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Expenses for owning a dog? EDIT: Meet my dog!

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Your biggest expense will be vet bills. If you're unlucky those could end up costing many times what your other expenses combined are. Definitely get an insurance for the dog.

Also, who will take care of the dog when both of you are away working? Many dogs get anxious or destructive if left alone for more than 4-6 hours. The dog might annoy your neighbors or ruin your home while you're away.
 
My breakdown was like this:
Pup - $1100
Vet Bills for first year - $900-1000 (The bulk of this is due to sedation and x-rays on a 90lb dog, for something the vet misdiagnosed)
Food: $45/month
Toys: Probably $100 for the year, we give him the biggest cow hooves we can find plus whatever squeeky toy it looks like might last more than 5-10 minutes
Treats: Probably $50/yr
Heart-worm & Flea/Tick: $25-30/mo now? $12-15 at starting weight.
Leashes/Collars/Crates: $200. Growing from 12.5lb at 8 weeks to 98lb at 14mo he's outgrown his original crate, and collars. He broke the metal clasp on his original leash as well so we got one a bit more heavy duty as replacement.

He hasn't shit in the house ever, he only pee'd in the house on day 1 when I first brought him through the door. He hasn't eaten any furniture, and he only barks when you ask him to or if something is really wrong/out of place. Ring my door bell and he will run to the door and sit there waiting, but he won't bark.

It's not cheap, but in most cases will be cheaper than what I've outlined. Bigger breeds cost more.
 
Training. We have almost $4000 worth of training on our GSD, but even just basic training can run a couple hundred dollars if you get someone good (who teaches you, not the dog).
 
edro said:
There is no different between a crate and a cage.
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Theres a difference, but I use them interchangebly. My dog knows shes in big trouble when I tell her to get in her cage.

OP, take how high you think the puppy can jump, add two feet, and then calculate the cost of anything in that vertical range. Add that to your yearly cost for the first two years. I was replacing cables on almost a monthly basis.
 
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Schadenfreude said:
The wife and I are looking to get a dog, here's the lowdown in ATOT-friendly easy to swallow bullet points;

The Setup
  • We rent, living in a townhouse.
  • We're possibly in talks to move/relocate.
    [*]***I am allergic to animal dander - not dogs so much, but cats.***
  • Just got a job (the both of us) and we're looking to start saving up (a bit late, I know - but better than never!).
  • Wife grew up w/ dogs in the house, I did not - that doesn't mean I'm opposed to the idea - I like animals, but the wife is set for it.
  • Checked with the landlord - she's okay with us getting a dog.

Breakdown of expenses of owning a dog (that I can think of)
  • ~$300.00: Cost of adopting a dog - includes all the shots, neutering, micro-chipping, etc.
  • ~$100.00: Cost of cage crate (honest mistake, sorry all the ATOT dog lovers!), leash, toy, etc. (possibly used)
  • ~$40.00/mo: cost of dogfood

So what am I missing? Should I get dog insurance? How much do annual shots/grooming a dog cost? Is my current estimate correct/on schedule?
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Get a non-allergenic dog, which is one that doesn't shed.
 
The other "expense" is housing options. If you have a dog, and more importanly a larger breed, your renting options dwindle drastically. I had an 80 pound lab mix and trying to find a rental place that accepted pets was virtually impossible for me. A few places that allowed pets were absolute crapholes. I wouldn't even let my dog live there let along the rest of my family. And then you have to figure in security deposits and "pet rent" that can be $25 a month...it can be $125 a month.

Having a large dog has made it very, very difficult for us to move the last couple times we've had to do it.
 
lxskllr said:
Miscellaneous vet bills, unpredictable.
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This one...but it will make all the difference.

Also, if you don't know how to train a dog...find a local place that offers good training classes (the ones at Petsmart are better than nothing, but a local trainer...while more expensive will be light years better). This is worth every penny. You can then use this experience on your future dogs.
 
Oh yeah...and when you go on a trip somewhere, you have to find somewhere to put the dog...which may end up being a kennel...which is more $. And as vi_edit mentioned...it cuts down on available places to live. All of that being said, I would never give up my dogs for anything...they are part of our family.
 
If you really want to get picky, my dog probably cost us close to $25,000 in a years time. From a $10 steak.

