The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: use2betrix on October 23, 2015, 08:05:27 PM
-
I've seen an amazing amount of members here talk about their dogs like it was nearly taking out a 2nd mortgage. I have a 11 1/2 year old chocolate lab who has been incredibly low maintenance.
Ages 1-10 1/2
Food - around $25/mo. Cheap wal mart brand. Zero issues.
Vet bills averaged 100/yr or less, I rarely boarded him and he wasn't outside much or around other dogs so no need for many vaccines. Usually friends jumped at the chance to watch him when I was out of town. 2 years he had a bump removed from his eye, around $200/time.
10 1/2 - current
Food - decided to start giving him better dog food, around $40/mo
Has had some vet bills but that was my fault really. He had a bad cough he couldn't get rid of. Vet thought it was heart worms. $400 for testing, negative. Turned out to be some joint pills we had just started giving him, or at least since we recently stopped, the coughing stopped.
I'm just curious what breeds and expenses others have had. Is the dog pure breed? Outside a lot? Overweight?
I've always kept mine at a healthy weight, inside except for using the bathroom (he likes to be where we are) and minimal table scraps. Bacon or something here and there. Obviously he's an indoor lab who isn't in a kennel, so over the years he has snatched whole loaves of bread we forgot to put away, jars of peanut butter, candy bars, bag of rice, etc. etc. none have cause any real issues.
I've had him since I was 16, so he's just always been taken into consideration my whole life. To be honest, after leaving home with him at 18 and throughout my career, I think it's taught me a lot about responsibility that others may miss. I could see how it would be hard for some, but it's never been any different for me.
-
I just did a back-check on my doggie expenses. I have an, as of now, 11 1/2 yr old dachshund. I've had him since he was 5. According to my expenses spreadsheets I have been spending between 500 and 1100 per yr on him. Some years were worse due to some medical issues but even his low cost yrs were in the 500 buck range. It doesn't feel like he's costing me that much. Shots once a year. Good but not boutique dog food. Rawhide chews, cheap teats not the name brand ones. Ten bucks a year to register.
But I have to go with what the numbers are telling me.
-
Hot dog, about 99cents a pack at aldi. Sorry, couldn't help myself ;)
-
Our fuzzy family member is a 8+ year old Shi Tzu. Ten pounds of fur, friendly, a good “alert” partner who reacts to anything outside getting close to the house.
-
We have a 2 year old pit/lab mix. He has "insurance" at Banfield and that costs 25 bucks a month. Food is probably 50 bucks every month and a half or 2 months. He's such a great dog though, so it's all worth it. I have a friend who has 6 dogs, 5 of them are pits and one is an albino doberman. Her costs for general checkups are through the roof.
-
We have a beagle and a Plott hound, both 5 years old. Costs are peanuts. A check up a year and some dog food is pretty much it. They are an effective security system as well as family members and exercise partners. All the costs are back-loaded when they get old and ill. I would not be without my dogs, and we have had hounds for over 20 years. Don't really care what it costs.
If I had to justify it on a cost basis, I would tell you that they are effectively a cheap security system for the house. We've never been robbed and when I have had to travel extensively for work I haven't worried about my wife and kids. The beagle makes a ton of noise and the Plott has great big teeth, a high pain tolerance, and an extremely protective personality. Now that I am home all the time, they snuggle up to me on the couch and if someone were to try to come into the house I would have the critical minute or two to settle their hash in a permanent manner.
-
Eleven year old Brittany spaniel. $30 month dog food and hot dogs for treats. $30 a month (guestimate) for flea prevention and heartworm prevention. $10 a month for supplements for his joints (which have helped a great deal). $200 a year vet bills. I know that there will be additional vet bills now that he is a senior citizen, but he has earned it. He has been a great dog.
-
These have all been pretty reasonable. I didn't think about the security measure as something that I suppose I take a bit for granted. He freaks out when anyone does the slightest knock on the door lol.
I had a coworker that bought one of those tiny toy puppy mill type dogs, and she spent thousands in the first year alone, on a dog that was about 2-3 lbs.
One breed I've heard is $$ from virtually everyone, including friends who own them, are English bull dogs. I guess they just have medical issues through the roof. It's common knowledge so I feel like anyone that buys one should know what they're getting into.
-
There are definitely breeds (like the English Bulldog) that are inherently more expensive. Sometimes its just luck of the draw though. I have a 12 yo bassett hound/pit bull mix (yes, he is awesome) and he has been pretty healthy over the years, but still managed to cost me some extra money. In the first year I had him, I had to have his tail docked...twice. He is an AVID tail wagger and managed to break the tip of it. The vet removed about 3 inches, but it didn't heal well and they took another 4 inches off. That cost me $1000 or so. When he was 5 or 6 he ended up with heartworms, which was completely my fault. Preventative will cost you SO MUCH LESS than treatment ($800+).
I've also been able to keep my costs down the last few years as I have a roommate that watches him whenever I leave town. Boarding is expensive.
-
We have an approximately 4-year-old Alaskan husky/border collie mix whom we adopted when she was about 1 1/2 years old. She doesn't really cost us much - about $20-25 a month in food (higher-end grocery store brand); flea, tick & heartworm prevention (can't recall the monthly cost off the top of my head, but not expensive); a yearly checkup of about $125; and about $15(?) for yearly dog tag. She's less expensive than any of the humans in the house. : ) And she has a menacing bark, so like other dogs mentioned in replies to this post, she functions as a security system. She gets us out of the house multiple times a day, and is a joy to watch when she's off-leash and playing with friendly neighborhood dogs. She is definitely worth minimal cost and occasional slight hassles.
-
10 year old farm collie. Financial cost approx. £50 per month all in: food, insurance, flea and wormer, treats, vet. Benefits: priceless - he's an utter sweetheart who loves life and me.
-
I have a 2 year old, 16 lb mutt. Year 1: around $400including the fee to get him from the shelter., food, normal vet stuff, boarding for a few short trips. Year 2: $800, he had to have dew claws removed for $400 and I had to board him for a long trip plus a few short trips days at $20/day.
