Please give a yearly budget for small, medium and large sizes, and any other obvious categories that might be different from the norm.
I come from a family background which did not believe in major surgery or exotic surgery for its pets, but took care with nutrition and preventive health care.
Maybe I should add that I don’t have a dog, but would like to get one and I’m concerned about whether I can afford one.
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to be a responsible pet owner you shouldnt even have a budget….just get whatever u need for ur animal to live
You can now buy insurance for ur pet. My dog got parvo and if it wasnt for the insurance I would have been out a lot more money.
about 1,000$
We have a credit card set a side for any dog related emergncy. It is like our insurance for him that we pay $30.00 a year for. The limit is $4000.00. You may want to consider that. Thank god he is healthy and we have not had to use it yet.
I spend about $40.00 bucks every two weeks on food Solid Gold Wolf Cub, plus we just got done with our 3 rounds of shots a month and a half ago that was about $300.00 then spay $85.00 then figure $30.00 heart worm meds prolly some where around $40.00 on flea meds and after your first shots there a yearly booster and check up about $150.00 to $200.00 now remember this is for a healthy dog, you will have other hidden expenses and emergency’s. And dont forget toys and treats. First year of my pupys life as long as she stays healty I will spend an estimated $1,500.00-$2,000.00 or so Black Lab
I think its hard to put a number (price) on things. Being a responsible owner is much simpler than that. Get them spay/neutered, get them obedience trained, feed them the best food you can afford, spend quality time with them, etc. Proper nutrition and preventative care is a lot more than some owners do for their pets. If that’s your background already, I’d say you’re well on your way to being considered “responsible.” Some people just get a dog, feed it the cheapest garbage from the grocery store (usually store brand food) and tie it up outside all day.
Sorry I can’t really give you budgets. I’ve never really thought about being a responsible owner in terms of money. Just care.
hm, it really depends, but i’m going to assume that your dog is already an adult with shots he got as a puppy, you feed him a high quality dog food (canidae) and that your vet pays about 50 dollars for examinations alone.
rabies – 30 dollars yearly. might want to get some other boosters every couple of years, so 100 dollars on some years.
30 dollars for a 40 pound bag of canidae. (x12-360)
100 dollars for two yearly checkups. (might need to go for more)
100 dollars on potential medications your dog may need.
100 dollars on heartworm.
100 dollars on flea/tick preventative.
then there’s the whole replacing food/water bowls, shampoos, brushes, toys…etc.
so about, 860 without counting the extras i just mentioned, and depending on other factors and the size of your dog…close to around 1000 dollars annually? give or take. (like the small dog would last longer on a 40 lb bag then a large dog would)
of course, you could just pay half of that on some years, or even more.
hope this helped.
2 small dogs here, $80 every six weeks for grooming, $400 annual on food & treats, $500 annual on vet visits, plus flea drops and heartguard, but the love they return to you… priceless.. LOL.
Since you arent being specific about what kind of pet it is hard to tell. A good idea is to visit a vet that you trust and/ or the humane society since they deal with care of all sort of animals. Today there are so many options for pets which also include insurance. I have 2 dog on large and a small one. I would estimate that 300-400 a year in exams and vaccines. Food = about 250 of course depends on brand. we have been pretty lucky to have our pets in good health and no emergencies have occurred. If you are willing to pay a monthly fee for insurance that averages about 50 month( in theory) that would come to 600 a year plus say 10- 15 % co-payments and about 5% for medication so you couls say that you would need about 1000 a year again it all depends on level of care needed but if you can start with having 1000 in a separate account then that would be a start.
It is impossible to assess this. Some dogs eat more than others and there could be health problem. Although I prefer preventive and homeopathic treatment, often a visit to the vets is unavoidable. Its almost impossible to determine what might be different from the norm. Dogs are expensive to maintain.
The thought of surgery appalls me, however this was absolutely necessary with one of my dogs. You must also consider the cost of the damage which a dog can inflict on your house and furnishings, they can chew the carpets and scratch the furniture.
If in addition to this, if you are working all day you must provide for care. A dog may become even more destructive if left alone all day, consequently you as a kind and caring owner may need to pay someone to take your dog out whilst you are at work.
If your not sure if you can afford one than you probably can’t. The expenses vary from year to year. A puppy cost more the first year as you have to get all the shots have them wormed and etc. Then after the initial puppy shots you have to get the boosters. Some are annually and some are every 2 to 3 years depending on the shot. So at least once a year they will have to go to the vet. Then you have food, treats, toys grooming if your not going to bathe them yourself flee prevention and heart worm.. If you are working and your dog can’t be trusted by itself then you will also need a kennel for it. Animals are expensive but they also bring great joy.