We had a porterhouse steak for dinner one night as sort of a "treat" before we went to list our home. As part of the treat we gave our dog the bone. She ended up getting pancreatitis from this. Was puking non-stop. Had a $400 vet bill. And was given some drugs that had some properties that were similar to industrial strength dye.

We left her in the house while we went to list the property and she puked at the top of stairs. The drugs she had made her puke neon yellow color. On a light cream colored carpet. No amount of steam cleaning, scrubbing, ect would get that out. It was one of the first things you saw when you walked in. So we just had to replace the carpet.

$700.

Now we did end up selling (wife matched to an out of state residency in Omaha). We looked at close to a dozen rental apartments/houses and almost none of them took animals and the ones that did had size restrictions.

So we bought a house so the dog could come. And then my wife took another job out of state at the end of residency. This was at the start of the housing crash. We lost $20,000 getting out of the place.

Had I not had a dog, I wouldn't have had to replace the carpet in my first home, and I easily could have rented preventing the need to actually buy a place.
 
lxskllr said:
Miscellaneous vet bills, unpredictable.
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Mine swallowed a toy last year and it got stuck in his intestine. $4500 later he is good as new. Insurance covered $1500 of it. Food, tick medicine are all negligible for the most part. It's the vet.
 
vi edit said:
Had I not had a dog, I wouldn't have had to replace the carpet in my first home, and I easily could have rented preventing the need to actually buy a place.
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I was going to post info like that. The real cost of pet ownership is in a narrowed selection of living places and the tremendous decline in their value due to stains and smells. If you ever own a home expect at a bare minimum $2k for carpet replacement and the need to repaint the whole house to get the smells out. Take that cost times the number of times you will move in your life.
 
Anybody can recommend a reputable insurance provider?

I have always resisted doing this because it's an unregulated industry and I have suspicions that most providers are scammy and weasel out on claims even worse than any "real" regulated insurer.

My costs were relatively low so far...perhaps $200 up front for adoption fee, vet check, immunizations, supplies. Maybe $20/month food (18 lb dog), $150/year for regular vet check/immunizations/worm meds/flea-tick meds.

Before the baby we had a dog walker stop in 1x/week...$15/visit.

Grooming about $40 every 8-12 weeks (part Shih Tzu, coat gets very long).
 
Jzero said:
Anybody can recommend a reputable insurance provider?
Click to expand...
I'm an animal lover, but I'm also a realist. If an animal is starting to cost you thousands of dollars, it is time to get a new animal. They only last about a dozen years anyways. Spending $5000 to extend their life by a few months is just a waste. There are millions of great and healthy animals put to death since no one will adopt them. Let your pet go when it has cancer, or some other major disease, and save the life of an otherwise healthy pet in a shelter. Let nature run its course, you can't stop the eventual death.

It sounds harsh at first. But think about it. You are letting an old, dying, sick animal die in exchange for saving the life of a young, healthy animal.

With that attitude, there is no need for pet insurance. Find a cheap vet (mine cost ~$29 for an annual checkup including the shots), and pay minimal vet costs as needed.
 
Elganja said:
that's what I fed my dog for the first 6months or so, but switched to Orijen afterwards

a good place for dog food reviews: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
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Good stuff too, and the only good toys our husky wont destroy in 1-2 days are westpaw toys :

http://www.westpawdesign.com/

We have 2 large hurleys, 2 large hucks, 1 bumi, 1 zisc, and when she does destroy them..you can warranty them for 1 free replacement if I recall after 90 days if they destroy it within then.
 
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Hubby and I adopted a dog last August. Expensive!!!! Of course, not as bad as having a child but still.

Take your estimated cost and at least double it. You will need heartworm prevention AND flea/tick prevention. The cost for both is around ~12 per month. That's a conservative estimate - assuming you catch the products on sale. If you adopt an adult dog you can probably skip the vet costs of all the distemper / lyme disease prevention / and misc. booster shots they must have as puppies. In the first six months, including spaying - we spent around $250 on our puppy at the vet alone. This was on top of her $300 adoption fee. When you adopt a puppy they aren't already neutered or spayed. That has to come after 6 months of age.