If I had someone to watch him when we go out of town I would save quite a bit each year.
-
I have an American Cocker Spaniel. She is pretty spendy, mostly due to the fact that she needs her teeth cleaned annually, and vet fees in my area are extortionate, and because I have to board her at least a couple of nights a month for work travel. I save money by doing her grooming myself to avoid recurring fees for that. So yeah, Cocker Spaniel is definitely not a frugal breed, but omg, there is no cuter pup on the planet than my Mabel.
-
2 pugs, 1k each per year for all dental, all shots, permanently on heartworm meds and more toys and bones than is even remotely necessary. As they are at the 10 year mark, they have begun needing teeth removal and since one of them was mauled twice prior to our adoption, we are prepared for some expenses in the coming years. Also with pugs we are careful about shots and anesthesia so have to pay more for some of that. We also pay for the luxury of having a vet that does Saturday appointments so not the cheapest vet by any means.
I have to admit, we are fortunate that we haven't ever had to do emergency care for our fuzzies (even my previous dog never needed anything very expensive). I have seen some of those multiple thousand dollar costs and cringed but, if it came to that, we would. Prior owners of said mauled pug paid 6k to put him back together again so we are well aware of how expensive pets can get if something bad happens.
-
Border collie. Don't get one unless you live in the country.
-
Terrier mix of some kind, 8 years old, 30 pounds.
The only consistent cost is $20/month for food, and a rabies shot every few years. He's had 2-3 larger vet bills over his life. I budget $75/month for vet expenses, in case needed. Potential cost of ~$1,100/year is worth the awesome that he is as a pet.
-
Doxie from the pound years ago. 11 years old. 1 surgery on her back $1200.
Yorkie mix. 9 years old. The only medical besides shots add up to about $600 for the 9 years. Got neutered and had a rawhide lodged in his tummy and once jumped out a car window on one of the kids and needed a few stitches.
Pomeranian mix. 1 year old. $250 besides shots so far. That includes her spay and 1 round of treating her for every dang worm known. Poor girl had them all!
Before the pom mix we had a sweet Australian Shepard, basset mix. She passed right before her 16th birthday. Up until a week before her death she had never had a vet Bill for illnesses.
My crew eats spendy food but a $37 bag last about 6 weeks.
-
Border Collie cross. 9 years old...although you'd never know it!
67 pounds and very healthy. Gets Demands a minimum of 2 walks per day even though she has 200 acres to roam at will on. Comes and goes as she pleases.
$60 a month in food and $250 a year for Tick/Heartworm meds.
Absolutely a part of our family. Wouldn't ever be without her. (It's just cruel that dogs don't live as long as we do.)
-
Grew up with:
Beagle. Not expensive in terms of maintenance (and made it to 18years), but she would often escape and eat awful things, sometimes requiring vet visits. Beagles really like following their noses. We tried a million different fence, invisible fence, etc etc systems. That dog could DIG like you wouldn't believe, could climb lattice a few feet, and could wriggle through the tiniest holes. Expensive dogs because of all that. Great dog though. OH. And she would get stressed and eat things to try to escape- dry wall, seat belts, really something any time we had to leave her.
Currently have:
Pug, advanced age. Was a rescue. Expensive at first (had teeth falling out and rotting, so we had an $850 tooth cleaning and extraction surgery). Ongoing a bit of expense since we don't do her grooming ourselves- pugs HATEHATEHATE people touching their feet, and she came with badly curled nails, so we just outsource this. Otherwise has been inexpensive until recently- just found a lump on her, so we're waiting for cytology to come back. Otherwise she's usually about $30/month for her fancy food and nails. Even with the vet stuff, she's been a fairly cheap dog. Helps that she is skinny and healthy and energetic.
Another family member also has a pug though. That thing has all sorts of weird skin issues, allergies, etc etc. He's at the vet every few weeks I swear. And prescription foods. That dog probably costs $200-300/month I would guess.
I appreciate this thread. We're back and forth on what sort of dogs we'll have in the future. The Frugalwoods almost have me convinced to get a greyhound, but small dogs eat a lot less...
-
I have a Pembroke corgi pup. Five months old. He's unfortunately already had a couple rough vet bills due to illnesses as a puppy (have spent over $600 so far on non-routine costs). I'm pretty sure this is a freak-thing (as told by the vet), and not breed specific though. He's finally on the mend though now, and hopefully this won't be a recurring issue!
Really, he's pretty easy to take care of in terms of most other manners. We walk him and take him to the dog park (free), have gotten him some good teething toys ($50--everlasting treat toys are worth it), and costs between $17 and $40 a month to feed (he's on Science Diet canned puppy food right now while getting over illnesses and to put on more weight). Heart-worm med is $6.50 a month, and 6 months of flea/tick meds from SAMs is $34. His other food is grain free from SAM's kibble- which is $17 for a 30 lb bag.
I have to say, as far as breeds go, if you want a 'big dog' without the cost hassles of a big dog, consider a corgi!
-
I appreciate this thread. We're back and forth on what sort of dogs we'll have in the future. The Frugalwoods almost have me convinced to get a greyhound, but small dogs eat a lot less...
What are the perks of a greyhound? I've just always heard they are super energetic and to never let them off a leash. I've always liked them, but seemed difficult.
My next pup will likely be an Argentine Dogo. Upkeep shouldn't be more than my lab, but purchase price will likely be pretty high. I believe if you want a purebred, it's worth it to get a healthy quality one from the beginning to save on expenses later on. That being said, my lab wasn't anything special, just from a farm that had a litter.
-
Kind? The most adorable dog in the world, of course.
-
Two dogs, one Australian Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mix and a Shepherd-y-sort-of-supermutt. Both around 50-60 pounds. The average monthly cost for pets over the past five years is $103. That includes some expensive measures to try to save the life of the dog we lost last year. Most months it's about $65 in food.
If it came down to it, I'd trim my own food bill by $100 a month to keep my dogs.
