[Discussion] Puppies are expensive. Are you really ready for the cost?

[jewe6l0187]

Full disclaimer this is my first puppy, but my second dog. I managed to save a good chunk of money on gear because I have a million collars, bowls, toys, food puzzles, leashes, etc. that will work for his size as he grows into an adult dog.

Also, this is my show prospect puppy. So some of the grooming gear is a bit excessive and I really would not have needed anything more than a greyhound comb, slicker brush, and pin brush to survive if I intended for him to be just a pet. However, introducing and socializing him to grooming gear is very important since he will be getting more done for shows.

I also had 1.5-2 years to specifically save for this puppy.

Amount Saved: $3,920

Cost of living - Bay Area CA

The goal of this amount is for it to be the main source of spending for Kirin's first year of life. I decided to add pet insurance and pet rent to my regular monthly expenses so those are not included in the table below. (Pet rent for the year: $900 per dog, Kirin's insurance for the year: $602.52)

At this point Kirin is 11 weeks 1 day old and I have spent: $3,057.56, including the cost purchasing him (supplies/vet so far have run about $1,557.56). He has about 4-5 necessary vet visits remaining for 2 more rounds of core shots and then other visits for Rabies, Lepto, and Canine Influenza. For the remaining core visits I expect to pay about $115 per visit and then for Rabies, Lepto, and Canine Influenza about $30-50 per visit. About $400 more in vet care remaining.

Post vet-care I will have enough left over to finish out his first year, I don't buy a lot of extras for a growing dog. Just kibble and occasional treats.

If anything medical comes up he is insured and I will cover up front costs out of another savings account that is steadily growing. Dog show entries will be covered by a different fund - called "fun" money that I use for hobbies or going out, along with a monthly amount I dedicate to misc. dog things.

A big money saver you will notice is I do not have a dog walker/day care expense. I have an AMAZING friend who is graciously watching my pup 4-5 days a week during my working ours. They are awesome, dog savvy, and super socialize my pup to tons of new things.

Feel free to glance at this extremely long table and let me know if you have any questions!

Item
Cost
Link (if applicable)

Saluki Puppy
$1,500
n/a

Airline Carrier
$53.49
Sherpa
Plane Ticket
$36.20
Used rewards from Chase

Dog Ticket
$95
Southwest Pet Fee
Food Bin
$23.99
IRIS Food Bin
Potty Turf
$15.38
Potty Turf
Enzyme Cleaner
$11.49
Natures Miracle
Toy
$2.99
Toy
Puppy Pads
$4.86
Puppy Pads
36" X-Pen
$34.99
X-Pen
36" Crate
$33.99
Crate
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$11.72
n/a

Snood
$16.13
Snood
Clippers
$31.02
Clippers
Blending Shears
$43.69
Blending Shears
Spare Apartment Key
$5.44
n/a

Key Fob
$50
n/a

Greyhound Comb
$10
Greyhound Comb
Large Slicker Brush
$8.40
Large Slicker
Large Pin Brush
$8.49
Large Pin Brush
Small Slicker Brush
$11.09
Small Slicker
Squeaky Ball
$2.19
Squeaky Ball
Straight Shears
$7.56
Straight Shears
Crate Bucket
$9.99
Crate Bucket
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$5.34
n/a

Plywood
$24.95
n/a

Cable Ties/Bungee Cords
$7.18
n/a

Pro Plan Puppy Large Breed 33lbs (scored a coupon)
$4.62
Pro Plan Puppy Large Breed
Petco Puppy Package
$199
n/a

Social, Civil, and Savvy
$10.91
Socialization Book
Muzzle
$19.95
Basket Muzzle
Dog Stroller
$185.99
Dog Stroller
AKC Reunite
$17.50
n/a

AKC Registration
$40
n/a

Shampoo
$8.59
Shampoo
Conditioner
$8.59
Conditioner
Tag
$7.95
Tag
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$19.53
n/a

Collar
$5
n/a

Salmon Oil (2 for 1)
$13.99
Salmon Oil
Deodorizer
$9.49
Fur Spritzer
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$3.33
n/a

Molly Mutt Bed/Pillows
$51.33
n/a

Vet Round 2 Shots
$114.50
n/a

X-Small Flat Collar
$6.99
Small Flat Collar
X-Small Martingale
$3.29
Small Martingale
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$0.95
n/a

Canned Food - American Journey (2 for 1 case sale)
$17.99
American Journey Canned
Royal Canin Puppy Appetite Stimulant Wet Food (2 cases)
$35.98
Royal Canin Puppy Appetite Stimulant Canned
Dyne
$22.47
Dyne
Instinct Raw Toppers
$20.20
Instinct Toppers
Spot Bot
$139.99
Spot Bot
Spot Bot Cleaning Solution
$9.99
Spot Bot Cleaning Solution
CA Sales Tax - Chewy
$13.87
n/a

 

[r025]

@jewe6l0187 I never fully keep track of what I spend on a new puppy because I always know it's going to be more than I want to have spent, but here's a brief rundown of pretty much what I spent on Reuben in his first year:

• Italian Greyhound puppy - £950
• Microchip and first vaccine set - £36
• Second vaccine set - £50
• Rabies vaccine and pet passport - £70
• Pet insurance with Petplan - £35/month
• Bee sting removal and antihistamines - £60
• Dental polish & scale plus baby tooth removal - £290

= £1,876 ($2,368) on medical necessities alone and that's before you add in anything I bought for him.

