IT COSTS ALOT OF MONEY TO OWN A DOG

ORIGINAL: LoveMyDogCassidy

 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.

 
I don't think it's a matter of wanting to pay that much but having to pay that much. I know I don't want to pay that much but I'm happy with my veterinarian and I refuse to skimp on things for the sake of saving a few bucks. For example, if I really wanted to I could take my dog to the shelter and get it spayed/neutered for $35. There's a catch though... there's usually a 6+ month wait and the vet may not be knowledgeable about breed specific issues. Not only that, that time could be used to spay/neuter the dog belonging to someone who's really crunched for money. And like I said before, the price can seriously vary depending on where you live. I've heard the prices are very high on the East and West coasts. It's all about the cost of living. []

ORIGINAL: angelamarie

SO DON'T GET A DOG IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY IT WHAT IT NEEDS AND TAKE PROPER CARE OF IT. 

Whew, glad I got that off my chest. 

I'm tired of reading posts where the poster responds to suggestions about equipment or vet care with the answer "I can't afford that right now." 

So, let's make a list of what our dogs have cost us in the last year, so that if someone comes around thinking about getting a dog, they can see the reality of what it costs: 

Misty, 5 lb. toy poodle, 1.5 years old, since birth: 

Initial vet check and immunizations:  Between $100 and $200
Spaying:  $400
Bilateral Luxating Patella Surgery:  $2,000
Glucosamine and Chondroiton supplement:  $40/month
Toys and Chew Things:  Probably around $200
Bed:  $35
Obedience School:  Level 1, $140, Level II, $150
Food:  Now around 80 cents a day, but spent way too much money figuring out what food she'd eat.
Housesitter when we travel:  $200 week
Car Safety Seat:  $80
Harnesses, Collars, Leashes:  $80
City License:  $25
Microchip:  $35
Treats:  $2/week
Annual Exam with Heartworm Testing and immunizations:  $135
Heartworm Meds:  $45/6 months
Grooming:  $35 every 5 weeks. 
Miscellaneous:  Shampoo, Brush, Comb, Toothpaste and brush, ear wipes.

I'm sure I've forgotten alot of things, but others will fill in the blanks. 

 
I have been accused of spending too much on my dog, but that's a lot.  $400 for a SPAY?  Good grief.  I love Sally's vet, and we got her shots, a microchip, and a spay for about $250.
 
Also, my horse gets joint supps recommended by our vet, and for him it is $32 a month.

I know where you are coming from.  Here's what we spent in the first month of caring for our perma-foster Baxter.
 
  Vaccinations- $75
  Neuter and pain meds- $120
  Microchip- $30
  Food- $20 per month
  Toys, collar, etc- $50
  Flea meds- $25
+ Lisence- $50 (delinquent because he wasn't a puppy.  Stupid county)
_________________________________________________________
$340 in one month!
 
Keep in mind that this is one dog, for one month.  Overall for that month, we spent well over $2,000 just in vet bills. 
 

edited due to a pm I received

edited due to a pm I received

OH, heck, you all weren't supposed to comment on the ridiculous amounts I spent, you were supposed to say what You spent. 

But, to explain:  We did have a health guarantee on Misty.  When she was found to have bilateral luxating patella, her breeder refunded to us 100% of the money we paid for her plus $500 to contribute towards the surgery.  We also had the option of returning her to the breeder for another pup, but I would never have done that. 

On the spay costs, that was high, part of it is that I go to a vet who's a bit more expensive than others, but is someone I have trusted for over 20 years, he's never let me down.  He charges more for the tiny ones.  Also, Misty had to have a number of teeth pulled during the surgery, as she had the toy dog problem of teeth coming in before puppy teeth were out. 

ORIGINAL: angelamarie

OH, heck, you all weren't supposed to comment on the ridiculous amounts I spent, you were supposed to say what You spent. 

But, to explain:  We did have a health guarantee on Misty.  When she was found to have bilateral luxating patella, her breeder refunded to us 100% of the money we paid for her plus $500 to contribute towards the surgery.  We also had the option of returning her to the breeder for another pup, but I would never have done that

 
that makes more sense... i was thinking wow... i would have been a very unhappy camper if the breeder had not helped out and i would not have sent the little girl back either.  so how much would a spay run you without the added dental work?
thank goodness zoey (the chihuahua) had any trouble with her teeth.  sighs... but the girls do go in for annual cleanings...

I have had Zoe for a little over a yr.  I got her at the SPCA at the age of almost 2.  Here's what I have spent so far... I think, and keep in mind, when possible, I ALWAYS look for sales, etc.

