Cost Of Keeping A Pet Dog?

[vrsushi]

Just curious and after a ball park figure.

A medium sized mongrel. Food, vet bills, etc. averaged out over the month. Anybody willing to give a number?

[Cuban]

Food is likely to be your biggest cost.

You time will be the biggest investment if the dog is to be happy, 2x +1hour walks a day cross country, plus quaility time at home.

If feeding rubbish tinned food I guess it could cost 4,500 Baht a month.

A BARF diet costs me less than 2,300 Baht per month per dog (2x 37kg mixed bred), inc chcken, fish and bones. (estimate prices - I added extra for their treats - as the local meat supplier considers what I buy human food rather than dog food)

Vets: It's been less than 1,000 Baht a year, but they are young and healthy, only minor skin issue dealt with by the vet - things of that nature I now deal with myself.

[vrsushi]

Excellent reply Cuban. Yes you are so right about the time thing. Hate to see (where I am now) so many dogs kept as fashion accessories and waddling around obsely due to the complete lack of care shown by the owner.

Just googled BARF and looks very interesting. Thanks for that.

[ignis]

Normal vets fee per year.. Yearly Vaccinations 570baht + every 6 months Tick injections @ 230baht

Are you going to shower and groom your dog yourself?

My 4 dogs I shower weekly, takes about 1 hr each dog, you will need to buy a hair dryer, comb, brush, dog nail clippers, hair clippers..

To send the dogs to a normal Thai groomer cost 250baht per dog for a wash and dry.

Food they have dry + anything and everything I eat.

You will need to buy cotton buds and ear cleaning lotion, buy a bottle of 90% proof spirits, use for any bites, cuts.

Even if your dog is short haired they still need grooming to have the hair cut on there paws and pads, ears and around the mouth, ears and teeth cleaned.

Don't forget a dog is for life, so be sure you have time for the next 12 odd years

[katabeachbum]

My rottweiler eats food at approx 2500 baht/month. Mix of dry food and egg/chicken/pork/fish/seafood whatever protein.

Vets in LOS are cheap, less than 2000 baht a year for all shots incl rabies. Accidents can cost though.

The real cost is to adapt, if you want your dog to go with you anywhere. Like size and shape of car, choise of hotels, fence your property etc.

[draggons]

50kg dry food

50kg rice

30kg liver

30kg chicken

time walking, playing, cleaning, lots of

vets bills adding up

wouldn't give them up for anything

[katabeachbum]

50kg dry food

50kg rice

30kg liver

30kg chicken

time walking, playing, cleaning, lots of

vets bills adding up

wouldn't give them up for anything

all this food for one shi tzu?

oh, the puppies

how did you make them sit still like this?

great picture

[bina]

getting the dog and feeding it are always the cheapest things about dogs; its the vet stuff when things go wrong that costs....in any country.

and also those tiny rubber bands that fall out daily from lhasa's top knot that have to be replaced. and the matching leads and collars. and hairbrushes since non ever seem to be the correct ones. )

[ALFREDO]

-draggons- writing and statement is reasonable.

5 dogs, weighing all together 200 kg costed me, including expensive monthly medicin against haert worms,

about 7.000.- B. in the month. (There are sometimes goodies, same chewing bones included)

My costs will now come down a bit,

I lost some years ago a beautiful 10 month young Bullmastiff from a Cobrabite as I was told and the same happened now to my American Boxer, a poisenous snakebite which killed him overnight.

[ignis]

getting the dog and feeding it are always the cheapest things about dogs; its the vet stuff when things go wrong that costs....in any country.

and also those tiny rubber bands that fall out daily from lhasa's top knot that have to be replaced. and the matching leads and collars. and hairbrushes since non ever seem to be the correct ones. )

Yes agree with the rubber bands, but then mine get brushed well every other day so all the bands get replaced, but even so most of the band have broken in 2 days. often break trying to put them on..

Getting the dog cheapest thing? mine all cost between 5 - 8,000 baht each when I bought them, last one @ 12 weeks old on 1st Sept 2008.

[loganberry]

For a small to medium sized dog, 3,000 - 5,000 baht a month would give your dog a pretty comfortable life (given that you are a good care taker). The question that you should ask yourself before taking care of a dog is not whether you have the money to do it. Once you are talking about the money, you are already in it for the wrong reason. You should ask yourself whether you will have the time and attention to give a dog just like a newborn child.

But if FINANCIAL are what you are interested in. Then:

Feeding the dog SHOULD be your biggest expense. Manufactured dog food is ridiculous... but we overlook it because we think, "Hey, they're dogs."

Feeding quality foods for your dogs (ie. chicken, ground beef, duck, steamed vegetables, brown rice, oats, etc.) should not be more than 2,000-4,000 bath per month... unless you are getting pricey vegetables and such, like brocolli, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. The meats can also be expensive depending where you get them from.

The vet bills are very decent here. I take my dogs to probably the most expensive pet hospital here and it is still nothing. He sees the doctor every 2 months for an update on his heartworm prevention and vaccines, if needed. Costs about a 1,000 baht for the visit and meds... unless it happens to fall on a heartworm AND vaccines update day.. then it might run up to 2,000. The first year of your dog's life or vaccinations will involve a few extra trips to the doctor to get everything up to date. But after the first year, it becomes very easy. I had my dog hospitalized in an ICU there as a puppy for a week... it was still less than 20,000 baht. If that were the states... I would be paying a few grand for that stay.

[Tropposurfer]

On 10/7/2009 at 2:06 PM, katabeachbum said:

My rottweiler eats food at approx 2500 baht/month. Mix of dry food and egg/chicken/pork/fish/seafood whatever protein.

Vets in LOS are cheap, less than 2000 baht a year for all shots incl rabies. Accidents can cost though.

The real cost is to adapt, if you want your dog to go with you anywhere. Like size and shape of car, choise of hotels, fence your property etc.

the 2500 excludes the motocy taxi drivers it consumes I suppose? lol ????