how much money do you spend to take care of a dog?

Question

from bathing, feeding, and medical vists

Answer 1

It depends how big the dog is. These people saying $600 a year must have real small dogs because I have an 80 lb dog and I spend $600 a year in food alone. Also about $100 for the vet. $30 for a license. $150 for toys. $150 for heartguard and flea and tick preventative. Probably about $150 more for stuff I cant think of. Grand total I would say about $1200-$1500 for a real sized dog to have a good home. If you cant afford it dont get a dog.

Answer 2

I think everyone above me answered the question. I'm just going to say it varies from person to person on how much they are actually willing to spend on a dog. It also varies on the dog how many vet visits a dog has because an emergency may pop up that another dog owner may not have. It also depends on the breed of dog, size of the dog, age of the dog, and the enviorment in which you may live. (smaller dogs may have different health risk as to a larger dog and the amount of food a smaller dog consumes compared to a larger dog may last longer so the owner has to purchase less).

For example a few weeks ago I had to rush my dog to the Vet ER for a sprain because she was walking on 3 legs after jumping around my place and that costed more than a normal vet I would say. And I saw another dog owner there who had to rush their dog to the ER for something else that I never experienced.

It also depedns where you live and the cost of living because I know here what my vet charges for a visit is completely different as to where i'm originally from as well as the dog food, etc.

I know this is probably not answering your question in the way you want as in exact amount for everything, but this is the best way I can answer based on personal experience.

Even with money you have to look at time since that is part of the costing part (opportunity cost). Good Luck.

Answer 3

It depends on the breed of dog you get......If you get a puppy it should already have 2 wormings done and it's first shots.

By three months old he/she will need a Vet exam to make sure he/she are in good health. You take in a fecal sample and the Vet checks it for all the different types of worms. He/she will get the next set of shots. They will start him/her on the heartworm pills. This cost is about $70.00. Then they return for another round of shots a month after this one. That is maybe $30.00 plus the heartworm meds. Those are about $4.50 per pill. But you get a discount if you purchase more at one time.

Then, I think that is the end of the first year shots. Vets usually like to neuter/spay when your dog is about 4 or 5 months old. That varies Vet to Vet just as the other costs do. A male is about $225.00. Then there are other regular shots too that have to kept up.

I have Maltese dogs so they get groomed every 4-5 weeks. My groomer charges me $25.00 per dog and everyone says that is really, really cheap. She has a great, spotlessly clean place so I feel good. Some of those places are bad. Your dog has to be up on the kennel cough vaccine also. That is a once a year booster.

Medical visits vary on your dog. If he/she is not sickly, you only need to go once a year after the first year. The first year is the most expensive.

Feeding again depends on your dog. I leave out fresh water (changed at least 3-4 times a day) and Purina Puppy chow all the time. They have two feeding stations available for them. In the a.m. and p.m. they are each fed a container of the Ceasar soft food. In the morning they have toast/strawberry preserves with me. In the evening they have bites of whatever we have for dinner. They have their certain dog treats too.

I don't like to take them to the pet store. They act like little gentlemen walking up and down the aisles. They see something they want and I get a pathetic look that says, "pleasssse". So, that depends on you and what a push over you are..............Then there are beds and blankets. The list goes on and on and on and on.........................

I forgot the cost of the flea/tick medicine that they HAVE to have monthly from April thru Nov. I cover more months than some say you have to, but I do not want to take a chance with fleas or ticks on my dogs OR in my house. It is worth the money. It will cost you less to prevent than get rid of them once you have them.

I love my dogs so much, the cost doesn't matter. The love and wonderful things they give you are worth more than the money.

Answer 4

It's really hard to give you an exact number. How much you will spend will be different from how much I spend. Its also hard to give an estimate, because some costs are weekly, some monthly, and some only once in a while.

What kind of dog? How much grooming will it need? Is this grooming something you can handle yourself? How much will it need to eat? Dry or wet dog food (I suggest dry)? What brand of dog food? Does your dog have any medical conditions? etc. etc. etc.

Here is a list of some things you will need to pay for to have a dog:
Shampoo and brushes (even if you go to a groomer, there will be times when you need to clean your dog yourself)
Food and treats
Toys
Crate or cage
Flea prevention/medication
Heartworm medication
Vaccinations (like distemper and rabies)
Leash and collar
Allergy medication (if your dog has allergies)

Answer 5

The answer is dependent on many things, the size of the dog, how old the dog is, what the dog is going to used for, hunting, breeding ect. I have a lab mix about 45lbs. I buy him Iams dry dog food 20lbs every six weeks about $20. I take him for an annual check-up at the vet for about $70, but plan two or three visits per year for a puppy for the first year or two. Shots for distemper and rabies every three to five years at about $50 or $60. heart worm pills at $40 to $70 a year. Get meds at petmed.com for discount prices. Assorted dog toys and dog treats at say $50 a year. My dog is just a pet and companion, but he has brought much joy and love to my life. Make sure you have the time to spend with your dog, walking and playing and just petting and training your dog. It is a great thing to have a pet and they can bring much happiness and pleasure but they are also a great responsibility and they need attention and care and you must be committed to that for about 12 years if you decide to have a dog.
Good luck

Answer 6

You have to be prepared for anything. When you own an animal it is like having a child. What would happen if they get sick? I have two Jack's and one of mine got into the trash. I had to spend $2,000 to save him. If I did not have a way to pay that bill my dog would have died. It was my choice to get a dog so it also my responsibility to whatever it takes to make them happy and healthy. I have friend who just HAD to have a dog. She went out spent $400 on a dog and now she can not even afford to take the dog to the vet. It is not fair to do that an animal.

Answer 7

Well a vet visit for all the shots is about $75 per dog per year sometimes more
The heartworm preventative is about $75 per year per dog
The flea preventative is about $40-75 per year per dog
Food can be about $50 a month depends on the size of the dog and the quality of food you choose to feed.
Emergency care can be hundreds of dollars.
This year I spent $600 on a surgery for one of mine and that was just the surgery not the before care and the after care.
Dental visits are about $150 for everything

Answer 8

I have 4. 2 inside and 2 outside. I average about $80/mo for all 4. Some months are higher and some lower. If a dog is healthy, they should need to see a vet only once a year. Inside dogs require more attention.
Keep the fleas out and medicate them against heartworms and give them a decent dog food-you'll be okay.

Answer 9

Here's a breakdown on what I spend on one of my dogs. I have all toy breeds, so multiply it by 8! (I do my own grooming since I show and breed my dogs)

Costs for one month, one toy breed dog..

food $25
supplements $10
grooming supplies $20
toys $15
chewies $20
house cleaning sup. $20
heartgard $8
vaccinations $15
clothes/blankets $30
travel to/from vet, etc.$40
classes $40
registration $10
laundry $40
other vet costs $40

Plus, I always keep $1000 in a special emergency account in case something happens to one of them and the funds are needed for treatment.

This is a one month cost, I'm sure I'm forgetting other things I buy for them, I tend to spoil them like crazy. But they are kind and loving dogs and are worth every penny.

Answer 10

I don't want to admit how much I spend on any of my pets. Between toys, prescription diets, petsitters over vacation, vet bills (albeit at cost, since I work for a vet) and obedience classes I spend much more than I should.