If you are adopting a puppy, I highly recommend you attend puppy classes and puppy "play time" at a local trusted and licensed training facility (no, not Petsmart!). Dogs need to learn bite control and the best way to do this when you adopt a puppy is to let them play with other puppies ALOT. The training classes will help with basic commands and will help to really solidify your bond with the puppy.

Depending upon the breed you will be dropping quite a bit on chew toys and bones. Ours is a lab / border collie mix and she loves to chew chew chew. If you don't want your shoes, socks, clothes, belts, electric cords, furniture, rugs, baseboards etc etc destroyed - you will need to keep a chewer busy. 🙂

Best most indestructable dog bones / toys I have found are made by West Paw. Available on amazon. Our dog has the treat glob, the bone, and the ball. Her favorite toys ever and she has tried to destroy them but cannot. She killed some kong toys, every rope and squeaker toy she's had, and even managed to destroy a couple of Nylabones.

http://www.amazon.com/West-Paw-Desig...1857600&sr=8-1

EDIT: PS, pick up a copy of the Dog Bible. Huge help when you are learning how to care for, and share a life with a dog. Best of luck to you!

http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Bible-Ever...1858080&sr=8-2
 
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dullard said:
I'm an animal lover, but I'm also a realist. If an animal is starting to cost you thousands of dollars, it is time to get a new animal. They only last about a dozen years anyways. Spending $5000 to extend their life by a few months is just a waste. There are millions of great and healthy animals put to death since no one will adopt them. Let your pet go when it has cancer, or some other major disease, and save the life of an otherwise healthy pet in a shelter. Let nature run its course, you can't stop the eventual death.

It sounds harsh at first. But think about it. You are letting an old, dying, sick animal die in exchange for saving the life of a young, healthy animal.

With that attitude, there is no need for pet insurance. Find a cheap vet (mine cost ~$29 for an annual checkup including the shots), and pay minimal vet costs as needed.
Click to expand...

For chronic, long term type stuff, my wife and I feel the same way, and that has always been our "disaster plan," especially if treating the disease results in major quality-of-life issues (like chemo...).

But for acute, occasional "can be treated effectively for the right price" type stuff, if I can get legitimate insurance that would mean the difference between saving my dog's life and just offing her b/c I can't afford $1000 to get that bowel obstruction removed, I would certainly not be against it.
 
dullard said:
I'm an animal lover, but I'm also a realist. If an animal is starting to cost you thousands of dollars, it is time to get a new animal. They only last about a dozen years anyways. Spending $5000 to extend their life by a few months is just a waste. There are millions of great and healthy animals put to death since no one will adopt them. Let your pet go when it has cancer, or some other major disease, and save the life of an otherwise healthy pet in a shelter. Let nature run its course, you can't stop the eventual death.

It sounds harsh at first. But think about it. You are letting an old, dying, sick animal die in exchange for saving the life of a young, healthy animal.

With that attitude, there is no need for pet insurance. Find a cheap vet (mine cost ~$29 for an annual checkup including the shots), and pay minimal vet costs as needed.
Click to expand...

Please. Do you even own a pet?

Pet insurance has been more then worth it for me, so please stop talking about things you don't even know about.

Yes, it was worth every penny spending $3k on my 10 month old dog that had pneumonia and will hopefully live another 12 years. My $200 investment in insurance covered me for over $2k.

My 8 year old dachshund's $3.6k in surgery last year, insurance covered $3k.

My two deceased dogs had numerous accidents/health issues that insurance more than covered my premiums. One of my deceased dogs had cancer at 10 months, surgery and chemotherapy which probably costed me $1k allowed her to live 11.
 
Oh, and I'm pretty much convinced that most "in town" vets exist to make money with pet health being a distant second.

We went to one on recommendation to have something looked at on our dog. Diagnosis was "probably cancer" and probably had a year to live. Wanted to put the dog under general anesthesia, do a biopsy, a full lab panel for blood work, and was pushing a $50 a month "antioxidiant" supplement since she was "getting older". She brought out a tab of like $2000. I politely said thank you and almost 2.5 years later she's still happy as can be.

I've had other vets in larger cities do the same. Unlike the "country vets" that I'm used to where visits were dirt cheap, they'd do a quick physical and send you on your merry way without pushing anything.
 
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