New Puppy Start Up Costs

[Kavik]

Mine still only get towels or fleece blankets from the reject shop as beds :laugh: that way they can 'make' their beds and it is easy to wash, and easy to discard if it gets chewed or badly soiled.

Toys are my weakness - as I use tugging as one of my training rewards, I have a lot of different types of toys :laugh:

[Queen Maeby]

Yeah, I spend so much money on toys. I wait until Clean Run has a sale and go crazy :laugh:

And beds! I'm addicted to finding the perfect dog bed... Grover had seven

By the way, we both thought the Bono Fido Country Road bed was the best (with a polar fleece blankie for snuggling).

http://www.bonofido.com/products/Country_Road_Range/66060

Edited June 26, 2014 by Queen Maeby

[sandgrubber]

I think you need to think about puppy costs as a probability function. Say 90% of the time . . . depending on the breed, the breeder, and the circumstances . . . there will be no extraordinary costs, but you have to be prepared for a few grand in vet bills if you are in the unlucky 10%.

[Kajirin]

So far after the initial puppy price...

$35 for a bag of RC Boxer Junior

$20 on puppy loaf

$10 Collar

$1.45 plastic luggage tag for ID

Toys are hand me downs of Scout's [just filled an old washing basket full and the pup goes to it and drags out what he wants].

Bed shared with Scout.

Blanket, one of Scout's spares.

Coat, cut down and remade from one of Scout's old weatherbeeta kennel ones [and a coles blue bag for the straps for the chest/belly] already had the sew on velcro.

Only 13 weeks atm so not had next lot of vaccinations.

Do have a voucher that came with his vaccination card to do desexing within 6 months for $115 [but will more than likely go through my normal vet for this procedure when they give the ok to do so].

Guess it helps having an older dog, have most of everything already on hand plus I like making things

[dididog]

Didi = the money vacuum.

First vet appointment + 2nd vac = $100ish, follow up 3rd vac the same.

$500ish annual pet insurance

$50 for a crate she outgrew in the first few weeks.

2 x $15 trampoline beds

$90 kennel + $10 wood base

$30-40 for food and water bowls (inside and out)

4 collars so far, 3 el-cheapos and one martingale, $50

2 leads, about $25

Car harness about $20

Probably close to $120/40 on flea and worming stuff so far

$20 a week for food roughly

$60ish on treats?

$120 for 6 weeks puppy school

$50 annual obedience club membership

Probably $250 on toys

$15 nail clippers

$15 grooming mit

$50 weatherbeeta coat

Increase in water bill and fuel usage too, every drive we take seems to be for the dogs benefit.

So we're on at least $2,500 (including cost of dog) but next 4 months shouldn't be too bad as we have now made all initial purchases and bought wormers and stuff in bulk. Only ongoing cost of food perhaps some toys and treats. I could see how that would easily go up to $4000 with some health issues or special requirements. There are a few things I would not buy/do next time around but I don't think any of it was super unnecessary and most of it bar the toys and perhaps collars/leads will last her most of her life.

[sandgrubber]

So we're on at least $2,500 (including cost of dog) but next 4 months shouldn't be too bad as we have now made all initial purchases and bought wormers and stuff in bulk. Only ongoing cost of food perhaps some toys and treats. I could see how that would easily go up to $4000 with some health issues or special requirements. There are a few things I would not buy/do next time around but I don't think any of it was super unnecessary and most of it bar the toys and perhaps collars/leads will last her most of her life.

Wishing you avoid a bad draw on the puppy lotto. The OP was asking about a Frenchie, a relatively unhealthy breed . .. so they stand a good chance of ending up on the high end of the cost spectrum.

[Queen Maeby]

I have saved up $2000 already, so I'm pretty much set :)

[LisaCC]

Not just genetic lottery either, you get unforeseeable accidents if you are unlucky, like the grass seed I saw go in on our walk and straight down the ear drum! There was our first vet anaesthetic, then we had a dog run out of it's yard and attack on another walk.

