How much will we be spending on a new puppy in the long term?

[Dailywalk]

We’re hoping to get a puppy in the next few weeks/months but to try to be prepared I’m looking into how much it’s likely to cost in the long term. Once we’ve bought stuff like dog bed, car harness, toys, initial chip and jabs, then how much will be likely to pay going forward.

I’ve been told to expect about £10 in vets fees and about the same for insurance.

What kind of costs should I expect for food? Is £40 a month about right?

We will be walking it ourselves so no need for a dog Walker but is there anything else I’ve not thought of which will be a regular cost?

It’s likely to be a sprocker that we go for.

I don’t want to find ourselves with an unexpected regular fee so trying to do my research thoroughly now before we make a long term commitment.

We went to puppy classes and, while they would probably be of value to a first time dog owner, they were a waste of time and money for us. Good for socialisation but not much else.

We have a three year old beagle.

Insurance - £37 per month.
Food - approx. £30 per month but I buy via the company direct and use a subscribe & save service.
Poo bags - £2-3 per month.
Treats and chews - probably around £30 per month.
Vet plan for flea/worm treatment - £10/month - £120/year.

We also paid out £150 for four months of puppy classes, and for the first two years of his life we spent £30 a week on a dog walker/daycare type service.

Other costs to consider:

Kennels/home boarding if you go on holiday - around £35/night.
A dog walker/sitter if you're going to be out all day - around £10-12/hour.
Leads, bowls, collars, harnesses (multiple of each as they grow out of things and their puppy stuff won't last long). - we probably spend £30-40 per year on things like this.
Crate (if you plan on crate training) - for a sprocker, probably around £50.
Bedding and blankets - will need replacing multiple times as they'll have accidents and eat them - around £30 for a good bed and blankets on top - you can get these cheaply from B&M, ALDI etc.
Groomers - around £35 a go, and a spaniel will need to go fairly regularly - around every 8-12 weeks. You can learn to do it yourself but paying for good equipment will be around £150 or so.

Also think about things like how they'll travel in the car (crate, dog guard, crash-tested harness etc.), and how you'll pay for the inevitable damage that a puppy causes to your home and stuff!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Really helpful.

I am beginning to think sprocker might not be most suitable for a first time dog owner?

Sprockers are a mix of two high energy, high drive breeds (I have a cocker).
They are fab dogs but need lots of stimulation. You won't tire them out with exercise alone, you just make them fitter 😁 they need plenty of mental stimulation too.
My cocker needs an "adventure" rather than a walk - walking round the roads on lead is a poor substitute to hurling himself through undergrowth, nose to the ground, sniffy walks in the woods.
In the early months, when you can't walk them far, puzzle toys and feeders were a lifesaver. AwkwardPup isn't well at moment so on short walks, and the puzzle feeder is back in daily use.
If he doesn't get enough exercise & stimulation, he'll make his own fun... stealing things usually 😂
With the exercise & puzzle toys, he's quite happy to nap under my desk while I work.

@Dailywalk

Thanks for all the suggestions. Really helpful.

I am beginning to think sprocker might not be most suitable for a first time dog owner?

I would say not.

They are very high energy, will have a high prey drive and will need plenty of physical and mental stimulation to be happy.

I walk one - she can't go off lead as her prey drive is ridiculous - she tries to chase birds up the sides of houses on walks

Her personality is fantastic and she's great with people but she is also slightly insane

I think it depends a lot on breed, popular (expensive) breeds or breeds with known health issues insurance will be expensive. I have a small cross breed and his insurance is £11 a month (lifelong cover, £5000 a year per condition.)

£8 a month on pet plan (flea, worm, boosters and a vet visit yearly covered.)

Food is approximately £20 a month, he has butchers tripe tins and Crave dry food (he's very fussy and refuses all other dry food plus this combination seems to suit his dodgy stomach.)

Treats and chews around £10 a month.

We do agility with him a couple of times a month £30.

Blimey it adds up doesn't it!

What I will say is he's worth every penny 🐶😁

Spaniels are lovely dogs but high energy, they're working dogs really, so depends for much time you have to exercise and train a dog.

@Girliefriendlikespuppies can I ask who your insurance is with please ?

[quote pumpkinpie01]@Girliefriendlikespuppies can I ask who your insurance is with please ? [/quote]
It's called Perfect Pet insurance.

I haven't had to make a claim on it yet so can't say how quick they are to settle a claim!

Thanks , I bought mine in haste and i know it isn't the best I will have a look at them , thank you

They cost an absolute ton.

Things you don't think about but all rack up are:

• crate and run if you're using them.
• puppy proofing your house and garden- i .e., adding additional doors if needed, buying stairgates, wire covers, additional storage to hide anything you don't want the dog to get hold of.

-replacing the inevitable damaged expensive item that you forgot to store away and the dog chews. -toys. Unless you buy second-hand these cost a surprising amount, and you will need more of these than you thought possible. If you get a chewy breed you will also need to buy regular supplies of things like pigs' ears, or other chews.

• your clothing. You're likely to end up with holes in clothes and shoes in my experience for the first few months.

