Running costs - of a dog?
Discussion
I drive a Disco and named my dog Disco, basically their very similar, most months they cost basically nothing, till something goes pete tong and your looking at a massive bill! Wouldn't change either of them though, after a really bad day at work and a bad commute there's nothing that could replace the feeling when you see his tail wagging as you walk through the door.
I would have thought it depends on breed and size dog you have. It's a bit like the larger the dog, the bigger the pile of sh!t it leaves behind for you to scoop up. Disgusting I know but you've got to think practical. My parents used to have a yorkshire terrier (which lived with us for 16 years - bless him) probably cost us no more than £10 in food a week with a couple of vet visits a year so budget about £200 for that. Didn't bother with pet insurance back in the days (1988 - 2003).
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
From Zero upwards.
Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled f
king spring I tell ya.
You call that an attack dog?Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled f
king spring I tell ya.This is an attack dog!!!
GRRRR!!!!
Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Quinny said:
Got 2 small dogs, and never bother with insurance... we do however have a £50 quid standing order that goes into a "pet account"...
All normal worming, flea treatment injections etc, are paid from our normal account, anything else comes from the pet account...
Been doing it this way for years, and it seems to work.....Last year one dog was poorly and pretty much wipped the Pet account out...... this year has been ok and its currently sitting at £700 odd quid..... we're well aware that 1 serious incident could wipe it out again....but there comes a point where you have to make a decision...
What? to up the standing order?All normal worming, flea treatment injections etc, are paid from our normal account, anything else comes from the pet account...
Been doing it this way for years, and it seems to work.....Last year one dog was poorly and pretty much wipped the Pet account out...... this year has been ok and its currently sitting at £700 odd quid..... we're well aware that 1 serious incident could wipe it out again....but there comes a point where you have to make a decision...
Bear in mind it's not just a cost issue but also a commitment especially in the first six months of ownership , no leaving the house for hours on end , staying away at weekends without making arrangement's for your new Rover , on the plus side you will save a fortune otherwise spent socialising , get plenty of exercise and meet lot's of other owner's to compare notes with 
Blib said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
From Zero upwards.
Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled fking spring I tell ya.
You call that an attack dog?Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled f
king spring I tell ya.This is an attack dog!!!
GRRRR!!!!
Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr
Ben Hughes said:
Blib said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
From Zero upwards.
Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled fking spring I tell ya.
You call that an attack dog?Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled f
king spring I tell ya.This is an attack dog!!!
GRRRR!!!!
Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr
We have two Springerdors, one of who'm has a permanent long term issue having Adissons disease, so always on pills & fairly frequent blood tests etc. So possibly worst case on the £'s front. Even still it's only about an extra £400 a year in bills overall. Worth every penny though.
Other than that its about £50 a month on food, though my main issue is having to valet the wifes car anytime I need to use it
Other than that its about £50 a month on food, though my main issue is having to valet the wifes car anytime I need to use it
WorAl said:
Ben Hughes said:
Blib said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
From Zero upwards.
Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled fking spring I tell ya.
You call that an attack dog?Insurance for our Attack dog is about £13 a mo.
A sack of good quality Dog food is £24 a 15kg sack. Lasts about 2 mo.
Hope you don't frighten easily. Here is a live shot of said attack dog. Like a coiled f
king spring I tell ya.This is an attack dog!!!
GRRRR!!!!
Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr
I've got two of these fearsome beasts, and they cost about £20/month to feed and about the same to insure.
Edited by CommanderJameson on Wednesday 27th October 09:19
Variable depending on type (some breeds predisposed to potentially costly conditions) but all need the following
Puppy vaccines £50-£60 then yearly booster £30-£40
Worming Monthly for first year then every 3 months for rest of life.
Food £40-£50 for 15kg
Insurance £10-£40 depending on cover and company
Flea tx monthly
Bedding, leads, toys, crates dap diffusers etc etc
Plus extras social training classes, puppy parties (though these are often free)
Neutering £100-£200 depending on sex and size.
I think that covers most of it!
Doesn't include your own time and commitment.
Insurance example my dog had big hole ripped out of him by another. Several weeks of intense tx cost £1200. I couldn't pay that myself (may have got money off other owner but no guarantees) yet he was going to recover I would hate to think I'd had to consider putting down my dog due to no insurance (same when my cats bill reached 4.5k!)
Puppy vaccines £50-£60 then yearly booster £30-£40
Worming Monthly for first year then every 3 months for rest of life.
Food £40-£50 for 15kg
Insurance £10-£40 depending on cover and company
Flea tx monthly
Bedding, leads, toys, crates dap diffusers etc etc
Plus extras social training classes, puppy parties (though these are often free)
Neutering £100-£200 depending on sex and size.
I think that covers most of it!
Doesn't include your own time and commitment.
Insurance example my dog had big hole ripped out of him by another. Several weeks of intense tx cost £1200. I couldn't pay that myself (may have got money off other owner but no guarantees) yet he was going to recover I would hate to think I'd had to consider putting down my dog due to no insurance (same when my cats bill reached 4.5k!)
I pay £7.50 per month for insurance and £8.50 per month for dog food (Dr Johns Gold as recommended by the breeder). Two beds, and endless supply of tennis balls and plenty of walkies and she's a happy girl.
Our insurance was £20 per month, but after using a comparison website, we managed to get it to what i've written above for the same level of cover. She's an English Pointer BTW.
Our insurance was £20 per month, but after using a comparison website, we managed to get it to what i've written above for the same level of cover. She's an English Pointer BTW.
It can be a big expense but this depends on the size of the dog.
I currently have a Doberman cross Dalmation who is fairly big. On average he costs us £45+ a month for food and insurance.
On top of that he is flead every 3 months with frontline (6 pack - £27ish).
Worming and vacinations are also another expense but can't think of how much we pay now!
We also need to walk him about 2hrs a day for some peace and quiet!
I currently have a Doberman cross Dalmation who is fairly big. On average he costs us £45+ a month for food and insurance.
On top of that he is flead every 3 months with frontline (6 pack - £27ish).
Worming and vacinations are also another expense but can't think of how much we pay now!
We also need to walk him about 2hrs a day for some peace and quiet!
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
bexVN said:
Food £40-£50 for 15kg
What branded crap is that ?
My dog has been on it all his life and is in fantastic condition. I tried a cheaper food once, it was not good to him.
I'm not against all cheaper foods (chappie springs to mind) cheap foods are cheap for a reason and they are generally poorer quality a 15kg bag lasts my dog 3 months. Cheaper food tends to need bigger quantities being fed so doesn't last as long.
Quinny said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
What? to up the standing order?
Not quite what I had in mind no.....There comes a point where it becomes unafordable, to carry on treatment....
Fortunatly, we've never been there, but if one of my dogs developed a condition that was going to wipe out the fund, and carry on after.... I know I'd have to do somthing I would hate...
Edited by isee on Wednesday 27th October 11:17
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