Owning a dog comes at a cost. It is not just a question of acquisition, far from it. Living with a dog requires some financial sacrifice throughout your life. It goes from simple food to health, including comfort. We suggest that you sweep all of your dog’s expense items.
Buying, adopting a dog and offering him the opportunity to live in good conditions comes at a cost. The purchase price is, in fact, only the initial “investment”. Many and important expenses are to be expected on a daily basis and the annual budget can vary under the influence of several factors . On average, the French spend 1% of their budget on their dog. Buying a dog shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The size of the animal, its breed, its origin, its state of health and its specific needs are among these data which determine the volume of costs to be devoted to it regularly. Before adopting or acquiring a dog, it is therefore necessary to take all these criteria into account in order to see whether, yes or not, we can allow our animal to live decently according to its income.
The price of acquiring a dog
When preparing to buy or adopt a dog, of course, we immediately think of the amount that we will spend at the time of its acquisition. This amount will depend on various factors, such as the origins and provenance of the animal, as well as its breed .
There are several ways to own a dog, all with different costs:
- Go through a pet store . The price will be lower than for the purchase of a puppy in breeding. However, it should be noted that the quality of life of dogs is not the best for them. In fact, you may have to spend more on health costs later.
- Individuals . If they are free to set their price as well, they generally have lower costs than a professional breeder. In fact, the price will be slightly more affordable. It is up to the buyer to ensure the good quality of life of the dog before purchasing. So that, here too, it is not necessary to go immediately to the veterinarian to recover poor health.
- Professional sellers (breeders) . They are generally passionate about dogs. If you are paying more, make sure that the quality of life of your future dog has been decent. Be careful not to run into dog factories, or unscrupulous sellers.
- A refuge . This is perhaps the most beautiful way to make a dog happy throughout their life. The shelters are very often non-profit associations under the 1901 law. Their leitmotif is the defense of animals. If it is not free, such an adoption obviously costs less than through an individual or a professional breeder. You will have to pay a contribution to the structure in question, generally of the order of 150 to 200 €.
- The Adoption service of Woopets . In the continuation of adoption in refuge. Woopets has 2 advantages since it allows its visitors to list the advertisements of dogs available for adoption and to contact associations and shelters that need help to find a family for their proteges.
The purchase of a common breed dog (Labrador, Boxer, etc.) costs a little more, between 200 and 500 euros . Prices are generally higher when it comes to puppies , especially purebred ones.
The quality of the progeny , the history of the parents (whether they have won competitions or prizes, for example) and the reputation of the breeding also drive up the cost of the purchase. If the dog is registered with the LOF and if it is very rare, the price can sometimes reach 2000 euros.
Daily useful accessories
If the dog is called to live in an outdoor kennel , count between 100 and 200 euros depending on the model . The more do-it-yourselfers can make it themselves, but you have to make sure that the kennel is raised, waterproof, insulated and spacious enough for the animal.
If he lives indoors, the dog must have:
- a comfortable bed and all his own. It can be a large basket (a hundred euros) or a small basket (from 30 euros), depending on the size of the animal.
The dog also needs:
- a bowl for his meals: you can either buy one ( 15 to 25 euros ), or allocate him a container. This must be deep and flared enough to contain the necessary amount of food and facilitate access to the dog.
- several toys for fun and a chew bone for tooth changes in puppies 4-7 months old. The toys cost around ten euros and the bone around 3 euros.
For maintenance :
- the brush is an essential tool. Count, again, 10 euros on average. As for the special dog shampoo, it costs around 7 euros.
- the collar and the leash cost around thirty euros, while the muzzle , compulsory for dogs classified in categories 1 and 2 (American Staffordshire Terrier, Pitbull, Tosa, Rottweiler…), costs between 5 and 20 euros .
Food expenses
Some owners opt for homemade food for their dogs, while others prefer to turn to industrial products (kibble, boxes, etc.).
A home-prepared diet consists of a third of rice or pasta, a second third of vegetables and a third of meat. For proportions, count about 30 grams per kilogram (of the dog’s weight) for each of these ingredients.
For the croquettes , check the quality of these. There are all kinds and at all prices ( from 30 to over 50 € ). It may be better to buy more for quality products and avoid a trip to your vet.
The bigger a dog, the more it will consume, the more it will cost you. You could also go for the homemade preparation of his meals. However, be sure to stick to your dog’s diet, otherwise you will end up with endless digestive problems. The diet consists of rice, pasta, vegetables and meat.
Health care expenses
A dog that does not have a specific health problem costs on average between 100 and 300 € per year. The difference is significant depending on the breed as well. A Chihuahua costs an average of € 250 per year, while a Saint Bernard will approach a thousand euros. Sums that are starting to be particularly important.
Veterinary expenses will be expected throughout the dog’s life and they can be numerous and quite expensive:
Read also: Buying a dog from a breeder
- if it is a puppy that has not yet been identified, it will have to be fitted with an electronic chip at 70 euros. The tattoo , it costs a little less (60 euros).
- vaccines (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis, rabies) will punctuate your dog’s first year, with several reminders. For each consultation, you will have to pay between 30 and 60 €. The vaccination schedule should be followed very carefully. If a reminder is missed, you will have to start the procedure again from its beginning …
- castration (200 euros)
- sterilization (300 euros) are optional, but avoid many inconveniences related to heat.
- the use of dewormer (7 euros) helps prevent the development of worms in the dog’s digestive system.
Small older dogs also need descaling (between 50 and 70 euros). Any veterinary consultations for various diseases are billed between 50 and 200 euros depending on the treatment administered. Some of these expenses may, however, be covered by insurance or mutual insurance.
To summarize, the annual budget for a dog is in a range between 5 00-2000 euros (indicative).
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