how much do you spend on your dog(s) per month?

falabo

hi there I have 2 dogs (cocker spaniels) and spend about €385 per month on them
I was wondering if thats the average or way above?

It just seems like a crazy amount of money but the dog walker is something I woukld be very reluctant to remove as I am gone all day so that way they still get their 3 walks per day.
Anyway, they are worth EVERY PENNY :-)
Here is the brekdown (vet bills not included, new plants needed and skirting board not included) :-)

Food (James Wellbeloved)
€45
Dog Walker (5 days a week)
€220
Dog Nanny (1 weekend away per month on average)
30
Toys/Treats
€25

Insurance
€30

Grooming
€35

Daniel S

falabo wrote: »

hi there I have 2 dogs (cocker spaniels) and spend about €385 per month on them
I was wondering if thats the average or way above?

It just seems like a crazy amount of money but the dog walker is something I woukld be very reluctant to remove as I am gone all day so that way they still get their 3 walks per day.
Anyway, they are worth EVERY PENNY :-)
Here is the brekdown (vet bills not included, new plants needed and skirting board not included) :-)

Food (James Wellbeloved)
€45
Dog Walker (5 days a week)
€220
Dog Nanny (1 weekend away per month on average)
30
Toys/Treats
€25

Insurance
€30

Grooming
€35

Grooming/Treats... and you're asking why it cost so much to have dogs?

I've a Golden Retriever and it costs us about €50 a month tops.

Also, we have a treadmill if we haven't time to take her out on a walk on a particular day. She loves the thing!

falabo

a dog treadmill is something I was thinking of buying, is it foldable? where did you get it ?>

Daniel S

falabo wrote: »

a dog treadmill is something I was thinking of buying, is it foldable? where did you get it ?>

It's our old treadmill which is half broken, ie, only buttons 3,4,5,6mph work. So as a runner, it doesn't get any use from me :rolleyes: It folds up nicely, its called a NordicTrack 4200 R


It's going to cost about €150 to get repaired (by myself), probably worth it though.

We got it in Elvery's in Limerick a few years ago (The one next to PC world/Tk Maxx)

EDIT: Wouldn't recommend Elvery's, they overcharged us and set it up wrong, which damaged it.

falabo

would love to get one if it doesnt take up too much space once folded, any idea where near dublin I could get it ?

:-)

are you selling yours by any chance ?

Daniel S

falabo wrote: »

would love to get one if it doesnt take up too much space once folded, any idea where near dublin I could get it ?

:-)

are you selling yours by any chance ?

Yes, I'd love to sell it, have no idea what it's worth though. Have a cross trainer also, but I might have some trouble getting "Rua" to go for a walk on that :pac:

Daniel S

This is what I used to walk Rua when we haven't time (ie, when making dinner)

[IMG]http://mtb_kng.webs.com/100_0458.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]http://mtb_kng.webs.com/100_0459.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]http://mtb_kng.webs.com/100_0460.JPG[/IMG]

Asphyxia

I've got two dogs a 1 year old collie/jack russel terrier cross and a 5 month old purebred German Shepard.

Every month is different but it usually works out about €60 a month. Food and insurance are got every month and treats/toys and anything else are every second third month. The €2 shop is brilliant for toys and leads/collers when your stuck. I also got some puppy shampoo in there and saw it in Petmania for a fiver!!

Grooming cost me €30 every year.

Daniel S

Asphyxia wrote: »

I've got two dogs a 1 year old collie/jack russel terrier cross and a 5 month old purebred German Shepard.

Every month is different but it usually works out about €60 a month. Food and insurance are got every month and treats/toys and anything else are every second third month. The €2 shop is brilliant for toys and leads/collers when your stuck. I also got some puppy shampoo in there and saw it in Petmania for a fiver!!

Grooming cost me €30 every year.

That's pretty much the same as me. Although I groom her myself. €2 shop is brilliant for dogs! I was looking everywhere to find those tennis ball throwing things, then I went in for a few snacks, and there it was

lorebringer

OP - Have you considered cutting the dog walker down to maybe 3 days a week as opposed to 5? Would save you a few euros and the dogs would still get 3 walks a day most days of the week. Also, trying to groom your dogs yourself (I understand that Cockers need to be groomed regularly - I have a working one!) will save you another few quid, the initial investment in a grooming kit will seem a bit steep but it'll save you money in the long run. Treats and toys could be cut back on too - making your own treats (there are quite a few recipes online and most of the ingredients are just things you would have in the kitchen press anyway!), or cutting back on the ones you give, and being creative with toys (I know my lot will play with some very unusual things!) will have pinch the pennies!