-
3 Maltese & a husky/shephard mix. The maltese have cost a small fortune. Vet bills alone in past 11 years=$30,000. The big guy no $ until last year which cost us $3000. None of this includes food, grooming etc. 2 of these dogs were rescues. They cost the least. In the West Cost vets cost a lot of $. They are all between 10-18. As they go we will only have 1 dog which will be a mix. Pure breeds are too unhealthy. none of this has been for crazy things like chemo, etc. Small dogs need lots of dentals, have bad teeth, etc. One thing that happens is that small things occur & but then it doesn't work etc & 2 months later you find you have spent $1,000.
-
We have a rescue mutt who is greyhound/lab mix. She is tall and leggy, but very thin and doesn't eat much at all. She's the least food motivated dog I've ever had.
Greyhounds are not particularly energetic. They are sight hounds and you do have to be careful not to let them loose because they will take off like a shot after a squirrel, a leaf or whatever. Mine has no recall, despite trying to train her. But energetic they are not. She will go for a walk, but she's not crazy about it and she is much more of a couch potato than most other dogs I've had.
Y'all must have cheaper vet care than we have here. Routine annual exams, heartworm meds and flea/tick stuff runs about $350.
We pay a neighborhood teen to dog sit her if we go away.
-
We have Australian Shepherds, all super-energetic and awesome. Sometimes they stand still long enough for pictures.
(http://i.imgur.com/ROGYxyB.jpg)
We feed 100% raw meat. We roll our own raw meals (premade can be $5-10/lb, yes really). We buy most of it in frozen 50lb blocks that are well under $1/lb (undesirable-to-humans meat scraps that dogs love). Supplemented with liver and other organs, which are a bit more costly. Ends up being about $35/month per dog in raw, with a variety of beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, pork, lamb, goat, venison, alpaca, and rabbit (mostly beef and venison). Yes, we're crazy.
We supplement with granulated garlic daily in lieu of typical flea and tick stuff. Super effective, and super cheap and easy.
But it all makes for some healthy dogs. We've had only one emergency vet visit, and it was a few hundred bucks one time.
We buy a dog toy or two every few months. A $12 indestructible toy is a lot better than the $2 toy that might literally last 10 minutes. Probably depends on the dog, too.
Even if you're as crazy as us, and even if you have a handful of dogs, dog ownership doesn't have to be a $10,000/month ordeal.
Dogs need attention more than they need dollars. And they like to run. Ours probably run a few miles a day in our back yard. And we like to bike with them.
-
We have a 3 year old male mini Australian shepherd who we got as a puppy, name is Mason. He is the laziest laid back dog.
We buy diamond natural food, $31 a bag or so. Lasts for 2 months. We do all grooming, now he does require some maintenance. His hair grows fast, but I trim it when needed. Mostly on paws, ears, back of legs, butt ect. We also bathe him ourselves every few months or as needed. Shampoo is basic cheap stuff for dogs. We also clip his nails, bought clippers from walmart when we got him. Cost about $6 then I think. Our biggest, main costs are shots and vet visits. Maybe $300 a year. Including heartworm pills and flea pills i would say roughly spend $600 or less per year for food, vet, preventative, treats ect.
-
I appreciate this thread. We're back and forth on what sort of dogs we'll have in the future. The Frugalwoods almost have me convinced to get a greyhound, but small dogs eat a lot less...
What are the perks of a greyhound? I've just always heard they are super energetic and to never let them off a leash. I've always liked them, but seemed difficult.
My next pup will likely be an Argentine Dogo. Upkeep shouldn't be more than my lab, but purchase price will likely be pretty high. I believe if you want a purebred, it's worth it to get a healthy quality one from the beginning to save on expenses later on. That being said, my lab wasn't anything special, just from a farm that had a litter.
My understanding is that greyhounds have two modes: lazy sweet couch potatoes, a bit dumb, very mellow. And OMG IM OFF THE LEASH IS THAT A SQUIRREL RUNRUNRUNRUNRUN. The idea is to keep them from clicking into prey drive mode. For daily life, and if you walk your dog instead of put them into a yard, they're supposed to be very chill.
Low maintenance too- minimal hair, 2 baths per year, no oil production really, tend not to chew things destructively, not prone to separation anxiety.
-
I have an 8-year old 20 pound Westie mix. Aside from the costs to spring her from a local rescue, she had a costly ($2500) knee surgery 6 years ago. She's healthy, so costs now are minimal. She's the best girl ever, so no regrets.
I also have a Shih Tzu (or something that looks like one) that I found in the gutter, so no upfront costs aside from spaying/microchipping/vaccinating. I'll do some light grooming on her but take her to a professional groomer about 4 times a year so the other dogs won't laugh at her.
I buy the largest vials of Frontline and apply the amount needed for dogs their size, so one vial will last 3 months for the two of them. I make nearly all their food, so that's about $30 a month.
The companionship/exercise buddy/entertainment/home alarm services they provide are well worth it.
-
I have two dogs--both rescue mutts with an adoption fee of $150 (that included puppy shots and being fixed). One is a 75-lb, mostly Dalmation mixed with Pit (turns 7 soon), and the other is a 50-lb Chow-Boxer-Spaniel-Pointer (just turned 5). Combined costs are around $60 for food monthly and about $400 per year on vet fees, heartworm meds, and flea/tick meds. So, somewhere near $1120 annually for two dogs that, as mentioned above, serve as companionship, security, and exercise partners.
I love them both, and they have brought joy to my life, but I am not a crazy dog-loving person that couldn't live without them. I am just a dog-loving person. I understand they are a luxury, and I may not have dogs for a few years or more when they're gone.
-
We get a lot of dogs that we "foster," but end up keeping (my wife works with a rescue organization).
We currently have 2 "mutts," but sometimes have up to 5.
Cost really aren't all that bad for standard maintenance.
The HUGE expenses come at the end of the life of the dog (just as with humans). When they get old and get cancer or whatever.