Zoe: $150 adoption fee (spayed and had rabies shot for that yr.)
Vet visit and antibiotics right after I got her: $80
Crate: $50
Bed: $16
Toys: Let's say $75 approx.(most of Zoe's toys cost between 88 cents and $2)
Food: About $22, every 4 mths., so about $80 now.
Treats incl. marrow bones: About $50 (hard to guesstimate)
Shots: (1 rabies at clinics, 2 distemper one done at a clinic, one at vet)  $45
Annual vet visit this yr. for heartworm, distemper, and regular visit: $155
Emergency vet visit on same day as above vet visit for reaction to vaccine: $166
Vet visit because Zoe didn't want to eat and was lethargic: $42
Frontline plus: $56 for 6 mths.   (probably spent maybe $75 since I got her)
Interceptor: $65 total since I got her
Harnesses and leashes: $40 (not including all the gas I spent going back and forth to the pet store when the harness didn't work)
Obedience class: $75 for basic (discount because she is from SPCA), $50 for advanced obedience
Gluc/Chondroitin: free since my bf ordered it from work.  I give it as a preventative since she is so young....
Ester C: $12
Milk Thistle: $12
Other stuff: Fun stuff, Clothing (she gets cold in winter), etc.: $75-100

I am sure I forgot a lot, but keep in mind, everything is a lot more expensive for BIG dogs and Zoe is a little 10 lb. dog .

Hmm, for Maddi. I've had her since March 29, 2005 so I'll just go into detail of how much I've spent so far. She's a little over 1.5 years old.

Initial Purchase: $650

Food: roughly $500

Training/behavior Books: $30

Training Equipment : $80

Emergency Vet w/ overnight stay : $700

Regular Vet Visits w/ shots: $120

Spay and Dew Claw Removal: $120

Heartworm and Flea: $120

Excersize Equipment (AKA back pack): $95

Grooming Supplies: $60

Toys: probably $150

That's all I can think of right now.
This is for a grand total of : $2625 Which is probably more than I would spend on myself in 5 years (I'm very frugal when it comes to things for ME, but not for miss Maddi []).

This does not include time or gas money to take her places since I have to pretty much drive anywhere if I want her to get excersize. Owning a dog also puts significant stress on my time. At 19, I can't do anything without thinking about what Maddi will do... something I didn't think about when I got her [&:]. Anyway, I think she's a good primer for kids [].

ETA: Forgot
Crates : $250
Liscense: $32
 
Brings total up to $2907
 
I'm sure I've forgotten other things... so we'll say I've spent nearly $3000 on Maddi and I've had her about 15.5 months.

No critter is cheap!  Dogs are very expensive (though I gotta say I think the most expensive thing of all is Heartguard and Frontline for 2 dogs).  Luckily my parents pay for most of it but it won't be long until I'm out of the house and taking Cairo with me...then it's all on my back!
 
If you want to talk about a really expensive pet compared to it's size, think about rats!  I've paid about $300 in vet bills for ONE rat (so far), one visit simply because she hadn't been acting normal lately so that was $120 right there to be told she was perfectly fine and dandy.  The cage itself was about $100 and I feed them a mix of grain from the grocery store (costs $35 a batch and lasts a few months), as well as fresh fruits/veggies every day.  Then there's all the accessories, water bottles, food bowls, bedding, hammocks, igloos.  Not to mention rats almost always come down with respiratory problems and need to be put on meds for it, a typical vet visit is $45, and the meds themselves are between $20-35.  And if you can't find a breeder around but want to get rats with better genetic backgrounds, say hello to shipping costs.  $100 to fly a 9 lb or less carrier on Continental.
 
That's my biggest pet peeve, people who assume rats are nice, cheap pets simply because they cost $6 or less at a pet store.  At least most people realize that dogs require quite a bit of money because most cost $200+ to get in the first place.  I also can't stand it when people use the "I can't afford it" excuse for not taking a critter to the vet.  If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet!

ORIGINAL: Nikki_Burr

No critter is cheap!  Dogs are very expensive (though I gotta say I think the most expensive thing of all is Heartguard and Frontline for 2 dogs).  Luckily my parents pay for most of it but it won't be long until I'm out of the house and taking Cairo with me...then it's all on my back!

If you want to talk about a really expensive pet compared to it's size, think about rats!  I've paid about $300 in vet bills for ONE rat (so far), one visit simply because she hadn't been acting normal lately so that was $120 right there to be told she was perfectly fine and dandy.  The cage itself was about $100 and I feed them a mix of grain from the grocery store (costs $35 a batch and lasts a few months), as well as fresh fruits/veggies every day.  Then there's all the accessories, water bottles, food bowls, bedding, hammocks, igloos.  Not to mention rats almost always come down with respiratory problems and need to be put on meds for it, a typical vet visit is $45, and the meds themselves are between $20-35.  And if you can't find a breeder around but want to get rats with better genetic backgrounds, say hello to shipping costs.  $100 to fly a 9 lb or less carrier on Continental.

