How Much Will That Dog Really Cost?

Now, dogs require annual checkups, dogs should have refresher training classes, food, toys, treats, heartworm preventative and the like. Add all this up in one year and it is amazing how much you can spend It is very easy to hit that $600/year estimate even after your dog's first year has passed.

Emergencies

Dogs get sick, accidents happen - even to the best of us. It is not unreasonable to expect to drop hundreds of dollars or more for an emergency. This is just part of being a dog owner. A hit by car can easily run over $1,000. If you cannot handle the expenses of basic day-to-day care, you may not be able to handle emergencies. There are pet health insurances available to help cover some costs.

Another option is to keep a credit card on hand that is used ONLY for serious emergencies with your pets (trick: do not carry the credit card with you, too much temptation). The cost of just walking into a clinic for an emergency can run $40 - $75 depending on if you go to your regular vet, an emergency clinic or if the emergency is after hours. However, if you suspect a serious problem with your dog, do not let it go to see if it gets better. Often waiting can mean the vets have a worse situation to deal with and the cost can be greater to you in the long run.

Chronic Health Issues

What if your dog has a chronic health problem or develops one? Not all hereditary issues are present at birth and many can take years to crop up. A good breeder will do all possible to breed only the healthiest dogs but still, genetics are funny and things can show up down the road. Can you afford to care for a chronic condition? What if your pet develops a problem that is not hereditary but something that just can happen like diabetes or an autoimmune issue?

Can you afford the medications and multiple vet trips during the course of the dog's life above and beyond what is normal for a healthy dog? You can spend hundreds of dollars in a few weeks with testing and finding the best medications alone. If the dog has to be on constant medication for a problem, you can end up spending hundreds of dollars or more in a year on the medications alone. Years ago I had a dog with Cushing's disease. Her medications per month were close to $50. Multiply that by twelve and then add in vet trips every few months while we stabilized her medications.