If you cut out toys/treats and grooming totally you could save €720 per year! Plus a day or two with the dog walker and it would add up fast! (but obviously, this isn't totally possible - some luxuries are allowed )

cocker5

my monthly bills....

dog walker 2 times per week (€20 per walk) ... so usually around €180 per month

dog food €30 - i buy the huge bag of burns for around €55 and last two months

pet insurance €24 per month..

Grooming €32 - €65 every 2 months

treats / teddies €35

so all in all around €300....:eek:... just slightly shocked after seeing the acutal figure

Daniel S

cocker5 wrote: »

my monthly bills....

dog walker 2 times per week (€20 per walk) ... so usually around €180 per month

dog food €30 - i buy the huge bag of burns for around €55 and last two months

pet insurance €24 per month..

Grooming €32 - €65 every 2 months

treats / teddies €35

so all in all around €300....:eek:... just slightly shocked after seeing the acutal figure

OMFG!!! :eek:

I'm gonna start walking people's dogs!!!

If I were you, I'd get a treadmill, use the €2 shop for eh... "teddies" and get a grooming kit. It's a sign of affection so your dog might love you even more

lrushe

3 dogs, Rottie, Spitz and Chihuahua.
Spend about €30 a months on food, put €20 aside in a jar for vet bills, I groom and walk them myself. I spent €7 on 6 tennis balls there a few months ago and they still have most of them, they are the only toys they really play with.

Daniel S

lrushe wrote: »

3 dogs, Rottie, Spitz and Chihuahua.
Spend about €30 a months on food, put €20 aside in a jar for vet bills, I groom and walk them myself. I spent €7 on 6 tennis balls there a few months ago and they still have most of them, they are the only toys they really play with.

That's a good idea. If you get a fairly healthy dog (as in the breed is healthy) you'd get quite a lot of money back in the long run as opposed to insurance, but that's hoping it doesn't have a accident. I'll probably start doing that

R P McMurphy

Over the last two months cost me €2,500 , fairly elaborate dog run

lrushe

mtb_kng wrote: »

That's a good idea. If you get a fairly healthy dog (as in the breed is healthy) you'd get quite a lot of money back in the long run as opposed to insurance, but that's hoping it doesn't have a accident. I'll probably start doing that

I found it very annoying when trying to get access to your own money when your dog needed it going through insurance companies ie. 20 questions :rolleyes:
Putting the money aside means I can go and get it if and when I need it and I don't have to justify to a company why I need it

Daniel S

lrushe wrote: »

I found it very annoying when trying to get access to your own money when your dog needed it going through insurance companies ie. 20 questions :rolleyes:
Putting the money aside means I can go and get it if and when I need it and I don't have to justify to a company why I need it

And if you dog stays healthy you get a nice amount back

cocker5

mtb_kng wrote: »

OMFG!!! :eek:

I'm gonna start walking people's dogs!!!

If I were you, I'd get a treadmill, use the €2 shop for eh... "teddies" and get a grooming kit. It's a sign of affection so your dog might love you even more

while i agree with what your saying... the dog walker isnt necessarly for just excersie... its get him out during the day while im in work... dont want him cooped up all day alone.... she picks him up around 11am and drops him back around 2.... plus she collects other dogs so its great to socialise

tried the grooming myself... even invested in a clippers etc... he was a pain to groom... plus i cant do cocker clips.. so he looks like i gave him a blade 2 all over he ends up looking like a lab with cocker ears :eek:

he cant live without his teddies... canbt get him the ones in the €2.. they have to be dog proof.. ie cant rip easily....

dog walking there def money in it if you take it seriously :P

Shanao

My bills aren't too bad for just the dogs, but we have plenty other animals as well so it all adds up in the end.

Dog food- 69.99 a month
Treats/toys- About 40 for the month
Advocate- 25 for the month
Grooming- Bought a furminator so do it myself.

So about 130 euro for the month for two big dogs.

I've started doing dog walking myself (with a bit of obedience training thrown in if its needed), but its more to get me out and about so I'm not charging a lot for it.

