How much does a dog cost?

Loubidy

Loubidy

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 October 2012
Messages
278
Location
Orkney
Visit site
After years of wanting a dog I am considering getting one this year. The breed I am looking at is an Italian Greyhound X Whippet and a breeder has contacted me to let me know they have a litter due on Monday(!)

Commitment isn't an issue and I have my own house and garden so any dog would be well cared for. However, having always had a horse I am very used to the expense of horse insurance, horse feed, vets etc. I have absolutely no idea how much these things cost for a dog? Can anyone advise?
 
Q1. are you going to buy without seeing? Because right now that will be difficult!

Q2. if you do but consider how you're going to vaccinate in the current climate? I know that's a while away but no one k own when we will come out the other side. Check with your vet and see what they're doing about appointments. Some are only doing emergencies

Ok cost. well insurance is a big cost. I'd only use Pet Plan because they cover any illness for life. Others here will give you other ideas. But anywhere between £35 and £60 a month. it gets more expensive as they get older. Might be cheaper to start with. Pet plan always pay out too unlike some other insurance companies.

difficult to say the cost of food because depends on what you feed and how much obviously but say £25 a 15kg bag of dried food. although again it can be cheaper depending on brand

Vets. oh vets! well you walk in the door and its £30 consultation. Then meds if needed. Most vets do health care plans at about £12 a month which covers yearly vaccination and wormers plus two health checks per year. I'd do that. Vaccinations their own would be £45? Plus wormers which aren't expensive but add up over the year

So that's a bout the sum of it. Towards the end of her life my little JRT cost me £80pm in insurance and health club costs If she hadn't been so prone to cancer I would've cancelled the insurance!
 
Given that it is whippet x iggy I would check the iggy lines. There a couple in particular from puppy farm lines which as incredibly prone to several issues. This is obviously impact on insurance, premiums etc.

I pay £26 each per whippet through Agria (was with Pet Plan but it got to £55 per month for one of them and Agria offers similar cover including their sports).

Food depends entirely on the type you buy but for better quality you are generally looking at the £40 mark for 12kg bags (I pay £63 per month for 2 dogs).

With that mix you will likely need at least indoor and outdoor coats. One of mine is hardier than the other but they both at times need jammies on in the winter nights and will not go out without coats in the rain. You will also need specialist sighthound collars as they can escape 'normal' collars.

I pay £25 per month for 2 for flea, wormers and vaccinations (not that I treat as often as they tell you too) and as part of that I get discounted consultation fees etc but it can soon add up.
 
My dog isn't insured and thankfully pretty hardy. Had him for three years and he's only needed the vet a few times (probably £700 if I add them all up).

Food has varied. I used to feed dry which was about £15 for a 1.5kg bag which lasted about a week and a half. I now feed chicken from the supermarket - a pack of chicken thighs or a whole chicken probably lasts four days when mixed with veg and rice. He also gets a lot of tinned fish.
 
Insurance - we used Tesco as they offered per condition per life and cover abroad. It was £10/month when the dog was a puppy, but flew up to over £100/month when she was 12. She's now 14 and still going strong, but obviously not insured anymore!
 
How long is a piece of string? Our insurance was with Tesco and they paid out for the first snapped cruciate-over £3K, but not the 2nd as it was apparently ‘pre-existing’. It very much depends on what happens to the dog and how healthy it is etc. One of mine cost a fortune in stitching up, another has been to the vet so rarely they asked if I’d registered elsewhere when I spoke to them this week.

I know nothing about IG, I always think they look very fragile, but I’m sure that’s just because I’m used to turbo charged oversized springers.

Re food, it’s a minefield and everyone-including me-will tell you that what they use is best. This website is a decent start, I've ranked the foods as best first. https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory Personally, I feed raw, I like to see what they’re getting, although obviously provenance can be an issue.
 
I also cancelled my Tesco insurance as it kept leaping up despite no claims being made, I can not afford it right now and touch wood, the dog is made of tungsten. I take out temporary insurance when we travel instead.

I do spend a lot on food but I have two active large breed dogs so it wouldn't be a fair comparison.
 
I’m off on a tangent wondering why anyone would want to cross those two particular breeds? Seems a strange idea, they are both fab little dogs in their original forms ?

