Cost of a Dog

[squeakygirl]

I have a 70 pound pitbull, which was a gift from my mother in law for christmas in 2005...her name is Roxie. We adopted a lab/pit mix last May, her name is Sadie and she is 50 pounds. We pay $20 for food which lasts approximately a month.

Roxie needs TPLO surgery for her back leg and the estimate is $2800-3500. Not to mention the 2 sets of xrays that were $200 each (one by the vet and one by the surgeon).

Then there's heartworm meds which are $70 for 6mo (3mo) since they are for both dogs. And there's flea/tick prevention which is $65 for 12mo (6mo supply).

There's also dog treats, and chew bones for when they have to be in their crate.

Roxie went to obedience puppy class which was $100. .


Roxie is on the left, Sadie is on the right.  

[eragons_angel]

I will have to strongly dissagree with the vet costs. When my german shepard mix had a cyst on her foot that was biopsyed it cost 300 bucks, for a regular check up its 250. just to be seen by the vet is 40. the total of last years vet bills for her was 3000 . . and she is the easy dog. i wont even get started with my pure bred english bullie. he isnt even a year old yet and his vet bills far surpassed his cost by the time we had him for 10 days. . .but for any dog, if properly taken care of should have the minium cost of 2000.  

[I Am A Mountie]

I never realized how much dogs cost. eek  

[Fweezie]

Sometimes dogs can actually cost more... My dog cost over that in her first year. Just like to tell some people that. Some cost vary. It also depends on the breed. Often, the free dogs cost the most in the end. However, that doesn't mean that an expensive dog won't cost a lot.  

[WolfLBL]

kagome_elric

Animals can be very expensive, as an example, my dog is sick with cushings( look it up, its hard to explain what it is)

So far in the last few months we have spent 3000 dollers to try and save her. She is okay for now, but she is not saved from it. But we love her and wish to give her the best life possible.

When my rabbit was a baby she got sick. we paid something like 600 dollers to save her. She is now almost 7 and is now very healthy., but one never knows when something else could go wrong.

The cat I had before, we spent lots of money trying to save her. We failed. She had a rare thing were her brain did not connect to the nerves properly, she couldn't go to the bathroom. It was very rare, and she was very young(i think somwhere between 4-6)

All animals can have health problems, so its not just the day to day care. I mean, if you care about your animal, you will care enough to pay for them and keep them in good health.

My mom kept track of how much one of our dogs was, not counting food he ended up being 1000 dollers.

The last cat I had in this pic, (the white one, Misty) my parents took her to the vet 5/20/08 to have her put down because she wouldn't eat and was starving herself to death. All the vet could do was give her meds, but she wasn't responding to them and she was just getting worse and worse.

My parents wanted her out of her misery and didn't wanna come home to see a dead skinny cat. I lived with 5 cats when I was really little and 3 of them passed away before I moved.

Misty died on a Tuesday and the Saturday of that same week, my parents drove me and my brother all the way from Illinois to Kentucky to visit a breeder and pick up a puppy. The dog I have now, Isis, is settled in with us now and MUCH bigger than when we first got her.  

[i M E E P E R Z]

Kipluck

I was just thinking about how much my pets all cost to care for (trying to budget for this next year), and TaDa, I got an email about the cost... but of dogs. Still, pretty interesting!

Quote:

Good day to you! Today I'd like to give you a little information about what it costs to care for a dog. So often pets are an impulse addition to the family and this is especially true of around the holidays.

Sure... they may seem like a simple addition but have you ever given any thought to how much it costs to keep a dog? I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a dog but think it is best to understand the associated responsibilities. If you are on a fixed income general care for a dog can really add up. And as we work harder to give our animals a better life, the cost of their care increases. This is fantastic for dogs, but maybe not so fantastic for folks who haven't given much thought to how expensive a dog can be.

Listed below are approximate costs of basic care for dogs. Costs can vary widely, depending on where you live and specifics associated with each individual pet (such as the size). The cost of the actual dog can vary from hundreds of dollars for a purebred to free.

