Costing out a dog

[Theblackdogagain]

Hiya, I've pretty much convinced my husband we need a dog. Just want to do my due diligence to make sure I've thought of everything before we commit.
As well as initial cost this is what I think we need, what have we missed?
Insurance
Annual vet checks
Dog bed/cage/harness/leesh/car transport etc
Feeding area and food
Toys

We have cats so basically what more do dogs need as cats are self sufficient. I'm now wfh most of the week and dh is at home permanently so the dog will have company. No holidays booked and we only go in UK only.
I plan for cats and dog to have own areas in the house so cats aren't stressed.

Flea treatment every 4 weeks and worming every 3 months.
Kennels/boarding incase of emergencies
Puppy classes are an absolute must
Treats/chews etc

Things can get very expensive if it goes wrong, ie long term meds, a behaviourist and regularly hiring a secure field for a reactive or dog aggressive dog etc etc

Make sure your insurance has good cover. We are covered up to £15k for vet bills, they can be pricey.

Is it a dog who will need regular grooming? We are £45 every 5-6 weeks for grooming.

We also have a monthly pet plan in addition to insurance which is £13 a month. This includes monthly worming, flea treatment etc.

Treats/chews can be expensive. Yak chews are my boys favourite and they are around £3-5 each and only last around a week.

Including buying new leads, harnesses, toys, treats, grooming, food, insurance, dog walker 1x per week, pet plan we are approx £130-150 per month for the dog

Ddog was diagnosed with allergies when he was about 2. The ongoing treatment is expensive, plus the cost of specialist food. He also did both of his cruciate ligaments in the space of a year! Such bad luck. We were fortunate to have very good pet insurance so it hasn't financially impacted us much. I dread to think what would have happened without it. We've always had dogs though and he's the first that's ever needed anything much treating.

The initial vaccinations (£50 ish) and spaying/castrating (£200?)

our d dog has mostly been pretty cheap so far. insurance is about £20/month. Food about £20/month. No groomer. Doesn't have many treats or chews. Hasn't chewed up beds. Just been to vet for vax, though she had to have the course twice over because of Covid disasters. The big expense for us is holidays, when she goes to someone who charges £35/day...

Dog Groomer. We have 2 Lhasa Apso dogs and need grooming every 6 weeks to keep their coats tidy and in good condition.

Annual injections.

Everything else, flea treatment, worming is similar to cats.

Like @twinklelight we have a ‘healthy pet’ plan, which covers a twice yearly health check, all flea and wormer, vaccinations and 10% off spay or castration for about £14 per month. Has been well worth it for us. We also have good insurance, which is £15 per month.

Where are people finding pet insurance for about £20? I'm struggling to find any quotes for under fifty

Mine is PetPlan, but my dog is only five, no pre-existing conditions

Puppy classes are an absolute must

No they’re not. They’re optional. I’ve had dogs from pups all my life and never used them.

I enjoy training my dogs so I factor in the cost of classes. I also belong to the local gundog club
My insurance is from More Pets, £15,000 annual cover, premium about £450 per year for a young Labrador. He is covered for working as long as I don't make my living from it.
You will need all-weather clothing and footwear.

That’s great. Well done. But they ARE invaluable for the majority of people as they teach you how to keep your dogs focus around distraction and gives them essential exposure to other dogs.

I train dogs. My own pup goes to classes as I want and need her to be able to focus in a challenging environment. I can teach her everything myself. I can’t replicate that.

They are a choice. Only in MNLand are they “an absolute must”.

As my dog has got older (she's nearly 14) her insurers have changed the cover so that now we have to pay towards veterinary treatment. As well as the £100 excess we have to pay 10% of the bill. Last week she had surgery to remove a lump from her leg and the total bill was £1,300.

UK Holiday accommodation might be more expensive with a dog. Hotels often charge an extra £5 or £10 a night and self catering accommodation has been between £5 and £25 'pet cleaning charge' for a three night stay. Camp sites mostly charge for dogs too.

If you're taking your dog with you in a car you might need seat covers/hammock/dog guard/harness/crate.

Fleeing and worming alone is £200 a year (£50 on prescription every 12 weeks)
Castration £185
Insurance £22 a month with no pre-existing conditions, insured from 8 weeks
Vaccinations (we didn't pay for the 8&12 week ones so don't know how muchtheyll be when due at 14 months)
Pet sitter, dog walker, kennels, if needed.
Toys and treats easily £25 a month. One bit of antler is £18
Harness, collar leads, coat, easily £150
Time...at least two hours a day for walks.
If you're crate training we have two @£70 each.
Two dog beds. The list is endless...

Our flea/worm/tick plan, which includes vaccinations and 10% off everything else, plus two six-monthly check-ups, is £15 a month, and well worth it.