Just bear in mind you can never predict dog costs, in the same way as you can’t for horses. Granted mine aren’t insured because I have too many dogs to make it worth it, but an out of hours call out for stitching under a general anaesthetic was several hundred pounds (and no doubt your insurance company would immediately exclude that from future claims ?)

Teeth can be a massive problem which aren’t covered by insurance - my last dental for a dog cost me £550

I feed medium quality dry food which is about £37 for a 12 or 15kg sack (I go through a sack a week with my lot) - I would prefer to feed them raw, but the cost is simply too prohibitive at the moment

My dogs have always had one coat each and done fine with that lol, but I think I’m cruel - most whippet/IG/greyhound owners seem to delight in buying whole wardrobes for their dogs ???

And obviously annual vaccinations, worming, getting their nails done (if you can’t do them yourself), flea control (if applicable - mine don’t ever get fleas luckily!) all need to be factored in, prices depend on your local area
 
Levrier said:
My dogs have always had one coat each and done fine with that lol, but I think I’m cruel - most whippet/IG/greyhound owners seem to delight in buying whole wardrobes for their dogs ???
Click to expand...

I would be one of those people ?

Levrier said:
I’m off on a tangent wondering why anyone would want to cross those two particular breeds? Seems a strange idea, they are both fab little dogs in their original forms ?
Click to expand...

I would suggest there is one major factor, the ££££ involved with iggys.
 
We have a terrier (purebred and from a very reputable breeder, but still, a terrier so pretty hardy) and off the top of my head he costs about:
£600 to buy him 3 years ago
He is on the Vets4Pets Vacc4Life scheme so some of his vaccs are covered under that - it is a one-off £100 payment. Other vaccinations that are not covered probably cost us around £80 per year tops
His flea and worm plan with the vets costs £100 per year; that covers ticks, various worms, and flea treatments
Insurance is the big one - he's with PetPlan lifetime cover, it's about £35 per month and we've only had to claim once when he starting choking on something innocuous out of hours (it would be out of hours wouldn't it)
Food is about £20-30 per 15kg sack - he's on Skinners which does him fine, and a single sack lasts about 6 months!
Grooming - he is hand-stripped twice a year at £40 a go
Toys and snacks take up as much money as we have....and then he has a Pet Passport but I won't count that as most dogs don't lead his jet-setting lifestyle....

So that's a total of about £80+£100+(£35x12)+£50+£80 = £700 ish per year

I would estimate that setup costs, including buying him, paying for his vaccs, buying puppy pen and bits and pieces (he is our first dog), plus some training classes, was about £1000

That's all very back of the envelope maths so happy to be corrected
 
Parrotperson said:
Q1. are you going to buy without seeing? Because right now that will be difficult!

Q2. if you do but consider how you're going to vaccinate in the current climate? I know that's a while away but no one k own when we will come out the other side. Check with your vet and see what they're doing about appointments. Some are only doing emergencies
Click to expand...

Given the litter is only due on Monday (if it is successful) I wouldn't be expecting to collect the puppy until what would work out at at least 12 weeks after initial lock down so would anticipate restrictions will be relaxed to some extent by then.

Levrier said:
I’m off on a tangent wondering why anyone would want to cross those two particular breeds? Seems a strange idea, they are both fab little dogs in their original forms ?

Just bear in mind you can never predict dog costs, in the same way as you can’t for horses. Granted mine aren’t insured because I have too many dogs to make it worth it, but an out of hours call out for stitching under a general anaesthetic was several hundred pounds (and no doubt your insurance company would immediately exclude that from future claims ?)

Teeth can be a massive problem which aren’t covered by insurance - my last dental for a dog cost me £550

I feed medium quality dry food which is about £37 for a 12 or 15kg sack (I go through a sack a week with my lot) - I would prefer to feed them raw, but the cost is simply too prohibitive at the moment

My dogs have always had one coat each and done fine with that lol, but I think I’m cruel - most whippet/IG/greyhound owners seem to delight in buying whole wardrobes for their dogs ???

And obviously annual vaccinations, worming, getting their nails done (if you can’t do them yourself), flea control (if applicable - mine don’t ever get fleas luckily!) all need to be factored in, prices depend on your local area
Click to expand...