Even if you have insurance a lot of vets want the payment straight up, so you need it.

Edited June 26, 2014 by LisaCC

[OSoSwift]

Um its something I choose not to add up or think about!!!!

But yes a good idea to try and figure out costs.

Things you will need to cover are

Vaccinations

Desexing

Deworming

Fleas

Heartworm

Food

bedding

bowls

lead

collar

toys

Good quality food - let your breeder be your guide.

You do not have to buy the most expensive things however it is always wise to invest in decent collars and leads so they don't break. Obviously you wouldn't buy top of the range until they are fully grown.

Other things to consider

Pet insurance

Crates/puppy pens

Coats

I find that I do like to buy good quality things so it can cost more initially but is quite often cheaper in the long run.

You need a bit of money aside just incase puppy gets sick or injured, even if you ahve pet insurance you have to pay the bill as mentioned and there will be some sort of excess.

I make my own collars and coats, however I do have different collars for different things soooooo yeh I am always buying different fabric etc. My cupboard is full of polar fleece I just had to have :)

[espinay2]

Tips for new players:

Be aware many pet stores may sell things a lot dearer than you may get things in some other places (online or at dog shows for instance). A crate at a chain pet store may be double what you would pay for the same thing on ebay or stores like www.vebopet.com.au

The 'Bargain' stores (Places like the Reject Shop and Go-Lo etc) can be a good source of a lot of things. Look at them for things like dog toys for instance - particularly the fluffy toys that get destroyed quickly. Some stores also sell things like dog bowls etc of a reasonable quality for a reasonable price but this can vary from store to store (some offer reasonable collars and leads but there is more variation in the quality of these so it may pay to look for better quality to elsewhere to be sure. Invest in a good lead and it will last a long time if you care for it). . Don't just look in the 'pet' section either. I have picked up some great stainless steel bowls in the 'homeware' section of these types of stores.

Some Discount Chemists carry things like dog worming/heartworm etc tablets for a reasonable price when compared to some other stores (when I compared buying some of the products to buying online - which is usually cheaper - it was cheaper for me to buy at the chemist as I was not paying delivery)

With puppies the priority for bedding is washable and disposable. IMO it is best not to invest in expensive beds, particularly if your pup goes through a destructive phase. Otherwise, a good source of beds is dog shows. There will often be vendors at shows who sell dog products often for a lot cheaper than you will get elsewhere. Shows can also be a good place to pick up grooming equipment.

If you can sew, you can make dog beds very easily. Cotton or polarfleece on the outside and one or two layers of quilt wadding on the inside. These types of beds (often sold at dog shows) are easily washable and dry quickly.

As mentioned, a great way to make a puppy pen is to buy the mesh 'compost bin' panels at bunnings. Use cable ties or snap clips to join the sides and for a 'door' opening rather than the spiral thingies they come with.

Edited July 1, 2014 by espinay2

[Law]

Also make sure you have money incase of an emergency. Hershel got kennel cough a week after I brought him home. Wasn't sure if it was kennel cough or something stuck in his throat so ended up spending a couple of hundred dollars getting him checked out!

[Airedaler]

Two of the best investments I have made for my dogs are stainless steel food bowls ($10 each when purchased well over 10 years ago) and an ID tag from www.boomerangtags.com The only tags which have lasted any length of time, just wish I had found them earlier.

As for other items like several others I would not spend anywhere as much as some are talking about. however, I would suggest buying good quality items that are not going to need updating due to size.

[Dame Aussie]

Vaccinations/vet check, worming tablets, toys, collar/lead and food is all mine ever got. They sleep on our bed or the couch.

It depends on breed and your lifestyle but puppies really don't need that much, having said that it is good to have some cash stashed for things that might pop up :).

I also keep a credit card for emergencies.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Dame Aussie