Approximately how much does it cost to have a dog?

[alfa147x]

The current problem is that my mother needs a dog or another baby. She's too old for the baby which leaves us with a dog. I was wondering approximately how much does it cost to have a dog? Monthly or yearly

She's convinced she's going to be spending tons and tons of money on this dog and I just can't see dogs being all that expensive. (Besides medical emergencies)

This lady in my mother's neighborhood is giving a 3 month old dog away some sort of mixed female dog that looks like a smaller (40 pounds max) german shepherd. She just got all of it's shots and it had it's first vet visit today. Just needs to be fixed. I think this dog is perfect for her since it's relatively small, well behaved, short hair, and is young.

On top of that it's brother would live right down the road from it! I wish I took a picture, cutest puppies I have ever seen!

Oh she hasn't had a dog since a little before we moved here from india, so she has had a dog before.

I just need help convincing her to get it

Edit:

Here she is:
I'll be sure to take some better pictures when I go visit them later this month

Thanks guys
Alfa147x

 

[TridenT]

jesus christ...

this is at least the second one this month, it has to be! (50th this year!)

 

[alfa147x]

jesus christ...

this is at least the second one this month, it has to be! (50th this year!)

I also need help convincing her that she needs a dog

Edit:

Allah Akbar...
You need to quit trolling, I just searched "Dog" in the titles of threads opened in ATOT
I looked from March through May and found NOTHING on the cost of dogs. Please leave if you have nothing to add. You may post in my threads since I can't stop you, but you certainly are not welcome.

 

[Loop2kil]

I would say $35-$75/mo for food and basic medical care(heart worm meds and flea and tick crap.) She could spend a bit more if she gives the dog high quality dog foods. Also, it will depend on the how big the dog will get to determine how much it will need to eat.

 

[gaidensensei]

Yeah.. Most expensive is gonna be the food depending on how much it eats. Can look at costco or walmart for the big bag dog foods. But my old family dog didn't like eating the same stuff all day.

Rest is vet care depending on how your mom will treat it, if it's an outdoor-yard dog then probably more prone to general diseases.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Just spent $1200 on one of mine at the vet last week to find out he has old man prostate and will be on human prostate pills for the rest of his life. He is 10 and probably has another 5 years to go at $1.50 a pill a day. Plus another one of my dogs is on pain killers that are also $1.50 a day and has been on them for the last 10 years.

Cheap dog food sucks

 

[0roo0roo]

save up a thou or two for emergency care fund
food is cheap if u go kibble.
pound dog is cheap
pedigree is expensive
20 dollar dog training book is cheap
poorly behaved dog eating your sofa is expensive
make sure ma understands its not people.

cheap dog food is fine. just amend with occasional treats and left over soup meat/scraps and such for nutrition balance.

 

[Hacp]

One dollar usually although prices have risen to 1.50 these days. Some vendors even charge 2!!!

 

[bignateyk]

I would budget at least $100 a month.

With a 40lb dog, you wouldn't be looking at too much food. A large bag lasts my german shepherd over a month, and that's only $60 for premium food. Then you've got treats, toys, vet bills, training.

You might not need the vet bills and training every month, but it's good to factor it into the budget since they can hit you at once for a larger amount of $$. You could always get insurance not to worry about vet bills, which for a medium sized mut will run around $15 a month.

 

[AMCRambler]

So if you can't convince her to get a dog, are you gonna have to knock her up?

I can't believe she's using cost as an argument for having a baby instead of getting a dog. Kids are WAY WAY WAY more expensive than dogs. Plus if you can't afford the medical bills for the dog, you just put them to sleep.

 

[GTaudiophile]

If you have to ask, don't get one.

Dogs require time, love, and patience. (Think of a child that doesn't grow up.) These are things you cannot put a dollar value on.

 

[FiLeZz]

I spend about $250 per month on food for my dog

 

[Scouzer]

nothing if you make the dog work for a living

 

[bignateyk]

I spend about $250 per month on food for my dog

What the hell do you feed your dog? Caviar?

 

[PottedMeat]

nothing if you make the dog work for a living

OP's mom should start a sheep farm or dog fighting ring.

 

[alfa147x]

So if you can't convince her to get a dog, are you gonna have to knock her up?