That's my biggest pet peeve, people who assume rats are nice, cheap pets simply because they cost $6 or less at a pet store.  At least most people realize that dogs require quite a bit of money because most cost $200+ to get in the first place.  I also can't stand it when people use the "I can't afford it" excuse for not taking a critter to the vet.  If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet!

 
As a former rat owner, I know exactly what you're talking about. Veterinary care for rats, or other small critters, can be very hard to find as not many vets know how to take care of them and it can be costly. I paid crazy money to have mammary tumors removed from my girls and it took me forever to find a vet that would euthanize my ratties when they were suffering.

Yeah, I have 2 lizards and recently had to take one of them to the vet for the first time--that was a pain!  You have no idea how hard it is to find a vet that does reptiles in this area.  I now have 3 different vets--one for the dog and cats, one for the horse, and one for the lizards.

Adopted 4-24-04
$94.50 to adopt (included spay surgery)
$15 for 1-year rabies' shoot from the shelter
unknown amount for 2 worming meds, didn't have to be seen.  DH just took in the worms for them to see!  LOL!
Heartworm meds for the first year
Microchipping (about $52 with the vet visit, microchipping, and the registration afterwards)
Bordatella and Distemper shots
$60 for an obedience class
Dog license obtained at shelter
 
2005
$73 Yearly exam (heartworm test, 3-year rabies shot and heartworm medication)
$10.25 for a dog license, which is more, because we didn't make it there, before March 31st.
 
2006
Yearly exam (heartworm test, no rabies, and heartworm medication)
 $47 Bordatella and distemper shots
 $10.25 Dog license
 
Plus countless bags of food, countless toys, countless bags of treats, a leash, a Lupine collar with lighthouses on it.  $5 for a Halloween costume, countless bandannas purchased either at Hobby Lobby for $.88 each, or at my church's craft sale.
 
My dog spoiled?  Nah.  She is pretty healthy, so she hasn't cost us a lot of money, at the vets.
 
On the vet issue, my last dog, Honey, had gone 3 days without eating.  We called her usual vet and the receptionist told me they could go up to a week without eating.  I didn't think that was a good answer, so I called another vet's office and got in that SAME day.  So, guess where we take Jasmine now.  Anyway, she got antibiotics for gastro-enteritis and he drew a complete blood count, a chemistry panel, and liver function tests.  Well, it turned out that she was really anemic, her protein was low and her liver tests were astronomical.  The antibiotics did perk her up for a little while longer, but it was soon evident, that whatever was going on, was taking its toll.  She couldn't eat, was losing weight quickly, so we put her down about a month later.

The cost of vetrinary care is regional to a great extent, tied to cost of living in your area of the country or your city. Vet bills in Boston are insanely high, just like everything else.
 
Russell is 15 months old, all costs here are approximate from memory and I'm sure I'm forgetting things -
 
Initial vet appt - $150
Follow up for coccidia - $75
Booster shots - $75
Collars, leashes, training harnesses - $150
Food - $30-40 a month, so about $450-600 to date
Toys - $200 probably
Training - $150 puppy K, $150 puppy grad
Neuter w/ preop bloodwork - $300
Grooming - $40 every 3 mo, so $200 to date
HW prevention - $100
Flea/tick prevention - $250
Vet bills for diarrhea episode - $150
City license - $30
One year boosters & yearly checkup - $175
Misc - who knows!
 

Geez....

I just figured out that in the 8 months I've had Teenie, I've spent $240 in bloodwork and shots, $110 for her dental, and $200 for her fatty lump removal. That's $550 in JUST vet bills. For one dog.

I spend a LOT more on Emma's vet bills. Since December, I've spent a couple of thousand dollars on Emma, in emergency vet care and pain management. She manages some precarious situations. A lot of her problems, I manage on my own, with veterinary support and advice.

Then, I make thier food. I buy clothes for them, since  they're small and practically hairless. I take them to obedience classes. Emma needs prescription shampoo. They both need joint supplements, and both get skin and coat supplements. I buy fleece blankets, whenever I see them on sale, b/c that's what I use for bedding. They're easy to wash. I buy diapers, for Emma. I buy chewies, trying to find something that doesn't make Em sick, and helps to clean their teeth. It's crazy expensive to have dogs. I am NOT rich, by ANY means, but I'm willing to put the dogs high on my list of priorities.