IT COSTS ALOT OF MONEY TO OWN A DOG

wow...if i had to spend that every year i would not be able to afford a dog either.
why are you spending so much on surgery and suppliments on such a young dog.  did she not come with a health guarantee?  both of my dogs came with a two year health guarantee. 
i train my dogs myself so that is not a cost... city license one time fee of $1 per dog
beds... they share ours and use the couch when it is available
grooming do my own...even when i owned a standard poodle..
there are much cheaper ways to have a pet... and my girls do not feel at all slighted

Wow 400 dollars for a spay!! Wow that is on the expensive end
 
Here is my list of things so far:
 
First vet checkup: 30 bucks (There is a pet supplies store that is owned by a vet and he gives me discounts [])
 
Shots: about 10-15 dollars (I buy and inject them myself)
 
Food: About 70-80 dollars so far but will be a bit more expensive since switching from Beneful [:'(] to Exclusive []
 
Toys: 40 dollars
 
Crate: 60 dollars
 
Leash, Collar Bowls etc: 20 dollars (roughly)
 
Initial Purchase: 300 dollars
 
Roughly 600 dollars and ive only had her 3 months!!! OMG I never realized a dog was so expensive [&:]

Wow, you spent alot!!
 
I have 2 dogs (parents pay all the vet bills and food and such, I buy toys!!)
But Maggie was
Adoption Fee --- $75.00 (was already spayed)
Micro Chip---$10.00 (Humane Society did it, discounted)
Food-- Not sure, probably about $30-40 every 2 weeks or so
Treats- Depends on how quick she goes through them but about $10-15 a week
Crate was 45.00
She doesn't have bedding, she destroys it!! Waiting until she gets a bit older.
Toys --  about $20 a month, or as needed ( she's a chewer!)
Vet Bills--- in the 4 months we have had her about 200.-250.
 
Skylar my other dog
 
Was adopted at NSAL ( in NY) I think it was 90.00 and got a Spay certificate.
All of her Vet bills (she's 6 yrs)---- About (give or take as parents pay) 2000-3000 (including medicines and etc.)
Bed--35 dollars ( she gets a new one every 6 months cause they get stinky)
Food--- 75-90 a month
Toys-- not much about 10 a month ( she really likes soccer balls)
 
So, yea they are expensive. But things happen in life and situations arise that sometimes take precedence over the dogs needs, should it? Well, life happens. People come first in that case, IMHO.
 
Kristie
 
 

angelmarie,

I know where you're coming from.  Every time I go into the pet store the bill ends up being over $70.  And Xerxes gets a blend of two different foods that are sold in entirely different locations...so add gas/travel expense to your list.  Emergency vets/specialists-that's big bucks there too.  One 5 minute trip to a canine dermatologists cost me $200.  (He's the best but wow, what a jerk he is!)

heidandseek:

Usually a "health guarantee" means that you get a "replacement pet."  With my family it's always been: Once you're a family member, you're in the family forever-like it or not.  We had a Peke puppy that ended up having an ulcerated cornea (not uncommon in the breed) We'd had her 2 weeks.  Did we send her back for a refund or exchange her? (both of which were offered by the breeder.)  Nope we fixed the problem and kept our beloved Sophia (who is 16 years young now.)  And the supplementation is to keep the joints healthy and lubricated.

We lucked out in some respects in that we adopted an adult shelter dog...because she was over 7 years old they cut her adoption fee in half, so she cost $60. She came spayed, so that was free, she also was already microchipped and UTD on everything except a yearly rabies shot.

Even so, it has still already cost us hundreds of dollars to own her and we've had her only 2 weeks or so! After the adoption fee, there's buying the very basics of owning a dog - a bed, a crate, leashes, bowls, toys, food (which ideally for most dog owners should not be the cheapest stuff possible,) and treats and grooming supplies.

Then we've spent a good chunk of change fighting her flea problem...spray for the house, spray for the dog, baths, and 3 months of Frontline.

She got tapeworm from her fleas...so add 2 months' worth of worm medication. Plus a years' worth of Heartgard, to help keep her free of other worms.

And we had a dog trainer come to our home to evaluate her and work with us.

So, just from the get-go, even though we have a relatively healthy dog, that came with at least the basics covered, it's still not a free ride. And, like humans, it's not usually as though healthcare costs go down for them as they age. This is definitely something prospective owners should keep in mind! Just because a dog is fine one day doesn't mean they won't get fleas, or get injured, or get cancer, or need surgery someday -- just like any other living thing. So naturally anyone planning to adopt an animal should be prepared to accept the possibility of needing to pay for these kinds of things.

edited due to a pm I received

ORIGINAL: LizzieCollie
Wow 400 dollars for a spay!! Wow that is on the expensive end...

 
That's what I thought, too.  I don't think it costs that much around here to spay a large breed dog.  It cost us about $65 a year for Mick's check ups and vacs, and about that for the Interceptor.  Then again, I have a vet with very reasonable prices.  I never did figure out how much a day food and treat cost.  As for supplements, the ArthriSoothe was something like $40 a year.  Cholodin was more- about $10 a month, depending on where I bought it.  The other supplements were Biotin, MSM, and vitamin B Complex which cost about $5 a month all together.  Mick had a growths removed over the years, as well as an endoscope, each running about $70- $100 a piece.

Dogs do cost a lot!

Gracie $1000
Spay/Dewclaw removal $700
Microchip $40
Vaginal Infection $120
Skin Infection (from Hotspot) $180
Allergy Testing $500 (not including serum treatments)
Food $600 yearly
Interceptor $80 yearly
Frontline $100 yearly
Toys/Treats/Collars etc. $240 yearly
Several Suppliments/Vitamins $75 yearly
Beginning Obedience Training: $120
____________________________________
Total So Far:  $3755.00

..and we've only had her for 4 months! The love and joy she brings to our lives is priceless.
 
edit:  I forgot training!

