Dogs are friendly creatures.And when it comes to animals that are loyal enough to keep you company and still protect you, they are the First on the list. Dogs exist in various species and getting one is pretty intense. The price of also getting each one varies from one species to another. Also, when you decide to get a dog, you have to know that there are other things that you have to consider. While some of them are routine expenses that must be done to keep your dog safe, others are expenses that will suddenly come up. That is why we have written a whole article to make sure that you have an idea of how much it really cost to own a dog.
Costs of a dog and legal
When purchasing a dog, there are specific laws that should also be considered, and you might pay a stiff price if you don’t obey them. Additionally, remember that ignorance is no excuse, so we have also included some of the legal cost that you have to pay anytime you own a dog.
COST OF GETTING A DOG
When you want to buy a dog, the factor that affects the price include
- The breed of the dog
- If it was adopted or gotten from a breeder
- Where you bought it
Initial price of buying a dog
Before owning a pet, you have to purchase or adopt one. And the price of purchasing a dog mainly depends on the breeder or how popular the breed of dog you want to purchase is. The fact is that most breeders who are well-known and established and will tend to charge more for dogs than backyard breeders. Most of the time, the prices can also be affected by competition which will either make the price go up or down.
But it is very advisable to get dogs from reputable breeders. This is because you tend to get all the details and pay all the legal cost that comes with purchasing a dog. You will also get advice on how best to keep the dog and maintain it.
You can also get a dog by adopting one, and this can be done at a lot of pet shelters.
- Purchase fee : To get a dog, the price of purchasing one is estimated $200 – $1,500 (with an average of $592.70)
You can get the exact price for each breed from;
www.wallethub.com/cost-of-owning -a-dog/15563/ - First medical exam : It is imperative to have your dog checked out by the vet. This will tell you if there are any health problems that you need to look out for. It will also give you a general idea of the vaccines that you will regularly need the dog to take. The cost for the first medical exam is about $70.
- Spay/neuter fee : You can get your dog spayed or neutered for free, and this is because a lot of communities wants pet control to be done.
- Dog Crate : If you are the kind of owner that will want a place to keep your dog when transporting it, then you really need a dog crate and the price of getting one is around $50.
- Prices for collar, leash and tags : You will surely have to get some accessories when you buy a dog, and some of this accessories include collars, leash and tags. The price for this is also around $30.
COST OF MAINTAINING A DOG
One of the essential things that you must consider before purchasing anything is how much it will take to maintain it.So be it a car, a house and even a pet is how much it cost to support it. Therefore, prospective dog owners have also to know that owning a dog is not just a one-time expense. There are still recurring expenses that you must consider. Some of them are;
- Monthly cost of food : Food is vital to any living thing, and pets are also not an exception. One of the thing that you will regularly have to go to the store to purchase for your pet is food. You also should get professional advice for the best food for your dog as some of them have certain allergies and you might expose it to a wide range of health hazard when you feed it the wrong meal. The approximate cost of getting dog food is $17 per month.
- Cost for pet doctors (veterinary doctors) : It is very important to take your dogs for routines checks. You will also need to collect different vaccines and do important work-ups for the dogs. What you should know is that the veterinary doctor that you need to get must be a professional. The cost of checking your dog is about $27. But in case your dog is infected, here are the list of prices charged for treatment;
S/N
Service
Amount($)
1
Ear infection
90
2
Dental care
400 – 900
3
Allergy treatment
150 – 200
4
Diarrhea
200 – 3000
5
Knee surgery
1500 – 5000
6
Heartworm
1500
7
Bowel obstruction
250
8
Arthritis
300
9
Spleen cancer
1875
10
Poisoning
447
This list is from AVA and ASPCA respectively.
- Training, boarding, daycare and walking : Dogs are trained to make sure that they behave in a manner suited for keeping them as pets. You will also need to keep them in a daycare sometimes if you are not around or board them up when you are travelling, some of this cost include;
S/N
Service
Cost
1
Training
$170 per week
2
Boarding
$30 – $50per day
3
Daycare
$40 – $50 per day
4
Walking
$25 per hour
- Other essential costs : There are still a lot of things that you will need to buy or pay for when you own a dog. They include
- Grooming; you can groom your dog by yourself, but if you need assistance it is usually with $5.
- Toys and treats; you can buy them online or get them from a store with $15 per month
- Teeth cleaning; you can buy treatments for cleaning your dog’s teeth at home or take it to the veterinary doctor to do it for you at $15 per month.
- Vitamins; this is one expense that you shouldn’t compromise on. Vitamins help you keep your dog in good health over the cause of its life. $5
For the precise cost of dog accessories and price for dog care you can visit;
www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog
www.amazon.com/dogs-supplies-training-beds-collars-grooming
LEGAL COSTS
Insurance and legal cost are very necessary when you own a pet. So you might have to take care of various legal fees like health insurance. Paying up your insurance might reduce the cost of taking it to the veterinary doctor per month, but not that it is mainly for medical emergencies.
Dog tax is absolutely necessary and one of the forms that it is collected is through the collection of dog licensing. The license is also renewable and once in a while you have to pay a particular charge for renewing it.
When you buy a dog, it is extremely important to pay insurance for it. This is due to several policies that needs to be met. According to the association of British insurers, the charge cost of pet insurance is now more than £600. Some of the type of pet insurance that people do include;
- Accident only; this cover makessure that your pet is covered after an accident and not an illness. It may have time limit and a fixed sum of money will still be paid to the vet for each kind of accident.
- Per condition with time limit; this cover is usually cheap and it will cover accidents and illness for a maximum of 12 months. It has a maximum price and if the cost of treatment exceed the limit, you might have to foot the bill.
- Per condition; you will have no set fee limit with this kind of cover and you also won’t have a time limit for the treatment. It does not cover recurring illness but will cover any treatment for any period of time as long as you renew it.
- Lifetime; also called high level cover. This is the most comprehensive type of cover and it is also the most expensive. You have to renew it each year but it covers almost every accidents and illness for any number of time. The cover has a fixed price and you might have to pay the excess.
Furthermore, the cost of your pet insurance will depend solely on the size of the breed and the insurance provider. Some of this legal cost include;
Cost for Dog tax; this does not apply to every locale, but you might want to ask the breeder you purchased the dog from if it applies to you. To get an accurate tax amount for your dog, visit;
Cost for dog insurance; when your dog gets into trouble or ingest what it’s not supposed, the cost of getting it out of the situation might be a little be exorbitant. That is why you need to have insurance for your pet. To make it easier on your wallet when anything goes wrong.
You might also need to visit the site below to get the exact price that various pet insurance providers charge;
www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/dog-and-puppy-insurance
www.petplan.co.uk/dog-insurance/
Paying dog insurance is absolutely not compulsory, it really depends on you and if you think your dog is in great condition and wouldn’t get sick, and then you can take it out. But the cost of medical treatment for dogs are pretty high and anything might happen. So it is kind of advisable for you to be prepared for any eventuality.
All these costs are very important as a dog owner. They may seem quite exorbitant, so we have added a few ways to save a bit of money without making any compromise that might adversely affect your pet.
- Use pet insurance to reduce the amount you spend at the vet.
- Adopt a dog rather than buy one.
- Take preventive measure to avoid your dog becoming sick
- Buy moderately-priced toys.
- When buying your dog food, do enough research to buy the ones that are moderately priced but still satisfy the needs of your dog.
So before buying a dog make sure that you have checked all the cost that you be required to pay. Also, know the health status of the dog and how best to treat the dog. The breed matters a lot, so make sure you get the one that is best suited for you and your family.