Green Dog

mtb_kng wrote: »

That's a good idea. If you get a fairly healthy dog (as in the breed is healthy) you'd get quite a lot of money back in the long run as opposed to insurance, but that's hoping it doesn't have a accident. I'll probably start doing that

I think i would change to cheaper food before cutting insurance. Maybe switch to accident only policy if very stuck. That said my insurance lapsed yesterday for my 3 and haven't renewed yet. Wrapped in bubble wrap for the weekend:(.
Walk them myself, spent about 50 euros on scissors for grooming 2 years ago, makes such a difference to the grooming, best investment ever. (Got an electric sharpener for it in lidl!)

Zapperzy

A €12 bad of dried food I think lasts just under 2 months, I buy trays of naturediet to mix in with dry food at about €1 each they last 5-6 days so I guess you could say €12 a month on food. Grooming I do myself mostly but usually bring him to a groomers once a year at €40. Vaccinations once a year at €35. Don't have insurance but it's something I'm looking into. I'd say I spend about €5-10 a month on treats, Iv just ordered a 500g bag of beef lung and a 500g bag of lamb stomach at about £5 each but they will last about 3 months I reckon. I suppose you could add about €10 a month on for miscellaneous things like the nail clippers I bought the other day for €3. So altogether thats about €38 a month for 1 small terrier. So about €456 a year. Hmm would have thought it was more than that. I guess add on the cat's costs and hamster's and you can triple that! :rolleyes:

john t

About 40e per month for my 18mnth old shepard on food, no dog walker its our dog we walk and comb/ brush when walking in park. When we stock freezer from butchers monthly we make sure if he gets 100e we get lots of bones and chicken livers, pork hoks, and ox tail...

SophieSakura

I have four Cavaliers, and I think they cost me about €10 a month maybe, between them.

They don't eat much, and they eat scraps a lot (healthy stuff) so their food works out really cheap. I groom them myself and have lots of time to walk them and they don't need daycare or anything.

They're my cheapest pets, I don't want to think how much I spend on my rabbits and guinea pigs Not too much but with food, bedding, veggies and hay, more than the dogs cost!

summer_ina_bowl

For a lurcher, collie and now (rolls eyes ) a dobie, I reckon my monthly spend is about:
€60-80 a month on food
€20-40 a month on rawhide chews and tennis balls (the collie goes though so many tennis balls but they're her greatest joy in life )
€7.50 a month on doggy shampoo

Every few months add in an extra €30 for flea/worm treatments

And I suppose an extra €20 a month for all the extra cleaning products

And I guess add an extra €40-60 a month for the cats :S

Oh and an extra €5-20 a month for the fish

It's no wonder I can't afford to have my car checked at the garage, the engine light's been on for a couple of months now lol

I must admit I don't have pet insurance (shame on me) but I work in a vets, so in case of an emergency, I know they'd get the care they need straight away and I could pay it off in installments.

TaraR

4 Dogs = 3 Staffys and A Pitbull


€12 a week on dry food
€7 a week on Wet Food

Bones/Treats €20

€96 A Month Not too Bad

belongtojazz

I have 3 terriers and a springer,

about 50 a month for food
probably same again for treats, I use sausages, chicken and liver as I do agility with one and am working really hard with my springer on his food obsession.
about 50 for medication for our terrier with hip dysplasia (no insurance and she's facing a hip replacement which could cost thousands)
about 5 euro on toys, they love cuddlys which I get from charity shops and remove the eyes, they also have balls which apart from losing they last well.
about 100 euro for agility classes for 1 of them, am thinking of doing obedience again for her which will be another 100
12 on cod liver oil
40 for flea and worm (not every month so that's an average)
No dog walker, they get walked for about 20 mins before I go to work and probably about 2 hours in the eve between walking playing and training.

They really aren't cheap when you total all that up, but they are worth it

forgot grooming for my springer, probably about another 100 or so a year, wouldn't do him myself, he gets far too worked up when I brush him never mind try and clip him

tatabubbly

Hey!

I have one JRT, so I feed her Royal canin so

€20 a month on food
€25 on dog treats and wee toys... She loves her bones more than life itself and she has one teddy that's lasted since christmas!
€10 every 3 months for flea drops/worming tablets..
€20 on a new bed every 6 months? She has a crate..

She's short haired so i bath her myself and groom her so another maybe €20 a year on grooming tools?? She gets walked in the morning and someone is here everyday or else she goes to doggy day care a.k.a. mammy's house! :P

I work in a pet shop so the staff discount comes in handy, i get loadsa wee treats n bones for next to nothing so i'm lucky..

