Considering getting a small dog. Upkeep?

[ronrat]

rats for free

I am not cheap.

[bob4you]

I have more then 60 dogs,any breed....I never counted how much I spend on them....a puppy ? Anybody?....

I have a female Yorkie would love a male or a female small dog like a Chihuaha or min pin. Anybody got in Pattaya area?

[Beetlejuice]

I have more then 60 dogs,any breed....I never counted how much I spend on them....a puppy ? Anybody?....

I have a female Yorkie would love a male or a female small dog like a Chihuaha or min pin. Anybody got in Pattaya area?

Is this for short time or all night?

[piston broke]

having a dog is an expensive game.

do the maths before you jump in feet first.

[harrry]

Actually I gave worst case general figures. What has to be considered are you going to be here for the lifetime of the animal. If you have to eat cheaper food he will eat it with you but if you deset him that will be totally wrong.

[dsfbrit]

In Thailand the costs of keeping a small dog are small as well. I would suspect that from the posts from some of the 'comedians' on here with their replies, that it would be just a small fraction of the cost of the beer they consumed before posting.

Like other dog owners have replied, it is the time you have to give to take care of any dog properly that is quite considerable. If you are working full time and would have to leave the dog at home on its own for 12 hours a day and would not have time to take it walkies for an hour or so a day, then I would not get a dog of any size.

So costs, the cost of buying a small dog that will be fit and well can be quite expensive if you don't know someone who has a healthy puppy to give away or sell to you cheaply.

I would budget between 10k-20k baht depending on the breed for a healthy puppy (or more if you can afford it and want to ensure its pedigree).

Getting a puppy from a market can be a problem. We had a much loved Pomeranian from a market and he died within 7 years and had a dodgy/enlarged heart (kept fainting) all his life.

We now have a new dog, a Pomeranian that we got as a puppy two years ago - he weighs 2.3 KG.

Our vet advised that he eat only dried food, but not that stuff they advertise on the TV - it is full of rubbish.

So we buy 'Royal Canin Vet Care Nutrition' that is 550 baht and lasts 3 months -we feed him twice a day.

The vet advised to give him just water, no milk or whatever. We also sometimes give him bones (not chicken) and healthy scraps left over from our meals. Nothing wrong with healthy scraps such as left over boiled rice.

We weigh him once a week to make sure he does not put on weight.

The initial costs we paid included costs for dog litter tray, dog litter, lead, collar (harness better for small dog), various combs, dog cage and initial injections. This all came to about 3000 baht.

Our vets costs are about 1500 baht a year for the standard injections and checks. For our dog that died they were a lot more expensive. The special tablets he had to take along with regular checks and x-rays etc... averaged out at about 4000+ baht a year. So you can see that getting a dog from a market may work out a lot more expensive in the long run.

There are also costs for shampoos, flea sprays and grooming if you don't do it yourself.

I estimate we pay no more than 5000 baht a year for everything, so budgeting 400 baht a month would be more than enough.

Good Luck

Edited February 28, 2014 by dsfbrit

[JSixpack]

I've got a pug I bought in a market over here, never again! He's had health problem after health problem; looked fine as a pup and I didn't think about an inbreeding problem at the time. Can't say his health problems are all due to inbreeding, but have owned dogs all my life and this one by far has the most problems. I'd go for a street dog IF I was going to get a dog again; lots of different genes from different dogs. I'd steer clear of any pure breeds over here unless you know the breeders/owners extremely well. It's too easy for them to get two pure breeds and keep breeding and breeding from the same family.

We spend about 55 baht a day on food, but it's the vet bills that have been enormous.

I know the OP just asked about costs but thought I'd give you some advice in case you were looking for a pure bred.

No offence but buying a dog from a market here is the worst way to buy, these dogs are kept in horrible conditions and it's no surprise that your dog had health problems

The breeders/sellers do not care one bit about these dogs and I would urge anybody not to buy from markets, you are only giving profit to these people which will encourage them to do it more

OK, where's a good place to buy a dog then? Friend o' mine wants one. A mutt would be fine.

[johng]

Why not adopt a Soi dog ?

marstons posted that there are lots up for grabs here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709111-warning-for-dog-owners/page-3#entry7540645

[ignis]

Thai friend just bought a Poodle puppy yesterday from a breeder, has all injections done, price 16,500 baht.

There old poodle died last month and only 12 years old.

[Pakboong]

IMO, anyone who has to ask that question doesn't need a dog. We people who love dogs really never consider such as that.

[fakename]

I agree with Johng, adopt a soi dog. You can take your pick, any colour, any size, any age. I wouldnt even consider a bought dog, whats the reason? I adopted a soi cat, the best investment I ever made. I never question what it cost to feed her, or medical bills, she is worth every penny I ever pay. One side effect of having a soi cat, is no one wants to steal her, but the expensive cats, there is always someone trying to make some money, so its not safe to let them out. I would guess its the same with a dog, the more expensive, the more someone wants to take it.

Of course, if your already concerned about expenses, then you probably wouldnt want to pay for a dog either, but its the upkeep, where you will be spending money, so think about it.