 

[be4christ]

@jewe6l0187 Dang. I always like seeing these breakdowns, particularly for the regional differences -- y'all get an absolute steal with Chewy, whereas shots, food, and plane travel for me in Canada were way less.

 

[jewe6l0187]

@be4christ It hurts me even more that we now live in one of the most expensive areas in the US . If I was still in VA or GA I'd save some money for sure.

 

[jedi4christ]

@jewe6l0187 AND you can add $300+/month if you need a dog walker or puppy-sitting those first (several) months

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@jewe6l0187 A rough list of expenses for Ben. Prices in Australian dollars.

*Ben $100

*desexing $150

*monthy nexgaurd spectra $25

*vaccinations approx. $200

*harness $50

*lead $10

*dog kennel free from the side of the road

*monthly pet insurance $60

*nail clipping per month $10

*dog shampoo $20

*registration $70

*food approx $20 per month for Purina Supercoat

*toys about $100 over 12 months

There's no doubt some miscellaneous items I've forgotten. Having said that I've lost 25kg in the year we've had him and I'm sure someone like weight watchers would charge handsomely for those sort of results. Also, after being unemployed for over a decade due to anxiety I now have a job thanks to my anxiety being treated by daily exercise. I figure I'm many thousands of dollars ahead through getting a dog.

Edit: Tried to reformat so I'd have those dog paws on my list. It didn't work so I gave up.

 

[lifesprophet]

@jewe6l0187 Sasha since 3/10/19:

-Puppy cost: $1200

-Initial vet exam w/ preventatives: $200

-Second vet visit & ear infection treatment: $250

-Crate: $100

-Bedding: $60

-Xpen: $115

-Collars, leashes, toys: $275

-Food and treats: $150

-Grooming supplies: $50

-Puppy cam: $40

-Training lessons/boarding: $240 (so far)

-Insurance: $120 (quarterly)

$2,800 USD

I guess I’m not too surprised as I really don’t compromise anything for her and tend to shell out for higher quality necessities. She lives a bit of a bougie lifestyle. Oh well

 

[lifesprophet]

@jewe6l0187 I need to know how you got this magical coupon for the Pro Plan

 

[servadac]

@lifesprophet Just email and ask. You can ask Pro Plan for coupons once a month. I'm not sure about how often you can ask Eukanuba, but I got three $10 off any size bag of dog food up to 40lbs by just asking through their contact us on the website.

However, for OP, I'm almost positive their coupon was an Amazon deal.

 

[jewe6l0187]

@servadac It actually wasn't the Amazon deal! That one I used on Gin's food because I just could not get it to work for puppy kibble. I cannot believe I got a large bag for $2.60 .

 

[servadac]

@jewe6l0187 That's even better. Though, all that money saved is now being put into the various attempts to get Kirin to eat.

 

[jewe6l0187]

@lifesprophet I emailed them! I told them I wasn't sure what was a good choice, regular puppy or large breed puppy and they said to talk to my vet but they'd mail me coupons! I've heard you can email them and ask for coupons once a month but I haven't tried that yet. It may not be for an entire large free bag like mine but definitely something!

 

[davecb]

@jewe6l0187

Petco Puppy Package

Unless you live in a place with no actual training facilities, Petco is just not a great place to train a puppy.

And that goes double or so if you want to show your dog.

 

[jewe6l0187]

@davecb Petco really is not bad for general good behavior and positive reinforcement. The other options were starting too late that I did not feel comfortable waiting 2-3 weeks to enroll and many options are weekday only.

Petco is in walking distance and I don't have a car of my own so I picked them. He's honestly already learned a lot from just 1 class and we reinforce the training sessions at home almost daily.

Eventually when I want higher level training I will look elsewhere and hopefully have some weekend options when my SO can drive me but for now I'm happy with general puppy class and they have a CGC evaluator so we are going to aim for that when he is done with all the puppy classes.

 

[davecb]

@jewe6l0187

Petco really is not bad for general good behavior and positive reinforcement.

Just be aware of interacting with any adult dogs that are there with their owners, shopping.

 

[jewe6l0187]

@davecb We don't interact with any strange dogs on leash or off. I also don't allow him on the floor in the general store area since we only have 2 rounds.

All his adult dog interactions and very controlled and with fellow r/dogs people or with their friends/coworkers dogs.

 

[be4christ]

@jewe6l0187 For Vesper:

• 500USD purchase price
• 120USD for puppy exam, including vaccinations and health certificate prior to travel
• 250USD for travel (ETA: shipping)
• 120CAD vet exam, second round shots, microchip
• 300CAD tooth removal

Now, the cost for her stuff and training classes...eep.

 

[r025]

@be4christ Highfive for baby tooth removals.

 

[be4christ]

@r025 She doesn’t cost me as much to feed so I’ll allow it.

 

[dukedesu]

@r025 I had to do removals on two of my litter... high five?