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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

How much does your dog cost every month?

95 replies

Corgi887 · 27/05/2022 08:15

I'm devastated, but giving our dog decent care is becoming unaffordable with all the other increasing costs we are facing.

It is costing us almost £800 a month for doggy daycare and insurance. We love him dearly and just wonder if we are the only ones in this situation. Our dog is very anxious so needs constant company - a dog walker is a much worse option.

For what it's worth - I feel absolutely worthless, I never thought we would ever every ever be the sort of people who would have to either give up their dog or reduce his quality of life by just having him home alone.

OP posts:
Ylfa · 27/05/2022 09:21

About £15 a week raw food, I swear it was £6 ish until recently. Could do it much cheaper but too lazy so use processed ready to feed frozen stuff. £32 insurance. I think this has also gone up lots. Dogs are so central to my life I can’t imagine doing a job incompatible with canine company.

easyday · 27/05/2022 09:21

I pay:
£17.50 for vet plan (this includes annual check up and shots and all flea/ worming treatment and 10% off any vet cost in addition.
£7.50 in dog treats
£30-40 in food depending on brand
So £65 max.
I used to have insurance, but it went up to £70/month and I never claimed and once my dog turned 10 I stopped. I have enough funds should he fall ill.
I WFH so do not need a walker or day care.

If we go on holiday then it's £30-35/day for boarding. Haven't done that in two and a bit years, but say an average of ten days in a normal year so that's £350/annually.

easyday · 27/05/2022 09:23

Oh I forgot groomers! My dogs don't shed so that £60 every three months. Ok so I'm up to £85/month plus £350/year if I go away.

LynneBenfield · 27/05/2022 09:25

Insurance - £60
Food & natural treats (chicken feet, cow ears etc) - around £125 (I buy in bulk but it breaks down to about that per month)
Flea, worm & vaccine subscription with our vet - £18

So around £200 a month for a young, active, working large breed. No daycare or ongoing training costs. We are with him 98% of the time (semi retired/WFH).

Ylfa · 27/05/2022 09:25

Meanwhile food budget for me is £40-50 every four weeks. Yet I weigh about 4x more than the dog Hmm

serenghetti2011 · 27/05/2022 09:33

£100 a month
could you try a dog sitter
trainer to work on the anxiety of being left alone? Thankfully mine doesn’t but has a few other issues we are having 1:1 training for
sorry this is happening I hope you find a solution that helps you keep your pup

Badger1970 · 27/05/2022 09:39

If your dog is this reactive to being left, it may be kinder to rehome to someone that can spend more time with them. Day care won't help because they're not with you. It's not about company, it's your company. They must be incredibly stressed all the time and that's not good for them.

I've got a working cocker spaniel that's hugely attached to me, and comes to work with me. I can't even close the bathroom door because he will sit the other side and howl. He was a rescue and became incredibly fixated on me from day 1. When left, he chews his tail and gets incredibly distressed. Our other spaniel happily goes to anyone and is a completely different character.

Tubbyinthehottub · 27/05/2022 09:45

About £200 a month for raw food, treats, flea and wormer, insurance, groomer, dog walker once a week

Trytryandtryagain11 · 27/05/2022 10:20

I really feel for you, I think if the amount of money is really crippling you, you might just have to make a decision between what would be better for your dog. For mine for example, I would probably leave him at home maybe half the time before I re-homed him as think that would be the better choice for him given the alternative.

Our costs are:
£180 insurance (this is crazy I know but I'm scared to cancel it now)
£80 food
£150 daycare (once a week, I otherwise WFH)
When I worked in an office, we also had the huge daycare bills as I couldn't bear to leave him home alone, he get's extremely anxious BUT they did a half day which was great as they would pick up and drop off at the same time giving him a routine, and he was on his own 2-3 hours either side which really helped him get used to that too.

redbigbananafeet · 27/05/2022 10:29

It's very difficult but why did you get a dog when you'd no one to care for them
During the day?

ApolloandDaphne · 27/05/2022 10:32

£165 per month. £50 food, £15 vet plan and £90 insurance (she is an elderly dog who has had a few ops so this amount is worth it for us. No daycare needed as I am retired. She is worth every penny.

RedRobyn2021 · 27/05/2022 10:39

Doggy Daycare is excessively expensive, the one our dog goes to once a week is £21 a day! Just went up.

