Inspired by Slave very kindly answering my question on another thread, I thought I'd start a thread where those in the know can discuss the real costs of responsibly breeding and raising a litter of pups until they go to their new homes. This is partly because I'm genuinely interested and nosey, and also to perhaps help people toying with the idea of breeding their pets to get a taste of the financial reality of doing it right. So, over to you :)
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
The true cost of raising a litter of pups
ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 20/05/2013 11:18
Gingersstuff · 20/05/2013 15:59
Ok, our beloved family pets, a yellow lad and golden retriever, had a wee liaison behind a tree the week before the boy's appt for the snip. Not planned but hey ho. She had ten pups, all big and healthy and they thrived but I put a lot of that down to the fact that DH and I took turns sleeping on the sofa for the first week and were up at all hours to make sure they were all getting fed (two of the girls were smaller than the others) and not squashed under the mother (even though we'd built a large whelping box the pups can still suffocate if you're not careful). We were extremely fortunate that DH was self-employed at the time and even though not ideal, could take the time off to be with the pups - it really is a 24-hour-a-day job for the first week or so and after that someone still needs to be with them pretty much constantly.
The parents are both from really good bloodlines and some of the pups went locally to people who knew the mum and dad and how lovely-natured they were..in fact our vet took the pick of the litter.
In all we sold the pups for just under £3000 (we kept one) and when we totted up all our costs - we honestly didn't make a bean out of it. In fact less than a bean.
Building/buying a whelping box, vet checks and increased feeding costs for the bitch (we were astounded at this, she was eating like a horse and you must feed good quality stuff for the pups), washer and dryer going like the clappers changing the bedding several times a day after the birth, husband taking the time off work so not earning at all for 8 weeks, newborn puppy milk to supplement bitch's milk when the pups got bigger, several vet checks, health tests, all inoculations, food bowls, puppy food, porridge, scrambled eggs, wet wipes, rubber gloves, cleaning stuff (we went through incredible amounts especially when they all caught a tummy bug ), making up puppy packs for the new owners...the list goes on. And you have to bear in mind that this all has to be paid for up front, before you see a penny from a potential owner.
One wee pup who seemed to suffer more than the others with the upset stomach ended up in the vets for 2 days just for rehydration and obs, cost us almost £300. But really nothing in the scheme of things considering what could have gone wrong...I have heard of litters costing thousands in vet fees due to unforeseen problems. We considered that we got off lightly, and mum took to the pups like a pro which was another thing that could have gone badly wrong and frequently does.
Once the pups get a little bigger they really are into absolutely everything and so need to have constant supervision - you'd be amazed at the tiny spaces they can get themselves trapped in!
When it came to selling, we vetted our owners extremely carefully and I absolutely loved the experience (we have two kids and they thought it was the bee's knees having all these pups around), I cried at every one of them going away and we got a beautiful girl pup out of it, but I wouldn't repeat it. It was physically, mentally and financially exhausting. If you do it right.
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