How much does your dog cost every month?

[Corgi887]

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.

We don't use daycare or a dog walker as our rescue is very fearful of new people and is dog reactive so being at home alone is a better option.

I wfh most days with a day or 2 in the office a week but those are short days. She gets walked before I leave (a quick sniffy walk) and left with a licki mat. She is definitely not allowed upstairs or on our bed. I leave the door open for her and our bed is always warm when I get home 😂
DH comes back for lunch and then I'm back no more than 2 hours later. She has a long walk in the evening.

When I wfh she sleeps next to me in her bed and doesn't move all day (6 hours). Not once.

She came to us with separation anxiety but we have worked on this over the last 18 months and it has been a gradual process. She is never alone for longer than 2 hours. Due to our shift patterns it is rare that she is alone more than once a week.

I was beside myself the first few times I had to leave her but we set cameras up and she just slept. On our bed 🙄. She was a bit more alert than she is when we are home but she is much more relaxed now. In fact, when I get my uniform on, she waits at the bottom of the stairs. We all pretend we don't know she goes on the bed 😂

£16 for insurance. £15 for the pet plan at the vets. £16 for food. So £47. Not too bad.

£60 pm on food +prob £20ish on treats/chews/toys
pet club at vets £20 pm
insurance £35
£100pm on walks. He goes twice a week just to play with other dogs.
so normal month £235- but I’ve just paid £200 for home boarding for a week as I’m going on holiday.
DH works from home, I work 3x 12 hr shifts so we only occasionally have to leave him alone for a few hours which he doesn’t mind, we just make sure he’s had a good walk and he can be alone for 3/4 hours

Okay so you can get cheap dog food, not ideal but you can.
They don't need fancy new toys, constant new bedding leads etc.
Pet insurance I don't know your individual situation but if it was reasonable I'd pay otherwise don't pay but save the money in case e.g. We pay 20pm but after an injury its likely to go up to 40. However if it was 100 I wouldn't pay that but would save a good amount in a fund in case.

My dog used to get anxious but I had to go to work, nothing I could do. I left her food water toys radio on etc. Got a spy camera type thing and after a few weeks she got used to it. She's now very settled and happy to see us when we come home but also likes to take herself off for her own space now I'm wfh. I couldn't have afforded daycare etc but wouldn't have given her away unless she was miserable.

Sorry don't know if any of that is helpful :( feel for you. But that's obviously way too much money... 150 would be the most I could spend a month x

Dog trainer £100 a month
Insurance £45 a month
Food £70 a month

I don’t think £800 is sustainable, and I don't think it’s okay to own a dog if you don’t have the right lifestyle.

I know you love your dog , but is it bringing joy to your life?
It’s ok to rehome it.

Monthly We pay £20 vet plan, £48 dog Walker once a week. About £35 food.
So about £100 a month. We don't have insurance, So just pay vet bills when they happen.

Obvs more for dog sitter when away.

I pay a month
Food £40-50
Insurance £17
Dog walker £48 (£12 for 1 walk a week) I wfh most of the time and he's fine being left for a morning or afternoon if he's been walked.
£117 ish total

Blimey.

My dog costs £30 every 6 weeks at the groomer's. He eats Iams kibble, so a bag every few weeks plus a 'rodeo' at bedtime.

He costs us virtually nothing.

We are lucky that there is someone home every day and so he gets 2 very long walks every day.

You are not alone, I am in the same position for the same reason. Its so frustrating and lonely being in this situation as nobody understands.

£900 a month is insane amount of money, that's the equivalent to all of my direct debits!!

My dog costs a month.
£20 food
£12 insurance
£10 pet plan
£40 dog walker

For me £82 a month is still loads!

The dog walker takes him out once a week when I'm out the house all day. Otherwise he goes to my mums or can be left for 4/5 hours and I come home early.

He gets a walk before work every morning and sleeps 9am to 3pm (he does this when we're home so assuming he does the same when we're out.)

In your situation I'd rehome to someone who was at home all day.

£20 for food and £95 on insurance and the vet plan (older dog)

@Corgi887

I worked pt when ddog was a puppy, once he was older he's absolutely fine being left for a few hours. He's a lazy thing who l prefers his own company even if we are home

Try Borrow my Doggie

Per month for my younger dog:
£11 care plan at the vet
£30 insurance
£25 food (on a premium one for another two months as he's a puppy, then it should drop to around £18)
£40 training, but that should drop dramatically soon.

Older dog:
£4 of negligible vet costs as on vaccinations for life so just his wormer for six months
£15 food.

Plus say £5 of biscuits, treats etc.

We have a 2 year old dog. The costs are:

Food and treats - £40 per month
Grooming - £40 every 8 weeks
Insurance - £25 per month
Day Care - £100 per month for one day a week
Occasional overnight care £25, about once every 3 months
Toys, leads, other sundries - about £10 per month

So just under £200 per month. We don't actually need the day care once a week but send him because he gets a break from us and meets other dogs/socialises. We would save £100 a month if we didn't do that.

£800 a month seems bonkers

Seriously I'd rehome the dog to someone who's home all day - win win he's happy and relaxed and you're not impoverished

We're probably at £150 per dog? That includes food, insurance, vet plan, treats etc, and 3x days pw dog walker.

£800 on one dog is just not sustainable. There must be a cheaper option surely? Can you wfh one day a week at the least?

We both hybrid work so try to make sure that someone is with our dog all the time- maximum is around 4 hours we would leave her. We also have a dog Walker 4 days a week - this is good for the social aspect and also means we have someone we trust for holidays etc we usually walk her as well for a short run morning and evening. It does mean as well if we both busy with work she doesn’t miss out!

It’s around £200 a month for walker, the monthly vet is £14 (flea tic injections etc) and insurance is £30. Raw feed is around £100ish depends on how much I make from scratch or pre made - but this is definitely where the costs increasing the fastest!

Food - £36
Treats/toys - £15
Insurance - £24
Vet plan - £16

I dont need a dog walker or day care as im at home most of the time.