I'm not sure how much she costs

£50pm on dog food
£22pm on vetcare payment plan (for flea treatment, worming etc)
£25 per month on insurance
£84 per month on Doggy Day Care

I'm at home a lot as I only work 3 days a week, on those 3 days she usually goes to my mums, they have a large garden and 2 other dogs for her to play and wonder round with

Could you maybe get another dog to keep her company? Or perhaps go to a dog behaviourist for help to leave her alone more?

Really feel for you

Snog · 27/05/2022 13:12

Could you get a side hustle going for some extra cash?

Hugasauras · 27/05/2022 13:14

£30 food, £17 insurance, £100 for a dog walker two days a week. We could do without the walker, but DDog adores her so we kept it up after my maternity leave.

We did just have an £800 bill for some teeth cleaning and lump biopsies, partly covered by insurance.

Hugasauras · 27/05/2022 13:15

On and groomers is £35 every couple of months when she starts looking like a sheep.

nearlyspringyay · 27/05/2022 13:16

Snog · 27/05/2022 13:12

Could you get a side hustle going for some extra cash?

GrinGrinGrin

Ours is about £200 for meds, food, insurance. £40 three times a year for grooming.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 27/05/2022 14:35

If your dog is that reactive, I would consider getting him on some anti-anxiety medication from the vets - please speak to them as medication can make the world of difference to some dogs.

Mine costs me:

Insurance - £37/month.
Food (bought in bulk) - £35/month.
Chews - £20/month.

I'm a dog walker so he comes to work with me, or my in-laws look after him on days where I'm unable to take him. If they couldn't have him, our local kennels do daycare for £10 a day and he'd go there.

Flea/worming treatment I buy online at maybe £20 every few months.

tiggergoesbounce · 27/05/2022 14:40

Food and grooming £80 a month.
Im not sure on insurance
We pay £15 standing charge to vets for wormers, flea stuff etc

So probably £120 a month.

A quick vet trip is £70ish

Dont feel like a terrible person if circumstances outside your control have changed, you just can't help it but do what if right for the dogs and only you really know what this is

Plantstrees · 27/05/2022 15:01

I am struggling to understand why you got a dog if you work all day or have your circumstances changed? I really don't think its fair on any dog to stay home alone all day so I don't think a behaviourist or some of the other suggestions are going to help in the longer term.

wtfisgoingonhere21 · 27/05/2022 15:08

I was going to recommend borrow my doggy.

You match with people that are around and nearby and they have the dog for however many days a week etc.

A friend of mine does it so she has a dog two days a week while the wieners working as friend works from home.

Dog gets a good morning and lunchtime walk and cuddles and just has the company of being with a human or two.

Works really well for them

EdithStourton · 27/05/2022 16:04

For two medium sized dogs:
Food: 100pcm
Vet club (vacc, flea, worm): 35
Treats: 15-20
Plus petrol to drive to more interesting walks.

However, I train my dogs, and that costs a bloody fortune. I belong to a gundog club and that is cheap (£6 per 2-3 hour group session), but any one-to-one training is £45/hr.

TerrierOrTerror · 27/05/2022 16:26

Food - £50
Treats and Chews - £25
Grooming - £45 (£90 every 8ish weeks)
Insurance - £40
Daycare - £300 (2 days a week for 9-10 hours)
Behaviourist (light touch package) - £50

I would say probably another £75 on top for other expenses, e.g. flea/tick treatment, supplements, toys etc.

Separation associated problems are really, really tough. We're lucky in we can juggle WFH and our super flexible daycare so she is never left apart from doing our controlled separation training. My view is if you are having to leave your dog for longer than they can cope with it will be very, very difficult to improve.

Original poster
Corgi887 · 27/05/2022 16:36

Our circumstances have changed, significantly from when we got our dog

I wasn't working and DH's company was saying WFH was permanent and that they were a dog friendly office. I've had to go back to work, DH now has to be in the office full time and they are no longer dog friendly.

OP posts:
Original poster
Corgi887 · 27/05/2022 16:38

For people not paying for dog walkers/ day care:

  • do you WFH?
  • do early morning walk and dog is ok until dinner time?

I'll also say we had family members who very annoyingly advised us that if we weren't home dog would be ok, when they clearly aren't.

OP posts:
CombatBarbie · 27/05/2022 16:49

£50 for food, £38 for insurance (he's now 10) and maybe £10 on a new toy or pigs ears when out and about.