That can cost a ton if you decide to treat the illness, rather than just let the illness take it's course.
At least that is our experience. A huge percentage of the costs of ownership come in the last couple of months of the dog's life.
-
We have Australian Shepherds, all super-energetic and awesome. Sometimes they stand still long enough for pictures.
(http://i.imgur.com/ROGYxyB.jpg)
We feed 100% raw meat. We roll our own raw meals (premade can be $5-10/lb, yes really). We buy most of it in frozen 50lb blocks that are well under $1/lb (undesirable-to-humans meat scraps that dogs love). Supplemented with liver and other organs, which are a bit more costly. Ends up being about $35/month per dog in raw, with a variety of beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, pork, lamb, goat, venison, alpaca, and rabbit (mostly beef and venison). Yes, we're crazy.
We supplement with granulated garlic daily in lieu of typical flea and tick stuff. Super effective, and super cheap and easy.
But it all makes for some healthy dogs. We've had only one emergency vet visit, and it was a few hundred bucks one time.
We buy a dog toy or two every few months. A $12 indestructible toy is a lot better than the $2 toy that might literally last 10 minutes. Probably depends on the dog, too.
Even if you're as crazy as us, and even if you have a handful of dogs, dog ownership doesn't have to be a $10,000/month ordeal.
Dogs need attention more than they need dollars. And they like to run. Ours probably run a few miles a day in our back yard. And we like to bike with them.
OH MY GOD. I want to hug all of them! (Almost missed the sixth one - swipe left if you can't see that cutie!)
OP - we've been dogless for a few years (long enough for me to forget exactly what our fur baby racked up in bills). It's been interesting to read other people's experiences, though.
-
200 pound Newfoundland, four years old, 50/month in food, 200.00 per year in joint supplements (I buy the horse variety because it's cheaper), about 200 per year in vet bills. He is a bit clumsy, and has a blown knee that will become problematic over the next couple of years. I will put him down before he gets in too much pain... I refuse to have knee surgery done on a dog this size as it usually fails or stresses the other side too much, causing even more problems.
150 pound Saint Bernard, four years old, 50/ month in food, zero vet bills last year. She is strange though; as a rescue from a Missouri puppy mill, she was severely beaten as a puppy and she acts very weird around new people. I love her the most. She has an extra toe on each paw, and her teeth are all very crooked. I'm sure her future health problems will cost me a paycheck some day.
135 pound Leonberger, four years old, 50/ month food, zero health problems last year. Another rescue from a Missouri puppy mill, she is less weird, but viciously attacks her own reflection in the windows sometimes. We have replaced one picture window for 200.00, and one sliding glass door for 500.00 that she tried to launch herself through last year. She is indestructible, so no vet was necessary after I sewed up the gash in her ear from the broken glass. I highly recommend that everyone take a dog first aid class from the Red Cross, by the way.
Having three giant-breed dogs is definitely not a mustachian move, and my house is a little over-dogged at the moment. I pick up lots of shit, wake up with hair in my mouth and nose every morning, and wipe drool from every surface and wall in my house. I won't say they are "worth it" because that would be a big fat lie. But, I could not part with any of them and they are great fun.
-
6 pound yorkshire terrier, 6 years old. He has to be the most mustachian dog I've ever known. An 8$ bag of kibble might last 3 months (plus scraps,chicken skin etc). 2 shaves a year in april and september to keep him cool, was 28$ each but price went up. Shots add up but I don't even give them yearly. So I'm not sure he even breaks a 100 a year.
And what do I get for my money? This guy protects me like he's a german shepherd. Growls/barks at all the right times. Spent most of this thread in my lap. No shedding. Sleeps on floor next to me at night and doesn't get up til I do. Accompanies me on most errands. I walk him off leash and unless theres a squirrel present he's good. And I can't decide whether he comprehends english completely or just follows commands, but its one or the other.
-
We have 2 small terrier types and probably spend about £1,000 or less a year for both of them for food, annual vet visit for injections, toys, flea and worming tablets.
We have Australian Shepherds, all super-energetic and awesome. Sometimes they stand still long enough for pictures.
(http://i.imgur.com/ROGYxyB.jpg)
Lovely!
-
Chow mutt from a rescue. Other than start-up costs, we average about $100/month.
Food - Mix of Diamond Naturals kibble and Prime Freeze Dried (one nugget per meal). About $50/month, averaged.
Grooming - Surprise! Chows have a SHIT TON of hair. Even with daily brushing, we have to get him groomed to keep it in check. $25/month, average.
Vet - About $200 annually.
Miscellaneous - We buy a bag of training treats every three months or so. We live in an apartment, and per our pet lease agreement must kennel Fido when we're away, so if we're going to be gone 5+ hours we have a friend of mine come by, take him for a walk, snuggle and play a bit, just so he's not home alone for too long (we pay her $10 for an hour of Fido-love).
All of this is totally, 100% worth it.
-
I have two small hound dogs: a beagle mix and a standard dachshund mix. They each weigh around 20 lbs and are a little over 5 years old. We got them both from rescues. We've been budgeting $200/month for them, knowing this is way more than we normally need and planning that the balance rolls over to accumulate into a fund for vet care as they get older. We're considering lowering this, though, because there's a decent chunk of change in that account. A $40 bag of good quality dog food last 2 months, and I almost never pay full price (leveraging sales at different places that sell it and using Petco rewards points from previous dog food purchase, etc). We add grated carrot to their food to add bulk because it helps with our beagles' digestive issues. Not sure how to account for the carrots since we buy a huge Costco bag for ourselves anyway. We use flea and tick and heart worm preventatives, but we have an awesome vet who will administer both if they happen to be there at the right time (so we plan on it), and gives us samples, reducing that cost to ~$110/year for both of them. The beagle has some tick borne illness-related issues (she was an outdoor dog with a hunt club before we got her) which require periodic doses of strong antibiotics and joint supplements. The antibiotics cost $8 every 3-4 months and we DIY joint supplements with food we already have and buy for ourselves. We have someone come and walk them sometimes, and occasionally board them in a lovely in-home service that provides great care at a reasonable rate. We recognize those as luxury expenses so we tend to group them under the circumstances that created the need rather than dog expenses (the cost of boarding comes from our travel budget, for example, and we usually travel with the dogs). Our dogs' favorite treats are bits of whatever we are eating! While we are careful only to feed them dog-safe people food, they would much rather have a carrot or a bit of watermelon or apple than a dried dog treat. When they are really good, a crumb of cheese works, too. We haven't bought toys in a very long time. Our dogs destroy almost all toys, but they have a few kongs we received as gifts that we still use and they love. Our parents spoil them and buy them toys and treats so that eliminates one possible expense for us. Other than that, up to $400/year of vet expenses (check ups, dental cleaning, vaccines, and appointments related to the beagle's health issues), a dog toothbrush and $6 worth of toothpaste twice a year, and a one- time $100 expense of a decent vacuum.