Humm I wonder what my total cost for Gizmo is? Well mine is going to be much less only because I get a 50% discount on any medical care because I work for my vet.

Total cost up to now, 14 monts old
Cost of abounded puppy left at neighbors doorstep: Free
Puppy exam with everything possible to test for: $50
2nd puppy exam: $15
3rd puppy exam just because I worrie to much: $15
Spay: $120
Ruptured anail gland and meds: $50
Express anil glands ever 3 weeks. $5/week till I started doing it myself = $25
Torn crucit ligiment meds: $40
X-rays: $60
Finding out about birth defect: no $ cost but a lot of emotional stress
Surgery to fix birth defect: $500
meds after surgery: $30
Arthritus supliments 10/mo = $140
Lance abcess: $15

Flea and tick protection: $100
Food $80/month = $1,600
Toys $300+

Training
private lessions $120
Group session $75
Gas money to drive 80 miles to get there... don't ask

Several personal stuff destroyed... no clue

Stuff I forgot to add to list...

Now that I think about it I don't even want to add it up and to think it would be double that if I didn't work where is did...

I was involved in a post about this recently. 

I feel like you should be able to pay for all the necessities of living plus medical care.  AND, have money aside if the dog needs to see a vet even if it's on a weekend and you need to see the ER vet. 

I see lots of posts that say the dogs been sick for days and still hasn't seen a vet.  That's not my idea of responsible dog ownership.   I don't understand when someone posts that the vet won't see them or doesn't have an appointment until Monday or whatever.  It makes me think these people are not already established patient's with the office.  Because Willow's vet would never turn her away if they were open, especially for a sick visit.  And, if her vet couldn't see her or wasn't there and the office was open one of the other vets would see her.  Or, at the very least someone would call me and give me over the phone advice.
 
I just don't understand that we couldn't get an appointment stuff.

ORIGINAL: heidandseek

ORIGINAL: Xerxes
heidandseek:

Usually a "health guarantee" means that you get a "replacement pet." 

 

well mia's health guarantee will give me my money back if i want to keep her and treat the condition.  of course i spend more on her than a couple hundred of dollars too.  she is a very strongly pedigreed dog and her parents are all tested for genetics and verified so running into a health problem is very unlikely.

zoey came from a friend who breeds and shows... i got a huge discount...but her parents too have been tested for genetic problems. 

my point was a dog that young should have had some recourse and that should have been showed as a credit instead of a debit if the dog came from a responsible breeder.  which imo are getting harder and harder to find....too many byb's getting on the bandwagon to make a buck.... very sad

My breeder(s) health guarantees are that in the event something bad should happen, I get to keep my dogs and will get vet bills paid up to the amount of my purchase price. My dogs came from responsible breeders but unfortunately, you can't control genetics. Even the most well bred dog can end up with health issues and some of those health issues can exceed the purchase price. And you also have to keep in mind that if a person adopted from a shelter or rescue, chances are they are not going to get reimbursed for any health issues. Quite honestly, once the dog is mine I feel any vet bills that are incurred are *my* responsibility as that's part of owning a dog.

Anyhoo, my monthly expenses are mainly food and that's about $100 and that's including all my critters. I buy Shiloh Glucosamine/Chondroitin and I get that for around $45 every 2 months(I get it at discount at work not to mention it's usually buy one get one free)So far this year, I've spent around $820 in veterinary care(Shelby's spay, Souffle's teeth cleaning, heartworm medication). The dogs go for their annual in September so that will probably be around $190. I probably spent around $150 for pet supplies(toys, stuff for the other critters). Shelby's obedience classes cost $135.  I'm sure there's other stuff I'm missing but yeah... pets aren't cheap.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to prices is that it does vary depending on where you live. I live in Chicago and things aren't cheap around here.

I have seen dogs come in to the vets who if they had only gone in a few days before they would have lived. Many puppies die of parvo, this is treatable if caught in it's early stages! Of corse it can also be prevented if these same people got their puppies vaccinaed to beguin with. It breaks my heart everytime I have to bag up a puppy becuse it died of something so preventable because the owners didn't want to pay for a simple puppy exam or waited to long to bring it in. Even if my dog has something slighly not right to me, she goes to the vet that day, I never just wait and see! I even have my vet's home phone #, and cell # on my phone and have had to use them.

Oh and another thing, I have an "emergency" credit card stashed just in case. God forbid something bad happen because emergency vet care isn't cheap and they usually require payment upfront. I believe everyone should have an "emergency" credit card, even for human emergencies, because you never know and I'm not filthy rich were I could come up with $5000+ right away. That's something to keep in mind.

No way I could add up everything right now! Too late for that [&:]
 But, I am surprised at how much some people have to pay, or even that they don't have to, but they do. Such as $700 for a spay/dewclaw removal? Or a whole lot for extra supplements and surgeries? I mean, I know you can't help it if the dog needs surgery for something, but it does seem that sometimes there are things you don't really need to pay that much for.
 Here's what I can think of:
     Cassidy - $25 ( From a breeder, but one dog had accidentally bred with another breeder's dog, and the pups were crossbred)
     Vet- Who knows...it's getting to be a couple hundred for each visit
    Spay was only $100 or $115, I wouldn't pay any more than that, if I didn't have to!
    Obedience/Agility classes- about $220 for 3 class sessions ( 8 weeks each)
  Food- about $100 a year
  Toys/Treats- a lot, whatever I feel like spending!
  Leashes/collars, etc- maybe about $75 by now

Sorry I can't think at this time of night.....