First pup

[BooseysMom]

Hi, we are going to see a pup from a farm with mum & dad (pup's) at the weekend. He's a chihuahua. DS is mad with excitement! Please can anyone advise on initial costs of vacc's, neutering, etc. Should we get insurance? He will have his initial vacc and a puppy pack. We're new to this. The last time I had a dog was when I was 10 and it was a very different world. The cost of the new pup is over £800 and in the 70s a collie pup from a farm down the road was £20!

Costs will vary depending on your area - we pay £35 for a vet check and vaccinations - neutering was £150ish.

And definitely get insurance - the best you can afford.

You're buying a dog from a puppy farm? Or is that not what you mean?

Your best bet would be to call your vets and enquire. In reality, you’re going to need to have the vaccinations etc done either way, and you’ve already committed to have the puppy, so the cost is neither here nor there.
I would say it’s up to you whether you get insurance or not. It’s probably sensible to. If you have a comfortable cushion of savings, then you may not need it but generally I tend to insure my dogs. If the premiums get daft in their latter years, I sometimes cancel and just earmark savings for them, but bear in mind, vets bills can be somewhat eye-watering.

I know a few people who haven’t got dog insurance but put money aside instead every month. It’s an option. I’m quit risk adverse so having insurance sits better for me. Ultimately, if you wouldn’t be able to quickly find a few hundred pound in case something happened then definitely get insurance. You’ll probably get given four weeks of free insurance with petplan. I’d still shop around.

As for neutering etc… It all adds up. A trip to the vets is never cheap IMO. But always worth it. I think we paid a couple hundred quid for neutering best part of a decade ago.

Good luck!

@chocolateasaltyballs22 I think she means an actual farm, not a puppy farm

Thanks for your responses.

I mean a house that might be part of a farm whose family dogs have had pups.

Oh ok. I'll get off my high horse then. Definitely get insurance. Our puppy had an ear infection a couple of months ago and the costs added up to £300. Insurance paid out (minus excess). But make sure you take all costs into account before getting the dog.

Does he not come with insurance?

If he’s farm bred make sure he’s been raised inside. As in 24/7 not just brought in. Unless you want to do loads of extra socialisation and desensitisation it really makes so much difference to having been raised in a barn or kennel.

What puppy comes with insurance?!

Most puppies come with the first 4 weeks of insurance covered. This gives you time to get your own and allows for the usual 2 week waiting period before you can claim.

Most puppies come with insurance, 4-6 weeks worth depending on what company the breeder has gone with, it means you can either continue with that company and there’s no gap in cover or get a different policy that starts 2 weeks before it finishes, so again no gap in cover.

Yes I agree with this. Taking a dog home that is shit scared of the TV is not fun.

Although they are a bit more up for going outside to the toilet..

AwkwardPup became ill at 9 months old (immune mediated polyarthitis). He's fully recovered now but it cost almost £9k, thankfully all covered by insurance - so I'd always advised insuring unless you are able & willing to potentially pay thousands.

Do not take your ds with you to visit for the first time. If there are red flags when you get there it will be much harder to walk away with an excited child with you. Please, please read the RSPCA information about things to look for when buying a puppy. Mum and puppies should be clean, not smelly, look like the pen they are in is the one they genuinely live in, not that they have been staged in. Mum should look positive to the humans around her and you should see the pups feed.
Where did you see them advertised? Are they looking to let you take the puppy home immediatly - how old will they be?

And to your original question, second vaccs are around £70, spay around £350, neutering around £200 locally to me.

Also if they have mum and dad make sure they are not related. That’s also really important. KC registration means you can check this. Otherwise it’s a massive gamble. Most breeders bring in studs to increase the gene pool.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I'm pretty sure they are cosha breeders. They originally had 3 pups for sale shown with the mum and there's only one remaining. I have had a big talk with DH about the cost and tbh we will be out of our depth as although we can afford the initial outlay, we hadn't factored in the neutering, micro chipping and vet's bills to the amount they can run to. Also we had planned for DH to be able to look after him as he works from home, but he is online for 3 hours at a time so can't stop every 30 mins to check him. I would need to take time off work.

DS has reverted back to his original wish... A chinchilla! We already have two hamsters. The thing is nothing really tops a dog as a friend for a child. I cried when I realised it may never happen for us 😥

Chinchillas need air con to live comfortably in the U.K. they aren’t cheap pets either.
if you do get a dog then you ideally need insurance cover to £12k per year. It should be a life policy

NameChange1718 thank you 😊

All dogs I have had so far have been fit and healthy as youngsters.

Vet costs should be minimal in the first few years apart from routine checks and boosters. Plus the obvious costs of neutering....
Whoever pays £300.- for an ear infection needs to change vets! I paid around £50.- for consultation and drops for my medium sized dog. (He's got hairy floppy ears and is prone to infections)
If the pup isn't chipped WALK AWAY! All puppies need to be chipped and registered in the breeders name.

Also look for KC registered and associated health checks for the parents.

Ylvamoon thank you for the advice 😊

@Ylvamoon that was several consultations, sedatives for him to be examined as he was in so much pain he didn't want anyone near his ears. Have heard of others paying similar, it's not that ridiculous if it's not a straightforward treatment.

Chihuahuas are amazing dogs but are hard to toilet train please be aware of this before you get one.
I love mine beyond words but my god the early days were hard took 6 months for my second to get the hang of it

MintyGreenDreams thank you for the warning! Yes I read about this on Pets4Homes.. The issue is DH, although works from home, has 3 hours where he's solidly online and days he couldn't keep going to see to the pup. I could take time off work but not as much as what might be necessary. It's such a huge decision and the biggest thing worrying me is the potential cost of vet's bills. I wish I hadn't got so excited and hadn't let myself fall head over heels now. Should we even be going to see this pup?

@BooseysMom I probably wouldn't in that case.Youll just fall in love with it