Posted: 5/26/2014 6:00:42 AM EDT
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Much is said about being a responsible pet owner and what that takes. I don't have pets, but have been wondering what the averaged monthly expense of responsible dog ownership is. Purchase, food, vet bills, collateral damage, etc., on a monthly basis.
What do you think? Let's put a price tag on it. Poll incoming. |
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I'm just curious. I'd like to have a dag, but I'm too lazy and irresponsible. Quoted:
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I would imagine a lot has to do with the specific breed. What kind of dog do you want? I'm just curious. I'd like to have a dag, but I'm too lazy and irresponsible. Then what's the point of this thread? |
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Mine run me id say about 30 a month for food, about that give or take for treats and snacks and etc. They run a lot more for gear, ( saddle bags, folding bowls for hiking, water bottles and etc), but the biggest thing I think new dog owners should be ready for other then money sink, is time.
When I come home its time to take the boys on a walk, play and all that. |
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depends on your dog.
i only adopted older labs. so i have spent lots on vet bills. a healthy dog, 50-75 bucks a month averaged over the year, food, normal dog shots, leashes, toys, flea and tick prevention stuff. if you travel the dog will be an additional cost. it is the vet bills that are unpredictable. one of my dogs cost me next to nothing in vet bills till the day the vet got call out. the one that got diabetes and had multiple surgeries for growths he cost me a bunch. i would say about 1500 dollars a year in vet and meds his last four or five years. i never kept detailed records. probably more. he was my last dog for awhile now. i always think he was worth it. but it was a financial burden. |
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depends on the breed, age, size, etc. Big dogs eat a lot more food that little dogs, annual vet exam, shots, flea/tic/heartworm meds, dog should be chipped, grooming, licensing, health care etc. As a dog gets older, expect to be seeing the vet more than once a year. I've got a small dog, older with some health and eyesight issues. Over the past 5 yrs he's cost us $100+/mo average. Priceless yes. |
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I pay $40 a month in dog insurance alone. Parasite meds $30 per month? Food and tinkle pads $20? $50 avg in vet visits, $70 boarding and grooming, $30 toys and treats and dog park fees.
I have a 5 lb dog with a natural hairstyle so I probably get off cheaper than most. Eta: he was lonely so I had to get him a friend last night. My bills just doubled. 
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It depends on a lot of things really. Size, breed, age, health etc.
I have a 12 y/o wire fox terrier for example that is in pretty good health but has little bit of arthritis in his hips that he's developed in the past year and so we spend about $25/mo on pain meds for him (they work good too). We didn't have that expense up until about a year ago. Also, because his coat gets out of control fast we have him professionally groomed every 3 months at $50 each time. Shorter haired dogs probably wouldn't need that. He's only about 45lbs though and really doesn't eat that much so food is less expensive than larger breeds. Maybe about $25/mo for him. His annual county dog license is $20. He shreds any toy you give him in short order too though and so you have factor in those as well. I'd say we probably spend $100/yr on those for him. |
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Depends on the health of the dog, indoor vs outdoor, breed/mut..
Pure breds tend to be higher...imho. Just a result of inbreeding. Outdoor dogs...exposed to more stuff that can land you at the vets...snake bites, mosquito exposure (heartworms), boofoo toads, bee swarms... My last dog was a 95 lb shep/dobie mix. Great dog. 35 lb bag of food every month (he got science diet), For the first 7 or so years I got him the flea and heartworm monthly treatment which ran about $70 for 6 months plus an annual vet visit for the script... I eventually gave up on that and just got an over the counter. He fooked up and charged a pit bull once and ended up with $300 worth of stitches. Then when he hit 11 years, he was arthritis was finally getting to him. A few vet visits for anti-imflamatory meds. Ended up putting him down at 12. Nothing super expensive with him. Then you got my mom and dad's ankle biter (chiuaua). That little shit has been a maintenance hog. She is down to one eye b/c the other ruptured last year over a weekend. She has been on all kinds of meds since they day they got her. Most of her issues are of my folks doing, they were feeding her puppy chow until she was like 10 years old. They cut up ham and turkey every single freaking day for that little shit. And she is a little bitch... Chunks of her ear were starting to fall off around the edges b/c the vet screwed up and took her off her blood thinners last year. My current dog. Another Shep mut. Took him to the humane society to get him fixed at 4 mos and got his shots...$100... Take him to the local Petco for annual vaccination clinic...last year it ran $120 b/c I got a 6 month hear worm preventative and test. Same 35 lb bag of food every 3 or 4 weeks. Not other issues with him. Indoor dog, likes to sit on the couch with me when I'm home. He did cost me a $100 one time when I let him get to close to one of the neighbor's pet rabbit..
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Quoted:
I'm just curious. I'd like to have a dag, but I'm too lazy and irresponsible. Quoted:
Quoted:
I would imagine a lot has to do with the specific breed. What kind of dog do you want? I'm just curious. I'd like to have a dag, but I'm too lazy and irresponsible. Irresponsible you say? Then a pet of any sort is not for you. |
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Quoted:
Irresponsible you say? Then a pet of any sort is not for you. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would imagine a lot has to do with the specific breed. What kind of dog do you want? I'm just curious. I'd like to have a dag, but I'm too lazy and irresponsible. Irresponsible you say? Then a pet of any sort is not for you. Yea, I figured that out many, many years ago. 
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