They are worth it and more. It would take a novel-length post to explain why they are worth it, but they are.
-
We have a 75-lb red lab that we got from the shelter. She's almost 9. Regular costs include about $40 per month in good food and $30 per month in combined heartworm/flea medication.
Annual expenses include a vet visit ($130) and boarding for when we travel ($400 to $800 depending on the year). Our local Humane Society has low-cost boarding for members and we take her there.
When we first got her we also spent a few hundred dollars on obedience and agility classes, which have been a great investment in getting a dog we can live happily with.
We've had two trips to the emergency vet in the last two years, once when she had a grand mal seizure and more recently when she started vomiting blood. That last visit ended up being an overnight stay with imaging and ran us $1400. So glad for the emergency fund!
In exchange for all this we get a nearly-silent, non-destructive friend who has been a joyful and loving companion. And while she is friendly and steady, she's always between my kids and a stranger, and her bark stops people in their tracks. It's deep and loud and when she barks she means business.
Edited on 2/7/16: She was diagnosed with hypothyroidism two weeks ago, and now gets thyroid meds daily. This will add about $30/month to her cost.
To be honest, she's waaaay cheaper than our 3 cats.
-
I have a 12lb Shih Tzu. I would say the biggest expenses are food, grooming, and flea medicine.
I skimp on flea medicine by putting it on every 6 weeks (instead of 4), and I usually don't use it during the winter months.
I stretch grooming intervals ($50 per groom) by doing some myself. So in-between groomings I trim some hair, etc.
Food I really don't skimp on, this is probably $50 a month because I buy the super expensive grain-free, freeze-dried raw patties.
I would say $1k per year is a good ballpark when you factor in vaccinations, vet visits, misc stuff. My monthly budget for her is about $75. I don't really buy toys or anything anymore since she has so many.
-
Two small dogs, a dachshund and a mongrel. Dachs are very, very healthy dogs, energic, need no trimm, and don't eat much. Rarely visits veterinarian, just for regular vaccination.
-
I'm not sure I can generalize that dachshunds are generally healthy dogs. I've had several... all with some health issues. None of mine were from "excellent breeders".
My current pack is:
* 12 year old long haired chocolate dapple dachshund. He was rescued from a really awful puppy mill by the SPCA. (150 dogs INSIDE a small 3 bedroom house.) Even at 12, he's still cute as a speckled pup.
* 10 year old dachshund/yorkie mix (we're guessing there) that we call a dorkie. She's also a shelter dog that was picked up as a stray.
I can't really say on costs since all of our pet costs are categorized in one pile and we have had multiple cats as well. Last year, with several health issues across a couple of animals and food we dropped about $3800 on 2 cats and 2 dogs. The 5 year numbers are worse, as we had 2 more cats (both with health issues -- they've passed now.)
-
6 year old German Shepherd / Rottweiler cross. My costs are a lot higher than most of you! But in Canadian dollars. :p
I've only been tracking this year, and he was sick at the beginning of the year which cost a lot. I ended up changing his food to a more expensive type too. $140/month on average so far. That does not include $400 for pet sitting.
But usually vet plus vaccinations etc is about $350/year and Food is $75/month.
I could play around with his food and try to find a cheaper one again, but the lack of vomiting and blood in his stool is nice. Perhaps I need a cheaper vet.
-
Two Purebred German Shepherds (6 yo, 85lb and 3.5yo, 65lb) and one purebred Pom (1yo,4.5 lbs).
The Pom, nearly nothing in food. I would be shocked if she eats one 20lb bag of food throughout a year span.
The GSDs, 1.5 x 40lb dog food monthly = ~$35 = $420 annually.
Shots, grooming, boarding (fucking dreadful) = Most years probably ~$1,000.
Total: $1,500....If we don't go on vacation, I'd presume probably $1,000 a year.
GSDs do not need any maintenance, they maintain themselves if given proper food, training, and attention. It's just amazing how self-sufficient they are.... They are almost too smart for themselves.
Plus, they are a free security system. I would say 1/2 the people I meet are deathly afraid of GSDs and they are extremely gentle if properly trained and socialized. But, they will do their "job" if need be.
200 pound Newfoundland, four years old, 50/month in food, 200.00 per year in joint supplements (I buy the horse variety because it's cheaper), about 200 per year in vet bills. He is a bit clumsy, and has a blown knee that will become problematic over the next couple of years. I will put him down before he gets in too much pain... I refuse to have knee surgery done on a dog this size as it usually fails or stresses the other side too much, causing even more problems.
150 pound Saint Bernard, four years old, 50/ month in food, zero vet bills last year. She is strange though; as a rescue from a Missouri puppy mill, she was severely beaten as a puppy and she acts very weird around new people. I love her the most. She has an extra toe on each paw, and her teeth are all very crooked. I'm sure her future health problems will cost me a paycheck some day.
135 pound Leonberger, four years old, 50/ month food, zero health problems last year. Another rescue from a Missouri puppy mill, she is less weird, but viciously attacks her own reflection in the windows sometimes. We have replaced one picture window for 200.00, and one sliding glass door for 500.00 that she tried to launch herself through last year. She is indestructible, so no vet was necessary after I sewed up the gash in her ear from the broken glass. I highly recommend that everyone take a dog first aid class from the Red Cross, by the way.