I have this too, just to say the cost of the plan is based on the weight of the dog. I have a large dog so I'm on the most expensive plan. It's not that much more, but I pay £18/month to your £14.

If fact vet bills can be tied to the weight of the dog. Mine needed a hernia op and the cost of the anaesthetic depends on their size.

Whatever you expect the cost to be, double it haha! They are expensive.

Research everything first (before you buy) to make sure you need it. I wasted money on stupid stuff that was never used.

A Wi-Fi camera is really useful when you start alone training. We picked up one refurbished for £20. You don’t need anything fancy. Not essential but we’ve found it gives good peace of mind.

Your biggest outlay will be vets really. Even with insurance it adds up quickly. Our pup had a stay in when she stopped eating and drinking. That was £350. Insurance covered most of it.

My labs broken down costs per month are;
Food, £55
Insurance, Petplan £45
Vet monthly plan £20 (covers flea, wormer and vacs
Treats and toys, £10
I suggest cheap bedding till you know they are not going to destroy it. I have spent around £300 on bedding and leads/collars etc. As a pp has said, puppy classes are not a must but if you are a novice with dogs they may be worth it. I also don't see the fascination with harnesses, practically everyother dog seems to be wearing one, including breeds that could easily be trained to walk nicely to heal....

I hate to say it but there are lots of other costs to consider:

Initial vaccination costs and checks. Not hugely expensive but it can be a lot once you've paid for everything else.

Minor vet bills that fall under your insurance excess - in five years, we've had to pay for 2 x cut paws, a stomach upset, an injection to make him sick after he ate something he shouldn't, medication for a lump on his face and antibiotics for a bite. Our excess is £120 but all those vet visits came to between £40-90 each.

You'll also need to pay the cost of a spay/neuter as they won't be covered by insurance.

The cost of flea/worm/tick treatment every three months - you can often get a payment plan from the vets but it's still an added cost.

Teeth cleaning/removal - this often doesn't come under insurance and will need to be paid for out of pocket. It can range from around £200-900 depending on the breed and how much work needs doing.

Puppy classes - not essential but strongly recommended if you've never trained a dog before. Ours was £10 a session but that was 5 years ago, so it's probably gone up a bit since then.

The cost of a dog-walker/sitter if you want to go out for the day and can't take the dog. Also the cost of kennels/boarding if you want a holiday where you can't take the dogs - remember most holiday accommodation won't allow the dogs to be left, so they'll need to come with you everywhere.

Replacement leads, collars and beds when they outgrow them, or they get really manky, or the dog eats them...

Chews and treats for training and to help with teething etc. Most adult dogs still like to chew and will want something available to them most days.

Things to puppy-proof your house - baby gates, blankets for beds and sofas, doggy cleaning products for when they inevitably pee on the floor, child locks for cupboards and bins...

I'm sure there's even more - they're not cheap pets by any stretch of the imagination! Yes, there are some things you can "buy cheap" and some things won't be necessary depending on your lifestyle and experience, but they're all things to consider. I find that most months there's something I have to buy that I never budgeted for!

Most important is insurance and get a good one IMO straight away
We moved back from abroad and forgot to take out his insurance straight away as I was ill ..in the two weeks we didn't have insurance he dislocated his knee, now has luxating patella and the surgery will be at least £3500 as they can say this was pre-existing in those two bloody weeks

The cost depends on size and breed of dog
Using my 6 month pup as an example corgi x under 10kg

One off costs £1,377

Cost of her 1k
Collars and leads £40 for two sets outgrew puppy set
Harness £25 had to have as she goes on boats alot
Car safty belt £22
Crate £60
Beds x3 £90 2 for in the crate as first one was destroyed and one in the front room
Teething casualtys £45 daughters shoes
Vaccinations £60 only one set the breeder did the first set
Kennel cough £35

Monthly £102-112
Food £35
Flea worm £30-40 (previous large breed was £60 for three months flea)
Chews treats poo bags misc £20
Insurance £18

Neutering I haven't looked into her cost but my last boy large breed was £250 so thta also needs to be factored in as well as well as yearly vaccinations

Thank you everyone this is useful, I think I forgot about spaying but as I want a female this is essential, also vaccinations as a puppy, we're hopefully getting a small mutt, nothing fancy, so hopefully no generic medical issues but they will be with our vet who does the cats.

Ha! Well mine costs £400 ish a month. That’s with no insurance (can’t be bothered, will pay whatever, plus he’s old and has conditions so it’s just pointless).

The average dog costs tens of thousands during its entire life.
Good insurance is a must, but beware it can end up being £150/200 a month sometimes more.

You forgot annual vaccinations
Boarding kennel costs
Neutering costs if required
TIME. The dog will need an absolute minumum of several hours a day of YOUR time , for excercise and human company.
Most of my dogs lasted to midteens. so multiply annual costs X 15.