Annual cost to own pets, is this right?

[Anonymous]

Are the average costs for pets in this article fairly accurate?

https://www.moneymanagement.org/blog/ranking-your-favorite-pets-in-order-of-cost

Guinea pigs up to $800 per year
Cats up to $1,000 per year
Rabbits even more?
Dogs up to $2000

I'm guessing these numbers do not include things like pet sitters or walkers, right?

How much do you spend on your pets?

- looking for as much info as possible before signing on to love an animal (or two in the case of guinea pigs) in my home

[Anonymous]

I can't speak to the guinea pigs but I would guess that's a low estimate, tbh. I spend almost $500 alone on "regular" i.e. mid-tier food for my dog not even including treats. If we were to add vet bills and pet sitting expenses easily well over 2k.

[Anonymous]

I only know about cats, but it sounds like the right ballpark. Just food and an annual physical is about $500, but over the lifetime of the cat, they are going to have health issues, which can run into the thousands. I had an older cat that was on insulin and thyroid meds for several years, and the insulin alone was $3-400/year. Factor in a couple emergency vet visits at $2k/visit, you get to $1,000/year on average pretty easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the average costs for pets in this article fairly accurate?

https://www.moneymanagement.org/blog/ranking-your-favorite-pets-in-order-of-cost

Guinea pigs up to $800 per year
Cats up to $1,000 per year
Rabbits even more?
Dogs up to $2000

I'm guessing these numbers do not include things like pet sitters or walkers, right?

How much do you spend on your pets?

- looking for as much info as possible before signing on to love an animal (or two in the case of guinea pigs) in my home

You are also forgetting treats, toys, dog training classes . I have one dog and some cats. My dog has had a lot of expenses so I don't like to think of adding up the cost! Yes, owning animals is super expensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak to the guinea pigs but I would guess that's a low estimate, tbh. I spend almost $500 alone on "regular" i.e. mid-tier food for my dog not even including treats. If we were to add vet bills and pet sitting expenses easily well over 2k.

+1 vet bills, meds (our dog has heart issues and takes a lot of meds), grooming and pet sitting put us way over $2000 a year.

[Anonymous]

Food /treats /toys for our 90lb dog pretty much equal $2K. We do once a week daycare for socialization and he gets boarded probably an average of 2 nights a week every 6 weeks. That's another 2K. We have been fortunate that vet bills have been minimal.

Obviously there are ways to cut down costs but 2K seems low unless it is a small dog.

[Anonymous]

I had 2 Alaskan malamutes for about 15 years. I must have spent an average of $500 per month over all that time: food, vet visits and boarding. I groomed them myself, otherwise that would have added up too.

[Anonymous]

$2,000 for a dog is very low IMO.

Food prices have skyrocketed and are $70/bag or even more. Add in costs for regular treats or dog biscuits.
Vet visits at a minimum annual well exam and any needed vaccines.
Boarding or dog sitting for a week or two per year while on vacation.
Any weekly dog walking or doggie daycare.
Don't rule out the cost of any unexpected emergency care which could run into the thousands.

[Anonymous]

Medium 45lbs dog, annual cost in DC area:

$700 food
$200 well visit with teeth scraping
$400 preventatives/vaccines
$100 toys per year (can't offer much that isn't immediately shredded, so he doesn't actually have that many)
$0 grooming, I do it all
$300 boarding/daycare, varies by year, used very sparingly only for vacation and all-day events.

So $1700 a year, approximately.


$2000 in start-up / puppyhood costs: crates, pen, training, leashes, collars, harnesses, toys, bowls, dog beds, grooming tools (including a professional dog hair dryer for his extra thick double coat), etc.

$1000 so far in his 6 year lifetime of medical bills not related to well visits and preventative care.

[Anonymous]

11:22 again. I have small birds and rodents as well. I've spent a lot setting them up in the best habitat money can buy, because their health is more habitat-dependent than for cats and dogs, but annually they don't cost a lot, since they are small and even the best quality food doesn't cost that much when you're feeding a stomach the size of a pea!

[Anonymous]

90lb dog

~$1,000 for food
~$1,200 for boarding (2 weeks/year while we are on vacation @$85/night)
~$350 bare minimum per year for vet check-up and vaccines
~$400 for 4 wash and nail trims/year, we do some @ home
~$200 for treats and chew toys
~$150 flea/tick and heartworm prevention
=$3,300 per year

And that EXCLUDES neutering, dental cleaning, additional vet costs for sickness or injuries (and we've already spent $1,200 for one emergency).

Realistically, the above is a good year with no issues. It can easily get over $4K/year with a couple added vet appts.

[Anonymous]

oh boy id say that was correct if you dont have expensive vet pills but right now its a LOT of money for our 10 year old dog.

150 every 6 weeks for food.
120 heartworm yearly
300-500 for annual plus vaccinations

1695-1895 total but grooming would be quarterly and thats 250 per groom (double coat with deshed plus trimming) so add an extra $1k.

In the past year we had to
take her to the emergency vet to have her stomach pumped because she ate peaches and pits $800
TPLO surgery $4k
swimming rehab $500

then she tore her hip and now its meds and rehab. trying to see if it will heal enough to avoid a 10k hip replacement.
oh and then she had an abscess that needed to be drained last week along with a course of antibiotics $180
plus regular refills of pain meds- dont get from vet they mark them up so high. Costco can fill most pet meds.