The layout of my house means a smaller dog is more suitable (otherwise I would be rescuing greyhounds) and the whippet cross just makes them a little hardier.

Appreciate its similar to a horse that costs will change but I know horses and general costs and budget £350 for a standard month for my horse - I have no idea where to begin for dogs as my family have never owned one, I've only ever looked after other peoples.

Widgeon said:
We have a terrier (purebred and from a very reputable breeder, but still, a terrier so pretty hardy) and off the top of my head he costs about:
£600 to buy him 3 years ago
He is on the Vets4Pets Vacc4Life scheme so some of his vaccs are covered under that - it is a one-off £100 payment. Other vaccinations that are not covered probably cost us around £80 per year tops
His flea and worm plan with the vets costs £100 per year; that covers ticks, various worms, and flea treatments
Insurance is the big one - he's with PetPlan lifetime cover, it's about £35 per month and we've only had to claim once when he starting choking on something innocuous out of hours (it would be out of hours wouldn't it)
Food is about £20-30 per 15kg sack - he's on Skinners which does him fine, and a single sack lasts about 6 months!
Grooming - he is hand-stripped twice a year at £40 a go
Toys and snacks take up as much money as we have....and then he has a Pet Passport but I won't count that as most dogs don't lead his jet-setting lifestyle....

So that's a total of about £80+£100+(£35x12)+£50+£80 = £700 ish per year

I would estimate that setup costs, including buying him, paying for his vaccs, buying puppy pen and bits and pieces (he is our first dog), plus some training classes, was about £1000

That's all very back of the envelope maths so happy to be corrected
Click to expand...

I would have loved a terrier but live in a modern mid terrace so can't risk something that might be noisy (next door have a toddler and I don't want to be *that neighbour*).

Thanks, that's given me a better idea - and certainly sounds cheaper than buying a second horse!
 
I would be very wary of committing to a puppy right now - at present, the breeder will not be able to get them chipped and you will not be able to travel to visit it, collect it or take it to the vet for a health check and vaccination. The situation could be a lot better in 8-10 weeks time, or it could be a whole lot worse.

That said... lifetime insurance with a reputable company will likely be around £30/month to start with. This is not something you can shop around for in later life, so pick early and pick well. Petplan are still considered the gold standard. Bear in mind that even if you are insured you may need to pay costs up front and claim back yourself, so check with your intended vet what their procedures are or if they have a list of approved insurers they will do direct claims with.

Vaccinations £40-60/year, flea and worm treatment £10-20/month, most vets have monthly payment plans that cover these much more cheaply and include other perks (health check, nail clipping, food discounts etc.)

Food can be £25/15kg sack of low to mid range kibble or £100+ for premium frozen complete raw with a huge range in between.

I paid £65 for five weeks of classes with Dogs Trust Dog School (highly recommend their programme!)

The rest... if I added up the house and car mods, the kit, the travel, the time off work, the training fees, the competition fees, it would be scary big. Don't underestimate the 'extras'!
 
Mine dont cost much. £20 ish for insurance for the 2 youngest and £10 for the oldest as he's on an accident and injury only policy now. £40 a month for raw food for all 3 and £40 a month on toys and chews, again for all 3.
 
It is quite variable, as it is with horses!

Insurance wise you are probably starting at about £15/month but if you make lots of claims etc this can go up as high as £100/month in an older dog.

Vets fees - honestly not much different to a horse ? in comparison to what you pay for a horse there doesn’t seem to be much reduction for you taking your small animal direct to the vet.

Food - linked to size of dog and quality. A 15kg sack of decent food might cost in the region of £50, whereas a cheaper sack might be £15-20. Assuming you don’t get a tricky to feed dog the main difference is the quantity and squishiness of shi*t!!

The main cost if you have to use it is dog-walking / homecare which is proportionately much higher that the horses. I pay £25 for 24 hours homecare for example. I pay the same for the horse which includes all its keep and professional training!
 
Everything I have is not insured, not sure if I am just lucky, but they have all been well, neutering, vacination and food, is about the only cost. I have xbreeds, nothing fancy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top