July 17, 200818 yr If you've ever owned a big dog, you know they're expensive to feed. So you might be surprised to know that your petite pussycat, who turns her delicate nose up at every other meal, is likely to cost you more over her lifetime than the typical large dog. Lifetime pet costs: Small dog Medium dog Large dog Cat Guinea pig Small bird Fish Rabbit Food* $55 $120 $235 $115 $105 $75 $20 $190 Recurring medical expenses* $210 $235 $260 $160 $70 $85 $0 $70 Litter* $0 $0 $0 $165 $415 $0 $0 $415 Toys and treats* $40 $55 $75 $25 $30 $25 $0 $40 License* $15 $15 $15 N/A $0 $0 $0 $0 Health insurance* $225 $225 $225 $175 $0 $0 $0 $0 Miscellaneous* $35 $45 $65 $30 $15 $15 $15 $15 Total annual expenses $580 $695 $875 $670 $635 $200 $35 $730 Typical life span 13 years 11 years 9 years 15 years 4 years 15 years 5 years 10 years Setup costs $470 $565 $560 $365 $40 $70 $200 $325 Total expenses $8,010 $8,210 $8,435 $10,415 $2,580 $3,070 $375 $7,625 *Annual expenses Sources: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, MSN Money research http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/WhatYourPetReallyCostsYou.aspx
July 17, 200818 yr Who ever said you need to get a dog before having a baby didn't take this into consideration. At least with babies you have insurance that pays the majority. Well I'll continue to wait on my Great Dane purchase.
July 17, 200818 yr Very interesting post. I have never really thought about it. But thinking about our cat...I would have to agree with this.
July 17, 200818 yr Well I don't know about most people, but we DO NOT have health insurance on our dog lol. So that cuts the expense a little. But Breaking it down like that WOW. amazing how much money we really spend in our lifetime. Whew!
July 17, 200818 yr I hate to be so super cereal about this, but it's not really fair... the cat only costs more over the lifetime because they're likely to live longer. If the big dog lives to the same average age (15) then it would be a 67% increase in lifetime cost. In the interest of full disclosure, I have two medium large dogs and a cat.
July 17, 200818 yr Toys and treats....55 dollars what a laugh!! They don't know our Molly. She costs that about every month or less!!!
July 17, 200818 yr Author HHSDad, How did you get BGP to allow you so many spaces betwee words/numbers? I copied and pasted a table.
July 17, 200818 yr I'd have to say the food numbers can vary greatly depending on the brand. We spend roughly $297/yr on our dog, and he falls in the small/medium category. We also do not buy the most expensive food out there, but buy a better quality product that puppy chow.
July 17, 200818 yr Well I don't know about most people, but we DO NOT have health insurance on our dog lol. So that cuts the expense a little. But Breaking it down like that WOW. amazing how much money we really spend in our lifetime. Whew! I don't have insurance on mine either. If all I spend over the course of my little Lucky's years is ~$8,000, which is ~$727 a year, it's well worth the expense. I wouldn't trade him for the world!
July 17, 200818 yr Just last week I took my 2 pound-dogs to the vet for a check-up. Well they both had all of their shots, worm pills, blood work for heart worms, heart worm pills, and I told the vet that the male dog looks to have some kinda hip problem. x-rays where done to find my dog he has hip-displaycia. I was given some pills for that and we was done. As I left I ask for my bill, she told me 411. I said $4.11 (joking) and she said no $411.00. My wife said don't make a :argue: just pay them. Don't get me wrong I love my dogs, but in these days of time, this is money that needs to be spent somewhere else instead of my dogs. I should have asked what every charge is, I guess.
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