Having three giant-breed dogs is definitely not a mustachian move, and my house is a little over-dogged at the moment. I pick up lots of shit, wake up with hair in my mouth and nose every morning, and wipe drool from every surface and wall in my house. I won't say they are "worth it" because that would be a big fat lie. But, I could not part with any of them and they are great fun.
God bless you. Like I tell my two bigger dogs, "you should be honored that you will be the last two bigger dogs in my house." I have nice wooden floors that got scratched to death, blinds destroyed, floors covered in hair, and constant filth. And all it takes is a lick in the face and you seem to forget the troubles.
-
Ketchup, those Aussie shepherds are adorable! If I lay on the ground will they all come lay on me? Giant fur pile! I'm impressed they're all looking at the camera, that is hard with one!
My little ball of fur is 12yr teacup poodle. I used to refer to her as "travel size for convenience." We have been on many adventures, gone on hikes, lived in two different countries and many apartments, houses, you name it, together. She screen all my bf's when I was on the market.
I've had her since she was two, my mom gave her to me bc she was super busy and couldn't keep her. So she was free to me and already had all the puppy shots etc. Mom also kicked in for her vet care when I was younger and still in college.
She costs very little to feed being small, I buy a bag of semi-fancy food every 3 months or so for about $30 (she also gets some of the cats food as a "treat" bc she loves it) and if you eat a banana in the house, you have to share with her, no matter who you are. But I do spend 50 every 2 months on grooming, it's worth it bc she doesn't shed at all. Her overall budget is 40/mo and occasionally a little extra for medical as she's an old lady. For example I spent almost 700 on her for a dental this year.
We also have a very expensive trash can from bed bath and beyond bc that little brat can get into any other trash can I've ever owned, regardless of size! This one has keep her out for 2 years.
She has provided a priceless level of companionship over the last decade and I wouldn't trade her her for the money spent on her that's for sure.
-
Aw, cute.:)
-
Ketchup, those Aussie shepherds are adorable! If I lay on the ground will they all come lay on me? Giant fur pile! I'm impressed they're all looking at the camera, that is hard with one!
No, they will not lay on you. They will jump on you and on each other, lick your face, and squabble over who gets to receive the most affection from you. And the big dumb red one in the front of that photo will probably win.
And they almost never all stand still like that. That was a very very lucky shot in the relative heat of late summer after they had all run around outside for an hour and they were tired out.
And more on-topic: especially with big fluffy breeds like our Aussies, insourcing bathing and grooming saves a lot of dough. Taking ours to a groomer would probably be an all-day affair.
-
Bwahaha.
What kind of dog do you have?: Pembroke Welsh Corgi
What are your costs?: Too much!
Joking aside, he's not even 6 months old so most of our spending on him is training related. We'll probably keep it up until after he's 1 year to get the CGC test. I figure it will pay off when he is well trained enough to travel with (no boarding costs and we travel and camp semi-locally frequently).
Food: ~$25/month?
Training: ~$100/month for weekly 1 hour semi-private lessons
Treats and toys: ~$20/month. He's only a few months old and we're till trying to find treats he likes for training. This will probably go down soon now that we found ones he likes. $5 will get us enough treats to carry us through the month as long as we don't spoil him. (:
Daycare: $35/week. New cost but holy shitsnacks he has so much energy. I've gotten to the point where my sanity is definitely worth the $35/week. We'll probably do this for 6 months or so until he calms down a bit.
Vet bills: Vaccinations! Flea meds! Heartworm meds! Neutering! I couldn't even do a monthly average because it varies so much. Flea stuff is like $70/3 months. Heartworm meds I don't know. His tapeworm medication was $6 both times he needed it (see: fleas). Our vet is super reasonable, though, so I'm glad for that.
-
English bulldog.
He is is very expensive, but that's why he ended up in rescue. He has horrific skin allergies that are nicely controlled with expensive daily meds. It was $120 per month but he proved to be allergic to that one, so he wa moved to another one, brand new on the market, that costs $50 per month.
And then, he had a kidney stone. That surgery was costly.
But we've had many Bulldogs and they are NOT all medical ,horrors.
Still this is not a breed for the pocketbook minded. Personally, I wish these dogs would leave the top ten list of popularity, people can't afford them. Also, too many vets are too aggressive in diagnosing their problems so that leads to perception that they have more health problems than they actually do.
-
Ketchup, those Aussie shepherds are adorable! If I lay on the ground will they all come lay on me? Giant fur pile! I'm impressed they're all looking at the camera, that is hard with one!
No, they will not lay on you. They will jump on you and on each other, lick your face, and squabble over who gets to receive the most affection from you. And the big dumb red one in the front of that photo will probably win.
And they almost never all stand still like that. That was a very very lucky shot in the relative heat of late summer after they had all run around outside for an hour and they were tired out.
And more on-topic: especially with big fluffy breeds like our Aussies, insourcing bathing and grooming saves a lot of dough. Taking ours to a groomer would probably be an all-day affair.
Oh darn! I was thinking to take a nap in a pile of fluffy dog! Mine is a good nap buddy, especially now that she is old.
I can't imagine outsourcing grooming for that herd, you would need to have the whole grooming salon for an entire day and the cost would be crazy!
-
We have one 3-yr old Maltese pup named Bruno - a whopping 8lbs of ferociousness. He's a great little dog and is as cheap as can be. A 30lbs bag of dog food is $12.00 and lasts 6 months. I groom him myself every 3 months which takes about an hour and saves me $45 each time. No annual vet bills, insurance, boarding, etc.
Ryan
-
We have (2) dogs. A 80lb boy and a 65lb girl.. both small for their breed.
We spend a good amount of money on them directly, and even more indirectly. Here's what I mean..
