better) results because you did it yourself.

Answer 8

Having a puppy and/or a dog is a great expense. If $60 a month is all you have to spend out of your budget then I suggest that you wait until you can afford more. There is always a risk of something happening that will require you to spend much more than that. I can tell you from experience that it definately is a great expense to breed dogs. Good Luck though!

Answer 9

It's hard to say. Way too many variables. Some dogs eat more than others. Some dogs have health issues. Puppies are expensive since you have to get a bunch of shots and spay/neuter. I know my puppies cost me an arm and a leg after shots, spay, and 2 trips to the emergency vet because of diareaha.

Id say its possibly if you get a healthy adult dog. Go to your local pound.

Answer 10

It depends on the dog, size, if it's an indoor or out door dog, how many days of kenneling it would need per year to cover your vacation time, any special dietary needs, age of the dog when you begin owning it, and the typical medical needs of the breed you own.

We spend about 30.00 per month on food alone for a Golden Retriever eating a fairly high quality food. We take him in, he's 96 pounds now for a yearly check up and shots/vaccs which runs about 100.00. We get his teeth cleaned at this point once every 18 -24 months - he has really good healthy teeth. That costs 140.00 . We bathe him at home for free - and trim him up as well -- but when a groomer does it for us - it's typically 55.00 - - and no matter which groomer we've used he always comes home smelling 'almost' clean. We do a better job at home.

We try to not kennel him, but when we do it's 12.00 per night. His anti heartworm (from mosquitoes) prevantative treatment and flea treatments run about 10.00 per month.

What you can bank on given you have a fairly healthy dog from puppy hood to old age -- is that you'll spend a fair amount during the first year (spay/neuter/vaccs/shots/) the inbetween years you could get by with the 60.00 average per month -- and you'll spend more as they age - depending on how caring of an owner you are.

Every now and then, you can expect your dog to eat a plant or a bag of chocolate, hurt themselves perhaps -- so factor in about two ER runs to the Vet's office over a span of 12 years. I've never gotten off for less than 250.00 on these runs.

Then what no one wants to think about -- is if you end up putting your dog to sleep at the end of it's life - - a 60.00 bill for that, and then a disposal bill - - even if it is crematory or burial -- will run about another 100.00 unless you can bury your dog at home - which should be free.

Where pet owners end up getting soaked on the expense of a dog? is not protecting their dogs from fleas or from mosquitoes, letting their dogs run free, not having teeth cleaned, ignoring signs of medical distress, until they turn what could have been an ounce of prevention into a whopping vet bill for treatment.

At our house, of course it's an extra bill during the holidays for photos with santa, Halloween costumes, Easter Bunny ears -- you get the idea. We also splurged and bought protective seat covers for the leather seats so he can ride in the SUV without any problems.

Bottom line is -- the better the pet owner you are when it comes to maintaining your dogs health, if you pay attention to his coat, keep him reasonably clean, buy good quality food, keep your dog hydrated, exercised and socialized and happy -- the less expensive your dog will be to you in the long run