When you choose the dog that you are going to bring into your home, it is important that you sit down and think about how much extra money that you have to devote to the care of this animal. One of the biggest myths in the soon to be pet owner’s world is the “free puppy” sign. Just the word free makes us think that we are getting a great bargain, and tends to get some people in trouble. A puppy is anything but free and that is one of the things you have to think about before you jump headfirst into puppy ownership.
Veterinarian Bills Are Expensive
First things first, your new puppy is going to need to go to the vets, if the puppy is healthy and you get lucky the only bill from the vet should be the vaccination bill. If your puppy has something wrong than the bill will grow exponential. For the sake of the question, let’s say the puppy just needs its vaccination, usually three are given on the first trip, and they run about 35 dollars apiece plus the 50-dollar sitting fee that most vets now charge. Out of the three of these vaccinations, at least two of them will need to be redone a few months down the road.
Basic Dog Needs Like Dog Food
Now that you have taken care of the health part of owning a dog it’s time to move onto the basic need category. The breed of dog that you select will have an impact on how much you are going to have to put out in food costs. On average, your dog is going to go through five small bags of dog food a month. A medium-ranged food will cost you 10 dollars a bag. You can add on fifty dollars a month for food. When you bring your free puppy home, don’t forget the bag that you had to bring home with it. In the bag there should be a collar, a leash, a few toys, dog treats (so you can start the training process, before they ruin the carpet or furniture with puppy accidents) a dog food dish, a water bowel, and a training crate. These for the most part are a onetime expense so we will call them set up fees and round the total of all the set up to 150 dollars.
Once you get your puppy home, and set up with all the basic needs, it’s time to move onto the monthly expenses. Your dog is going to need heartworm prevention medication; this will run you 10 dollars every month. Another problem that has to be dealt with head on is flea control. Once your dog becomes invested with fleas it will cost you a lot more money to get rid of them, so prevention is the best route to take. Most vets will tell you that Frontline is the best flea prevention that there is. A 30-day supply of Frontline will cost you 30 dollars a month. If the dog develops and illness the cost will rise much higher. You have to always try to have emergency money set aside if the worse ` happens and your dog needs medical attention immediately. A way to ensure that you have the money put back is to get a prepaid credit card that you forget that you have and use for nothing else.
All these things should be considered when you want to bring the cute little puppy home. You need to be a responsible pet owner and get a dog according to your means. If you cannot support a dog that has special needs, than you need to be responsible and look into a lower maintained breed. If you are financially able to take on a new dog, than you will be rewarded with a new best friend.