Sigma Force

1 collie, 1 small mix breed and 1 papillon. Have cut back on luxury stuff, no insurance it's a gamble but there yah go that's what loans are for. Groom them myselves mostly now with the occasional trip to groomers.
Advocate and wormer isn't done as often as recommended because to be honest I think it's overly recommended and a money making thing, yes worm and flea treat dogs but there's a lot of chemicals in that stuff and you can over do it. 3 times a year tops now.

I'd say about €50 a month is what they cost me between food and treats, vaccinations etc. depend on whether they are going to kennels or not cheaper to get them all done in the one go.

Every year there's usually some mishap, broken dew claw or one hurts themselves acting the maggot that can be usually a 70 euro a pop on average a couple of times a year if they are feeling extra clumsy.

There food is really the biggest expense but I won't switch to a cheaper brand because they do so well on it and one has a dodgy tum and Burns works for us and they love the taste.

Treats are usually limited to Bonios because they are dry enough not to cause the runs with my middle dog, the odd carrot or ice cubes made with apple juice or something I bake them myself.

Have gone terrible stingy but the one thing they want most is time and I have that for them so I figure they don't care if they miss out on the latest squeeky toy.

djflawless

iv a 1 year old sprocker spaniel thats a very active, hyper and happy dog..i do buy the 12 packs of brandy in tesco for just under 8 euro which last a week and a big bag of dog nuts which do me a month..and insurance is covered by the national association of regional game councils which is 100 euro a year.altogether talking about 12 euro a week ha happy days:D

magentas

I'd say €100 covers our 3 for the month, that's for food, treats and toys

Extras every now and then would include vets...spaying next week and microchip for pup soon too and things like training classes etc.
need to re-sow grass in garden now as well...a combination of bad winter and having 9dogs run amuck out there the last couple months!:D

OP the walks are great benefit to you dog don't cut them out. maybe try negotiate a deal though seeing as you're prob their best customer!

Kali_Kalika

Its amazing to see what we all spend on our pets! And as someone else said in their post (regarding a light on in their car for months) It would be interesting to see what we all "skip" on ourselves to buy all these great doggy things!

My girl is extremely cheap in compairison to what I've seen listed here already. I thought I was the best doggy mum out there!:D But she's so happy with what she gets I don't feel spending more is needed! Love is free after all isn't it?! And besides - she thinks she's treated and lives like royalty so who am I to disappoint her!?

Monthly breakdown:

Food - 30euros (1 bag of MaxiZoo's own and a few cans of their own aswell)
She mostly eats dinner scraps (potato, meat, veggies) most of the time since I really don't know how to cook for 1 there's always loads left over!

Bones/Toys - I usually pop into the butchers and get a massive bag of bones for free, take them home, individually wrap them in plastic and pop them in the freezer, take one out an hour or so before its wanted/needed and she's in doggy heaven! (especially around Easter she was getting lamb bones! Yum!)

Balls/Tennis Balls - This dog loses so many its shocking! So I have to admit this is one of my highest spends with her - I'd say about 10euro a month just on bouncy balls (tennis balls she just chews the fuzz off of them and isn't as bothered chasing it when there's fuzz to chew!)


She's a mix breed and has some short fur here and there and longer fur elsewhere (at times, she just looks like left over parts from other breeds) so grooming isn't an issue for us - so that's a no cost area.

Pet insurance is (in my opinion) one of the biggest rip off's ever created. Yet, at the same time, if your dog does have an on going health issue - I can see how it would help out - so it really goes by a case by case situation. And in my own situation, I feel its just nonsense. I don't have monthly vets bills (as someone else said) I put money aside if anything should happen - its there - the same as insurance would be - and if nothing happens, and I'm financially short-taken - its there for me aswell instead of in grubby insurance companies pockets or accounts getting them interest (what little it is) instead of me!
She was fully vaccinated as a pup (Against my will and wishes but can't argue with higher powers on issues they cant/wont understand) so she's never had to go to the vet for any reason. She'll be getting spayed next month, which I'm dreading sending her under the anestetic but not much I can really do between the health benefits of spaying and the fact that the rescue would take her back from me if I didn't get it done So between the rock and the hard place there I'm getting it done and giving her a round of natural meds before and after to minimalise the damage of the anestetic.

So - all in all - she's costing me 30 euro a month - wow that's mere pennies for all the happiness and joy that she gives me in return!