I can't believe she's using cost as an argument for having a baby instead of getting a dog. Kids are WAY WAY WAY more expensive than dogs. Plus if you can't afford the medical bills for the dog, you just put them to sleep.

No it was a joke, my younger sister (no pictures) is moving out soon-ish and I don't know how my mother is going to handle being home alone with very little todo.

 

[alfa147x]

If you have to ask, don't get one.

Dogs require time, love, and patience. (Think of a child that doesn't grow up.) These are things you cannot put a dollar value on.

Well it nice not going into something blind

 

[GasX]

What the hell do you feed your dog? Caviar?

seriously, I have a 75lb dog and it takes him well over a month to eat a $50 bag of Nutro.

 

[vshah]

If you have to ask, don't get one.

Dogs require time, love, and patience. (Think of a child that doesn't grow up.) These are things you cannot put a dollar value on.

yeah, but they also require food, health care, treats, toys, accessories...things that you CAN put a dollar value on.

my dog is in india, so i'm not sure how the costs would translate.

 

[Connoisseur]

Agreed with others. Healthcare is going to be the highest cost by far and it doesn't come cheap for dogs. My GF's dog (pit mutt) is great but in the past year and a half she's suffered from :
Broken Bone (before the GF got her)
3 urinary tract infections
split nail which required toe removal (the superfluous thumb toe)
Spaying (Animal Control screwed it up originally)
Dog chewed on an inhaler which was really dangerous and required dog ER visit (yes we have those in NYC)
Dog ate plastic by accident

Some of these things are avoidable but a lot of others aren't. Certain infections, diseases and cancer are more prevalent in some breeds than others. In addition, injuries are unavoidable consequences for active dogs (just like for small kids). Your mom should definitely make sure she's either:
a) got an inactive breed or
b) Has at least $600-800 a month available in case shit. Worst case she can save that money.

You also have to consider food, shots (for immunization), cleaning items (active dogs are messy) and dog toys. That'll cost you about 200-300 a month. Note that I'm talking about a medium sized to large dog (40lbs+). If she gets a pocket poodle, costs will be less obviously. But the thing a dog needs the most is love

::EDIT:: and before people go bashing my GF... she loves her dog A LOT (definitely more than she likes me). She keeps her active (1-2 hour walks on weekdays and 3-4 hour walks on weekend and playtime) and always puts her attention to the mutt. The injuries and infections are natural byproducts of lots of activity and also breed type.

 

[AMDZen]

If you have to ask then you can't afford it. Sheesh

 

[KaOTiK]

Dog is cheaper then a baby.

 

[Matthiasa]

Depends if it gets sick or not...
Vets are really expensive.

 

[tcsenter]

90% of dog owners overfeed their dogs, though most don't overfeed by enough to make them really obese. So err on the side of keeping the dog lean, especially if your mom (like a lot of people) develops a habit of feeding the dog scraps and other treats of HUMAN food.

My mother works in dog rescue and fostering, and works with a couple local animal shelters. We foster and rehab dogs all the time, though not as many these day. The only dogs we see that are significantly underweight (as to potentially impact their health) are ones that were flat-out being neglected (not even being fed once every day). But we see tons that are overweight.

You can get worming medications OTC for much cheaper than the vet charges. You can actually get all the vaccines substantially cheaper, too, except for rabies in some states, but you might not want to administer your own injections.

It will cost between $150 ~ $350 (depending on customary/going prices in your community) for dental cleanings, which should be done every three years. Feed dry kibble for the most part, else the dogs teeth will be much more prone to tartar and plaque buildup, gingivitis, and tooth loss. Its especially important for small dogs with more thin jaw bones. e.g. Yorkies and Chihuahuas. We routinely see small dogs whose teeth are devastated after only five or six years because they were fed mostly wet/soft food.

Edit: Also avoid the dog chews made from materials that become soft and slimey from the dog's saliva, such as the thin sheets of hide or leather chews. As the dog chews and pulls on them with their teeth, these products can strip away into thin strands or gooey chunks that can work in between the teeth and become stuck there, rotting the dog's teeth away.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

$1000 for the dog (or the free one)
$500 in the first month for vets
$400 to fix at age 1
$150/month for food, toys, chews, etc.
$50/month for grooming
$1000/year on unforeseen medical expenses