The True Cost of Dog Care: One Friend Spent $10,000+ on His Pet

Stetson and I took another trip to the veterinarian yesterday and it cost us $150…eeeekkk.  It got me thinking on my drive home: How much money do you spend on your dog? I know some people buy their dogs lavish gifts and others have very expensive vet bills I’m somewhere in between where I do get my dogs some silly gifts (like Halloween costumes) and also spend the mandatory dollar on vet bills.

My Friend Spent Over $10,000 On His Dog!

I guess I shouldn’t complain about my dog expenses.  A friend of mine has spent over $10,000 on vet bills alone.  Here are a few of his vet visits.

• As a puppy his American Staffordshire Terrier had diarrhea and pushed so hard when pooping that he pushed out his rectum – they said it looked like a pink bubble coming out of his butt.
• At about 2 years of age his dog tore his ACL.  At the time they told him there was an 80% chance he’d tear his other ACL.
• At 3 years of age he tore his other ACL.
• He’s also had miscellaneous other visits to the vet totaling over $10,000

Money I Spend On My Dog

I thought back to the past 6 months or so and tried to come up with a dollar amount I’ve been spending on my dogs. Here’s what I found:

Approximately Monthly Expenditures for my 3 dogs:

1. Dog Food: (2 bags a month): $80
2. Dog Treats: $10
3. Dog Toys: $10
4. Heartworm Medicine (2 dogs): $10
5. Flea Medicine (3 dogs): $10
6. Vaccinations: $10
7. Other Expenses: $20
8. Veterinarian visits: $50

The grand total for my three dogs is $200 a month. It’s probably a little higher then that as I’m not thinking about. This is the cost for three young healthy dogs. Stetson is the only regular visitor to the Veterinarian as he seems to have ear and skin issues about every other month. Linus is still a young pup turning 4 years old a couple days ago and he’s been very healthy and strong. Derby has more expenses because he’s still just a puppy at only 6 months old, but Guide Dogs of America covers all of his vet bills.

Should You Get A Dog Keep Expenses In Mind?

The poor economy, people’s lack of funds, and foreclosures are forcing people to relinquish their dogs. We talked a little about the economy and the difficulty with dog adoptions at the local shelters in Tough Times For Cat And Dog Adoptions.

If you’re interested in getting a dog beware that there are expenses (sometimes significant) involved. I feel like I’ve been very lucky with my three dogs as they’ve all been very healthy. As I mentioned earlier I have a friend who’s dog has cost him well over $10,000 in vet bills and surgeries and that was all before the age of 4 years old.

What about you…how much do you spend on your dog? Is there anything I’m missing on my list?

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