Post Your Pets
- Thread starter lowfat
- Start date
I have been considering getting a medium size dog from the pond or someplace like that ( I would go to a breeder if I could afford too) like a shepherd just because i am home allot and also I am very sure I could take one to work with me I am just not sure of the average costs of having one I am speaking of licenses food and other costs it's been a very long time since i have had a dog and that was 1990s lol
medical stuff is insanely expensive. to have our boy neutered was $250.00. shots, you have to pay for the checkup fee plus the cost of the vaccines...so $175.00. something happens...bloodwork? $150...X-Ray? $300...surgery? $3000 to start, for just exploratory! so you need to be ready to pony up $$$ when something happens.
German Shepherds usually weigh about 70 - 100 lbs. I'm guessing about $150 / month in dry dog food, if you use good dry kibble like we do for our poodles who weigh 110 lbs together. Plus random vet bills, shepherds are notorious for bad hips as they get older too.
ah...yes...food. good kibble isn't cheap anymore. we feed our dog Blue Buffalo kibble, 20lb bag is like $40? our pup is small, so that lasts for about a month or two...but we also add some of BB's wet food too because they are one of the few that have stuff with zero chicken. most that say no chicken still use chicken bone meal. <_< so that's another thing...animals can have crazy environmental sensitivities too...which can lead to even higher priced foods and / or medical bills.
Dogs are going to be way more expensive than a cat. They are way more prone to injure themselves. Either from physical activity or eating things they shouldn't. Unless you are in a good financial situation, I couldn't recommend it.
My sister has a lg and medium dog. She has to have spent over $3K in vet bills each of the last 2 years.
My sister has a lg and medium dog. She has to have spent over $3K in vet bills each of the last 2 years.
That's a lot lower then what we've had to spend, mind you you can't really plan for a rescue requiring ACL (TLPO) surgery.
It's really hard to estimate the vet side of things. Food and such not so bad, but in my experience very high vet bills are not always the average experience. My last dog didn't cost me anything except annual checkups until the last 9 months of his life. Even then it wasn't terrible, just meds costs. Similar experience for other family members canine companions.
But when things go wrong... very expensive. There is pet medical insurance but I haven't decided if that's a good thing or if it's an expense full of loop holes that gets them out of paying.
I don't think I would recommend against a dog because of the potential for high vet bills. Same can be said for a car, having kids
etc. It's a factor to consider, and you should weigh the risks in a rescue or pound situation where you can't know the dog's history, but there are lots of good dog experiences out there where the majority of the money spent just goes into normal maintenance.If you are just looking for primarily a home buddy, a cat is as @lowfat said an easier recommendation. Although he's had lots of struggles with his current dudes, so one never knows. I'd say though a dog is 100% a larger commitment than a cat @Shadowmeph
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