-more expensive holidays if you take them with you. Places that accept dogs are more limited and often full earlier. -vaccinations and other routine vet care, inc. worming and flea treatments. -holiday care, depends what you go for but can run into hundreds just for one week. -care for any evenings you want to go out and no responsible teen/ adult at home. Around here a 3 hour pet sit costs £25. Don't for a minute think you'll be able to leave a puppy for the first few months, and who knows, maybe it'll be much longer - I'm not there yet! -books, classes, behaviourists if needed... the list goes on. I thought I'd planned well but there were still things I hadn't thought of and there's a hole in my bank balance. Decent food is around £40 per month at least. Decent insurance for my breed is around £40-50 per month and is likely to go up over time.

But it's worth it!

I pay about 400 quid a.month for my dog. Food is 70 (Canagan), flea and worming tablets, 50 quid every 3 months, insurance over £100 a month (she had cancer when she was 2 and diagnostics and treatment were ££££). The rest goes on daycare and dog walking. Then there is grooming, annual vaccines, vet visits when it's not worth claiming because of the excess....

Don't think it's going to be a few quid a month..dogs are expensive. Mine is a golden retriever so she eats a lot and is 7 so her insurance costs are high, but still!

I reckon Panicmode1's estimate is somewhere in the right ballpark (weeps). My pets account for a surprisingly large proportion of my take-home pay.

Yes, one thing I forgot is insurance excess. Mine is £100 quid, but I only have to pay it once a year.

Other stuff - car safety harness if you're not using a crate. You'll get through a couple of these at least as your puppy grows, and one for when they are adult size. That's of course if you drive. Less of an issue if you don't.

You’ll pay more as the dog gets older. I pay £120 for food and meds.
£300 every three months on vets bills (he’s got health issues). Tore his knee, that was £5k.
I no longer pay insurance as it was £80 a month and the exclusions were getting longer and longer. I pay for what he needs, have savings to cover him and he’s ten now.

It's the vets bills that will cost you. You either pay something like 50 quid a.month to get good insurance or you end up paying that amount anyway when things go wrong. Then as they get old you need to set aside a serious amount for vets ( most insurers won't touch you once they get older) I reckon our last dog cost us about 6 grand in total over 10 years but the he was a king Charles and they have more health problems than most. Either way, it's the vets that cost the most money. Food/ treats etc are nothing in comparison.

Blimey. My poo bags cost 35p for 300 in either Tesco or Sainsbury's. My dog food is around £20 for six weeks. He isn't insured now as the cost goes up dramatically once they hit eight years old. Once you have the physical items you don't have to keep buying beds, crates, leads, toys. And no, a sprocker is not really suitable for a first dog.

My insurance is £20 for my 1 year old dog, it will increase every year. When my 17 year old dog eventually went we were paying £140 per month 🙈.

Get a quote for insurance and see...likely less for a cross breed so you should get a good one for £25 ish a month

I pay out £46 a month in insurance, £10 vet plan monthly & then £19 for a 2kg bag of dog food and I normally buy two a month, then £15 at the groomers every 6-8 weeks & then she may go in between that for another nail trim.

I've just got another as well so all that has doubled 😂. Worth every penny in my eyes though.

Oh and about £10 at the treat shop every Saturday 🤦🏻‍♀️

Does insurance cover everything? My colleague told me today they had to use an emergency out of hours vet recently and the bill was well over £1k.

No. We have PetPlan which is generous and comprehensive. Cat is old (prob same for dogs). Excess is 135 per annum annum and 80% of claims settled. £60pcm. Cat has arthritis and we break even.

Paid out to remove a broken tooth but doesn't cover scaling, etc. Nor annual check-up, vaccs, worming, fleaing, etc.

@Ragwort

Does insurance cover everything? My colleague told me today they had to use an emergency out of hours vet recently and the bill was well over £1k.

No.

What it does/doesn't cover will depend on each policy and whether you've claimed for various conditions before.

But as standard most policies won't cover flea or worm treatment, any illnesses caused as a result of you not vaccinating your dog, spaying/neutering and any complications, pregnancy and complications and regular dental care.

Some only allow you to claim once for a certain illness, too. So if your dog has had pancreatitis and has numerous flair ups, some policies won't cover you for anything after the first one etc.

@Ragwort

Does insurance cover everything? My colleague told me today they had to use an emergency out of hours vet recently and the bill was well over £1k.

As PP said depends on the insurance they took out which is why cheap isn't always the best. You really do need to look at all the T&Cs and compare.

Mine is pretty good and has paid out for a scale on his teeth which a lot won't cover but equally every 'new' condition per year sets me back £85 excess each time and we have easily had to pay that several times each year which mounts up. Our emergency out of hours vet also charges £180 just to see you so if your insurance doesn't cover your condition then you can see how quickly a bill can become four figures when you add on diagnostics and treatment.

Don't skimp on insurance, vets bills can be very high. Our small dog costs un £66 a month but we have already maxed out the £7.5K for one condition so have to pay for continuing medication for that. She also needed an emergency operation this week for something else which will be around £2.5K.