We moved from Chicago to Melbourne Australia 18 months ago and brought the dogs with. My wife's employer covered moving costs, but it was about $12k to move JUST THE DOGS here. Flights, quarantine, vet visits to legally bring them ,etc.
Direct:
Dog food in Melbourne is expensive, especially since we need grain-free food for their allergies. ~$200/month for dry food.
Vet visits are more in Australia than in the states - Vet visits for the year were $300. Not bad at all since we have very healthy dogs
Dog toys/treats/equipment are all expensive here
Indirect:
If we didn't have dogs we'd live in a small apartment in this HCOLA, but because we have dogs we rent a house which has a backyard and allows dogs. That's roughly $1000/month more than the apartment would be.
We're very close to lots of really great places to vacation that would be extremely expensive to visit from the US, so we take advantage of cheap flights to exotic places in AUS. The dogs need to stay in a kennel though, which is expensive.
We could live without a car in Melbourne if we didn't have dogs, but getting them to the vet/kennel requires a car. Cars are expensive in AUS (bought on Craigslist so not quite as bad, but still expensive) plus registration and other fees are crazy here.
I could continue to list things, but these are the big ones. Obviously if you're relocating very often it doesn't make sense to have 2 big dogs, but we already had the dogs before this opportunity came up, and the pay increase makes up for these expenses may times over. Still shocking to see what we spend to have dogs!
-
Looks like I'm the third corgi. Mine is almost 7 and has severe allergy issues. Other than that his only problem has been cracking a molar chewing on a cow hoof (he doesn't get those anymore). He's cost about $10k so far, but a lot of that was new pet parent panic.
We're insane and are picking up our 3/4 Bernese Mountain Dog, 1/4 Labrador Retriever mix puppy this weekend. We were going to wait til the student loans were gone (soooooo close), but they only breed this mix every 18 months and my puppy fever probably wasn't going to hold out that long. My husband has wanted a Bernie since the day he saw his first one, but I balked because of their health issues. Past litters of this mix seem to have a good track record for the breeder, so we're hopeful she'll be healthy (and cheaper!).
I probably spend too much in dog ownership, but if I'm honest, my corgi is probably my favorite thing about life. I'm beyond excited to have another dog to train. It's amazing watching them learn and integrate into your household, then it feels like they were always there.
-
I have a 10lb, 11 year old Pekingese. He is the lowest maintenance toy dog I have ever met. $8 per month on cheap senior dog food that he loves more than the expensive stuff. Plastic water bottles, tortilla chip and pesto are his favorite things in the world. He will go on 2.5 mile hikes in the woods with me then sleep for the next day. Most expensive thing about him is boarding when I travel for work. He doesn't like facial hair on people so I have to make sure the kennel is aware. Wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world.
-
Rott and a Chow- (both rescues) We do our own vaccinations, food is relatively cheap with some Rachel Ray dry and various meat/ meat juice varieties. They love "guts" that can be purchased cheaply at wal mart. I think the bag of food is like $15 and lasts the good part of a month. "meat juice" (we get from ground beef drippings, bacon drippings, etc. to flavor the dry food.) Guts- consist of chicken livers, hearts, gizzards, etc...
One of the dogs had to have an expensive surgery but both are relatively cheap to maintain. They also guard the house and yard.
The big drawback is that boarding would be insane and they tend to be less than friendly with strangers so I'd worry about leaving them with other people- so vacations are OUT.... So, we do stay-cations all the time.
Plan is to eventually find a small, older motor home to renovate and then we can take our little friends with us along for the trip! (They'd love that)
-
Where do you live where you only pay $100/yr in vet bill?? I don't think I can walk in the door for less than $150! Any checkup, shots whatever is always $200+, at least.
We have a 10+ year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi we adopted. Mint told me the Pet expenses last year were $2,000, and $1,700 year before. This is mostly boarding. A weekend we can't take him with us is easily $150, and our 1-2 week vacations abroad can cost $500-600+. I'd feel bad handing him off on someone to watch, and he can be a bit hard to handle (doesn't like dogs, kids, and eats your stuff) so prefer boarding. Good thing is a $50 bag of food will last months, we buy maybe 2-3 of those per year.
edit: checked Mint's breakout of expenses. Last year was $1,100 in boarding and 600 at the vet. But one expensive visit was some tests that proved negative and likely unnecessary. I think our vet is a giant scam and they push test by making me feel bad if I don't get them.
-
We have 2 Shih Tzu-Maltese mixes from the same litter (sisters!). They're about 3.5 years old now, 13lb and ~10lb.
Our largest costs come from boarding them, since our friends who we traded dog sitting with moved away.
Food is pretty cheap because they're tiny, $30-40 every few months. Toy costs are almost nil, they have so many because my mom loves to spoil her 'grandpuppies'.
Checkups and vaccines fall in line with what others said, they're chipped and spayed, and get heartworm and tick repellant. Thankfully no major health issues yet.
Mostly just using this as an excuse to share my dogs =)
When we buy a house we're thinking about getting 1-2 more dogs. I want a Corgi and my wife wants a Golden Retriever.
-
He doesn't like facial hair on people so I have to make sure the kennel is aware. Wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world.
That is strangely specific. I've met dogs that don't like men, or don't like women. Never one that just preferred his males clean shaving. Is your pup's dislike the result of past mishandling, or is he just anti-hipster?
For me, my dog hates cats. Despite years of patient training, she will still attempt to kill any feline she crosses paths with. She once had the head of a family cat in her mouth, and she was chomping hard. Near disaster. She's a rescue dog, so I'm always left wondering if some cat traumatized her before I got her, or if there's actually some truth to the ACME inspired dogs-hate-cats shtick.
-
Where do you live where you only pay $100/yr in vet bill?? I don't think I can walk in the door for less than $150! Any checkup, shots whatever is always $200+, at least.
Too true!
Our vet drives a Mercedes SLK350.
We always used to joke about taking the dogs to the vet to "make another payment on the Merc'".
-
Sweet pics of dogs.:)
Our vet is really good about fees as they are a small family run place. You can pay by installments if you have a large bill as well which is good.