Puppies - The First Year

Veterinary Care/Laboratory Tests - $100 to $200
Immunizations - $50 to $100
Internal/External Parasite Treatment and Control - $100 to $150
Spay/Neuter - $40 to $200. The cost often depends on the dog's size and age.
Food - $150 to $250
Miscellaneous (collars, leads, obedience training) - $200 to $225

Total: $640 to $1,125

Dogs - Annual Costs

Veterinary Care/Laboratory - $50 to $125
Immunizations - $40 to $75
Internal/External Parasite Preventatives - $100 to $150
Food - $150 to $300
Miscellaneous - $100 to $125

Total: $440 to $775

Cost will vary considerably based on factors such as growth rate and size of the adult dog, types of food and unforeseen medical conditions. Generally, puppies require more routine medical attention than adult dogs. However, statistics show that older animals (those over eight years old) will require more veterinary care than younger adults.

You should also note that costs vary between stores, veterinarians and by region. Of course, a serious illness or injury, especially one requiring hospitalization, can very easily inflate this figure by several thousands of dollars.

It is also dependent upon the level of comfort you lavish on your dog. Doggy daycare and regular grooming sessions will quickly add to the tally.

Until next time,

Dr. Jon

theres also dogs and cats and small animals that r homeless pets at shelters who need homes and they cost generaly less then pet stores so plz conser helping a homeless pet have a 2nd chance at life.
http://photobucket.com/image/rescue pets/jrose35/Pets/AnimalRescuesavelives.gif  

[3xodus]

Agreed, when we adopted my pit bull, Wednesday, she was probably about 2-3 months old and couldn't even stand up on her own. She refused to eat or drink anything for a week, and was so thin you could see every bone in her body. she had pnueamonia, heart worms and tape worms. even our vetsaid there was no possible way for her to survive, she finally started eating a week after we got her, the same day we were ready to have her put down to stop her suffering.It took another month for her to get fully healthy. We spent over 600 dollars on her in that week, and now she is 7 months old and can jump over our fence without even trying. We spend 50 dollars every two weeks on one bag of food for her and our boxer puppy, because we feed them eukanuba, a very very good food geared towards building muscle in bully breeds. It's quite a commitment, and the amount we've spent on her is insane.  

[Fancy Kami]

Kipluck

I was just thinking about how much my pets all cost to care for (trying to budget for this next year), and TaDa, I got an email about the cost... but of dogs. Still, pretty interesting!

Quote:

Good day to you! Today I'd like to give you a little information about what it costs to care for a dog. So often pets are an impulse addition to the family and this is especially true of around the holidays.

Sure... they may seem like a simple addition but have you ever given any thought to how much it costs to keep a dog? I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a dog but think it is best to understand the associated responsibilities. If you are on a fixed income general care for a dog can really add up. And as we work harder to give our animals a better life, the cost of their care increases. This is fantastic for dogs, but maybe not so fantastic for folks who haven't given much thought to how expensive a dog can be.

Listed below are approximate costs of basic care for dogs. Costs can vary widely, depending on where you live and specifics associated with each individual pet (such as the size). The cost of the actual dog can vary from hundreds of dollars for a purebred to free.

Puppies - The First Year

Veterinary Care/Laboratory Tests - $100 to $200
Immunizations - $50 to $100
Internal/External Parasite Treatment and Control - $100 to $150
Spay/Neuter - $40 to $200. The cost often depends on the dog's size and age.
Food - $150 to $250
Miscellaneous (collars, leads, obedience training) - $200 to $225

Total: $640 to $1,125

Dogs - Annual Costs

Veterinary Care/Laboratory - $50 to $125
Immunizations - $40 to $75
Internal/External Parasite Preventatives - $100 to $150
Food - $150 to $300
Miscellaneous - $100 to $125

Total: $440 to $775

Cost will vary considerably based on factors such as growth rate and size of the adult dog, types of food and unforeseen medical conditions. Generally, puppies require more routine medical attention than adult dogs. However, statistics show that older animals (those over eight years old) will require more veterinary care than younger adults.

