Running costs - of a dog?

Author
Discussion

The Moose

Original Poster:

23,122 posts

216 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
Following on from the thread about the cats, I thought the dog running costs would be interesting.

Cheers

The Moose

ChrisRS

1,787 posts

224 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

216 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
Time will be your biggest investment by far. But yes, it's worth it.

Peter101

1,594 posts

212 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
Decent insurance £20 per month, Good quality food £40 per month, none of that pedigree chum rubbish. Toys/chews £15 per month. Advocate £10 per month, Varied vet visits £100 per year. So Probably about £90 per month.

amare32

2,419 posts

230 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
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).

Blib

45,435 posts

204 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

rolleyes


You call that an attack dog?

This is an attack dog!!!

GRRRR!!!!



Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.

plg

4,106 posts

217 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
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?
Part ex for a cat.

RedexR

1,861 posts

221 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
quotequote all
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 smile

Ben Hughes

1,937 posts

186 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

rolleyes


You call that an attack dog?

This is an attack dog!!!

GRRRR!!!!



Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
You're both amateurs! You need Attack Dog Plus:


Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr

plg

4,106 posts

217 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
So PLG is right?
Cats FTW.

Cheaper, more independent and far tastier on a BBQ.

WorAl

10,877 posts

195 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

rolleyes


You call that an attack dog?

This is an attack dog!!!

GRRRR!!!!



Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
You're both amateurs! You need Attack Dog Plus:


Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr
PFFFT, at least have your dog savaging something to death














cptsideways

13,648 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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 hehe


CommanderJameson

22,096 posts

233 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

rolleyes


You call that an attack dog?

This is an attack dog!!!

GRRRR!!!!



Oh, and £30+ a month insurance and about the same in dog food.
You're both amateurs! You need Attack Dog Plus:


Dylan by BenjaminByronHughes, on Flickr
PFFFT, at least have your dog savaging something to death

Ah, now, you're doing it all wrong. You need a dog that can terrify its victim to death, just by looking at it:



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

damci

963 posts

225 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Costs for our Jack Russell X are roughly £13 insurance, £10-£15 in treats/toys and £10 in food a month.

Although it does save me £35 a month in gym membership as owning a dog is like having a little personal trainer.

bexVN

14,682 posts

218 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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!)

WildCards

4,061 posts

224 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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.

Matt106

383 posts

171 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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!

bexVN

14,682 posts

218 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
bexVN said:
Food £40-£50 for 15kg
yikes

What branded crap is that ?
purina pro plan. Not crap in my eyes and not the most expensive out there either.

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.

isee

3,713 posts

190 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
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...
A colleague spent 6k last year alone on sorting his ailing dog out. it just about scraped through with one foot in the grave and was on the road to recovery after spending months with the vets. So what does it do next? jumps into the slightly frozen pond on one of the walks last winter and dies...

Edited by isee on Wednesday 27th October 11:17

Mr Roper

13,171 posts

201 months

Wednesday 27th October 2010
quotequote all
Per month
Food = £30
Denti stix = £8
Treats =£10
Insurance = £17
Groomers = £25

All in about £90 per month

Shin bones from the butchers are about the only thing thats free smile