-
We have a 3yo Great Pyrenees, about 120lbs. We feed him one quart a day of mid-grade kibble, which runs us about $75/month. So far, no vet visits other than routine ones, which is about $150/yr. Flea treatment is about $10/mo for 8 months a year. We bathe and brush him ourselves, and trim his nails. He sleeps inside, but spends all day outside. We haven't needed to board him yet, but there's a great place near us that charges $23/night, and we'll end up using it for 2 nights this year around Christmas. The only gear we've bought him is a collar, leash, harness, raised feeder/waterer, nail clipper, and two brushes.
The only big expense from him is that he, like most Pyrs, is a wanderer. We've spent a couple hundred on additional fencing supplies to block his escape routes. He makes up for it by being an enormous, sweet, marshmallow of a dog. He's amazing with kids, thinks he's a lap dog. He also barks and pees along our fence line and scares the coyotes and deer away.
-
Geeze. I must have jinxed myself. Had the dog in today for routinely shots and the vet thought his spleen seemed a bit swollen. X rays show a tumor. $1500 to get it removed :/
-
Geeze. I must have jinxed myself. Had the dog in today for routinely shots and the vet thought his spleen seemed a bit swollen. X rays show a tumor. $1500 to get it removed :/
Sorry, I hope he recovers well, poor thing.
-
He doesn't like facial hair on people so I have to make sure the kennel is aware. Wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world.
That is strangely specific. I've met dogs that don't like men, or don't like women. Never one that just preferred his males clean shaving. Is your pup's dislike the result of past mishandling, or is he just anti-hipster?
For me, my dog hates cats. Despite years of patient training, she will still attempt to kill any feline she crosses paths with. She once had the head of a family cat in her mouth, and she was chomping hard. Near disaster. She's a rescue dog, so I'm always left wondering if some cat traumatized her before I got her, or if there's actually some truth to the ACME inspired dogs-hate-cats shtick.
I have no clue where the hatred came from; one Christmas my cousin was up from Houston and Piper would bark and back away from him the whole weekend. I have had Piper since he was 8 weeks old so no past rescue trauma issues.
-
Geeze. I must have jinxed myself. Had the dog in today for routinely shots and the vet thought his spleen seemed a bit swollen. X rays show a tumor. $1500 to get it removed :/
Oh, I'm sorry :-( My sister just had the same thing happen with her dog about a year ago. If it makes you feel any better, her dog came through surgery like a champ and has been just fine since.
-
We have two dogs, both about 40 lbs, adopted from shelters. One is a German shorthair mix, the other an Australian cattle dog. We don't split out their costs from our cat, but all three combined we budget $200/month. Boarding fees we consider part of our vacation costs, not pet fees, so those are on top.
Overall the dogs aren't too bad. We go through one bag of $50 dog food a month (Merrick Chicken and Rice, they don't do well on grain free) and I think heartworm is about $20/month? Not sure. They've been on frontline in the past, but we stopped using it this spring when it coincided with some odd medical issues with the cattle dog, and haven't decided if we'll do it again...they don't go to dog parks, or interact with many other dogs.
The German shorthair has had three surgeries since we got him, totaling about $1200 or so I'm guessing. He had entropion (eyelids too big, so the fur scrapes their eyes). The first surgery didn't correct one of the eyes enough, and he ripped the second surgery open the day he had his stitches out, so had to go back in. Luckily we were in a small town at the time, so we aren't charged anything extra for a Sunday morning emergency surgery, though we did have to wait until after church!
We occasionally buy them new toys or a bag of treats, but by now they've accumulated quite a few. We probably need to do training classes again, but haven't decided if we want to splurge on that at the moment.
I think their yearly vet visit was about $250-$300 combined, but we didn't need to buy any heart gaurd at that time. The few extra visits we've had (fungal infection of the skin, wounded foot from a game of fetch, digestive upset) have been $70-$200 a time, and have happened about once a year.
I guess we technically wouldn't have had to fence in our yard if we didn't have them, which could've saved us $1900. We considered that a cost of buying our home though, rather than including it in the dog costs, just how we do it.
To us, they are worth every penny. We get a lot of joy out of them.
-
I have a 10lb, 11 year old Pekingese. He is the lowest maintenance toy dog I have ever met. $8 per month on cheap senior dog food that he loves more than the expensive stuff. Plastic water bottles, tortilla chip and pesto are his favorite things in the world. He will go on 2.5 mile hikes in the woods with me then sleep for the next day. Most expensive thing about him is boarding when I travel for work. He doesn't like facial hair on people so I have to make sure the kennel is aware. Wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world.
Ha! My dog also doesn't like facial hair, smokers, or motocycles. Have a 12 lb, 6 yr old rescue terrier. Boarding is usually our largest expense, though this year had some major unexpected dental cleaning/extractions totaling over $700. Apparently small dogs can have awful teeth issues!
-
I have a 10lb, 11 year old Pekingese. He is the lowest maintenance toy dog I have ever met. $8 per month on cheap senior dog food that he loves more than the expensive stuff. Plastic water bottles, tortilla chip and pesto are his favorite things in the world. He will go on 2.5 mile hikes in the woods with me then sleep for the next day. Most expensive thing about him is boarding when I travel for work. He doesn't like facial hair on people so I have to make sure the kennel is aware. Wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world.
Ha! My dog also doesn't like facial hair, smokers, or motocycles. Have a 12 lb, 6 yr old rescue terrier. Boarding is usually our largest expense, though this year had some major unexpected dental cleaning/extractions totaling over $700. Apparently small dogs can have awful teeth issues!
Dentals can be a small fortune!
-
Two 3 year old standard poodles. They *could* be very expensive dogs.
However.
My adoption fee for the two of them was $80 all in.
$200 for shots and three year licenses.
Probably $100 for those things dogs need... collars, leashes, a couple of toys, etc.
$100 or so for a mid range pair of clippers and trimmers so I can groom them myself.
And around $25/month for food and treats.