You should also note that costs vary between stores, veterinarians and by region. Of course, a serious illness or injury, especially one requiring hospitalization, can very easily inflate this figure by several thousands of dollars.

It is also dependent upon the level of comfort you lavish on your dog. Doggy daycare and regular grooming sessions will quickly add to the tally.

Until next time,

Dr. Jon

Yeah, dogs and puppies are a big responsiblity, but so are kids and teens! Are you trying to convince people NOT to get pets just because of the cost? Think about how much money and time you have cost your parents! But, you made up for it with giving your parents love, and so do pets! A healthy and happy child gives lots of love and can cost lots of money, a healthy and happy pet is full of love and affection and can cost lots of money. I know that people shouldn't be compared to animals, but in this case, it is okay. Getting a pet actually helps a child learn how to tryuly love and care for creatures. It helps them learn responsibility. A person who owned a pet when they were a kid, will probably be a better parent because they know the respnosibility and they know what will happen if they don't care for the baby properly. Did I make my point? GOOD!  

[hinata209]

WELL TO ME IT'S WORTH IT TO GET A PUPPY BECAUSE THERE YOUR BEST PALS ONCE YOU GET THEM xd  

[Interactive Dreams]

It'll be good when I get my animal company up and running and all the costs will fall under the business expence which is tax deductable. And it helps that I can do a lot of the stuff myself, especially the training and obediance.  

[redturtle-ps]

My brother, Phil, has always wanted a puppy of his own, but can't keep dogs in his apartment, so he got a puppy and is keeping him at my house. So, my brothers been doing all the financials when it comes to the puppy. But I was there when the puppy, and dog food, and baby gate, and such things were bought, and he is definatly quite the expensive little bundle of love 4laugh  

[Lullaby of Fallen Angels]

I own a Siberian husky, long haired, and she cost like so much. She was on sale for like 50% off, and we got her for $1,000, on Valentines Day.  

[seal puppy]

my mom pays for half
it's just from my savings,
but i do work 30 hrs/wk now  

[Forever RogueMoon]

I admit that I don't really know what it costs to keep a dog, though I have some idea. My mum pays for everything for my two poodles.
But although I don't pay for anything, I do all the work for them. I bath them regularly, feed them every night, take them for walks (I admit, we tried puppy preschool but it didn't help..They're not good on walks and if you let them off the leash you have to chase them to get them back).
So, no, they're not very well trained though Gabby can sit, stay and shake when under a controlled environment. Pongo can only sit and stay lolz.
Also, as they are poodles and their fur grows like our hair, they have to be clipped every 1 - 2 months.
Unfortunately we can't afford to get them clipped (it costs approx $80 AUD for the both of them) but my mother is a hairdresser and she used to clip them. I now clip them myself, and although it doesn't look pretty and it's a little uneven, at least it keeps them cool in the summer.
I also think that the dogs prefer me to do it, can you imagine what they go through at the professional places? lol. I let them relax and cuddle up to me.

Gabby is actually my sister's dog, but I have practically adopted her. Even though Gabby is Ena's dog, Ena never feeds, baths, walks or even pays any attention to Gabby. So I take it upon myself to give her the love she deserves.
Ena spends even less time with the dogs since she got her horse, and this really annoys me, but at least Cheyenne (the horse) is looked after propperly.

Gabby and Pongo recently had their 10th birthday, so they're not young. But they seem content. They don't need as much excersise anymore and spend most of the day sleeping, but they still get lots of love. I'm going to be sad when their time comes..

-My Babies-

Pongo (left) Gabby (right)
Note: Gabby Does have both front feet, she was just holding it up ^^  

[x-p i x e l i s e d-x]

puppies can be really expensive
a chihuahua cost about £1000 here sad