Warning: Owning Pets Costs Money
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Owning Pets can cost you quite a bit of money, in fact even if you go by the ASPCA.org pet care costs and assume all averages, you are probably low balling the cost estimates for owning a pet.
According to this ASPCA calculator, the first year of owning a small dog breed will cost you $1,314 dollars which includes the one time adoption fee, neuter or spay, training, initial medical, treats, food, and first year coverage of all of those items. A large breed of dog has an estimated cost of just over $1800 dollars, but these assume that you are spending only $55 per year in food for a small dog and $235 per year on a large dog.
I know I have two Boston Terriers but due to their dietary needs, we have them on high omega 3 salmon dog food that is $50 a bag, which we go through about 1 bag per month for two dogs, so we are looking at over $600 just for food annually. Take the fact that my eldest dog who is over 8 years old, which is old for a Boston Terrier with a life expectancy of 10 years who has suffered a spinal stroke, urinary tract infection and pneumonia all in the last year which has cost over $500 in medical bills.
It is no suprise that if you factor your dog living for lets say 8 years on average, and estimate the $1,500 per year, you are looking at spending $12,000 caring for a small family dog over the average lifespan of the pet, with costs increasing as the dog gets older and more frail.
Many people do not consider this when choosing to adopt or purchase a pet for their family, and with economic times being as lean as they are you might decide now is not the time to financially afford a pet. By the way, even a cat as a $1000 per year estimate (which I think is too high, they are estimating you buy health insurance on cat which is $600 per year itself). A cat is more likely to cost about $400 per year if you don’t purchase health insurance, and a hamster or rat is estimated at $300 per year due to costs of litter, food and treats, no medical factored at all on hamsters in the calculator.
I believe pets are as essential to a family for so many reasons, but you must consider the financial aspect before adding a pet to your family or you could be stuck suffering financial hardship that you didn’t realize, or your pet may need an unplanned medical expense that you just will not be able to afford.
-Justin Germino
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Yup there is no doubt they are expensive but still less expensive than a kid
Very true, I have me 600,000 worth of cost with my two kids
i couldnt agree more… recently my girlfrind and i moved in together and though we would get a cheap little mut from a friend however the vet bills, regestration and food is absolutly amazing.
i think it would have been cheaper raising my children..
greg @ ferret finder´s last blog ..About Us
Not really, if you check kids, it costs over $350,000 per child for total costs between 0 and 18 years of age.
Ouch, I always knew that owning a pet was expensive but it’s still not pleasant reading to see the figures laid out for you – these things are almost as expensive as having kids!
A friend of mine recently got a puppy and has already spent untold amounts of money having him neutered, health checks etc, not so mention buying him food, toys, and a bed to sleep in. I think it came as a bit of a shock to her just how much it all costs!
I do agree with your last point though about pets being great in the family – my daughter has a couple of gerbils and I think she’s learned a lot about caring for another life.
You don’t really think about the expenses as a whole adding up over the course of a year since they’re usually just going towards food and a visit to the vet when necessary, but God forbid if there’s a major issue and they need extensive care or something. Sure, we tend to spoil our Golden Retriever every now and again with some treats, but nothing major. He’s been with us for about 8 years so I can’t imagine how it’s added up over that period, but he’s a member of the family and it doesn’t even begin to add up to the figures I’ve seen recently for how much it costs to raise a kid until the age of eighteen. Sometimes I might be willing to make a trade – the dog doesn’t talk back, doesn’t need to borrow money and you don’t have to stay up late waiting for them to get home safely. Plus, they’re always happy to see you (the dog, that is).
Clint@Pet Hamsters´s last blog ..Mr. Squiggles
I did another post on the cost of children and yes it can cost upwards of $350,000 for a single child from birth through eighteen years of age.
You’re absolutely right about the need to understand the true cost of pet ownership before you get a pet, because it saddens me to see a pet not getting the care it needs due to budget constraints.
For example, our dog had an excessive plaque build up, and unlike humans they won’t sit in a dentist chair. This means she had to be drugged… anyway the whole teeth cleaning cost about $300!!
Darvin @ Discount Comforter Sets´s last blog ..Do Follow Blog, Comment Luv and Keyword Luv
This is why dogs need teeth brushed and use those bones that help their teeth. Some pure breeds just have bad teeth and and it can be costly later.
Of course you’re right about the teeth brushing, but even the vet was shock by how bad it was given the age of our dog (she was barely a year old at the time)!? Now we know. This is really the first dog that I have taken care of so well (i.e., exams, shots, regular grooming, etc.). When I was a kid dogs always lived outside and pretty much fended for themselves, aside from food and water of course.
Therefore, I’ve had to learn a lot. I did NOT do enough research to understand the total cost of ownership, but luckily we had enough “room” in our budget to work through it. Because we really do love our dog! We don’t have any kids yet, so she’s like our first…
Darvin @ Discount Comforter Sets´s last blog ..Clearance Bed in a Bag