How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

Also, can you recommend a breed (has to be an itty bitty dog, one good with kids and nothing big and I would like a pup please)..

I've checked kennels, rescue orgs etc., but they are older dogs and are very large dogs (which breaks my heart; wish I had the room to take them all in :( and I need to think of my kids safety first, which are amazing with pets (I grew up with everything you could possibly imagine as a kid and my kids love animals).. but I need to be realistic.

TIA!

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

I have no reference to dogs since they belonged to my parents. I can say that with the initial visit with my cat and getting rid of all the mites, fleas and worms she came with, plus having her spayed she cost me about $600.

As far as breeds go, my parents have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and he is AWESOME. They're small and sweet, GREAT with kids. They got their dog from a breeder and he was pricey, but he's a fantastic dog.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

I'm a huge advocate for rescue dogs, so i'm glad you've been looking for a rescue. I think if you find a breed that want I would contact a rescue specific group and see if they can contact you when there are puppies available for adoption.

Our first dog Buddy had many health issues. We got him from Northshore and his vet bills probably totaled 20k over his 6 years. He was my baby and I have to say because he had pet insurance I was able to do so much for him.

Our current dog Casey, has just recieved routine shots, antibotics for a skin infection and testing for a cyst. Her bills so far have been 2k.

Her vet visit is about 65 and because she is a larger dog everything costs more. We did shots at petco and it was 65, antibiotics for her were 150, the cyst testing was about 300.

I hope this information helps.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

is there a site that I could look?

All of my pets growing up were rescued.. My dog (lived to 20!) was rescused from a jack-off that had him all dirty and was beating him and not feeding him and had him tied in the cellar with a rope.. and the cats and other dogs were all rescues from either being strays (where my folks provided all their medical (being fixed, shots, etc.) or from family members who couldn't take care of them any longer..

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

i would say the best site is petfinder.com and in breed, choose the breed you are looking for. Take a look at each rescue group and see if thats the group you would like to rescue from. I would contact them, find out if they have any puppies and if not could they contact you when they do rescue some.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

I got my terrier mix mutt rescue from this place...they specialize in smaller dogs...she was about one when we got her...awesome dog, but did take some work in the beginning to get her over her issues.

Waggy Tail Rescue

As for the bills...my first dog (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) a puppy store dog (we got him 9yrs ago before we knew better about puppymills & stores ) has probably cost us thousands over his lifetime...he's had ongoing issues & now that he is diabetic and having immunity problems we just spent about another $500 on him in the last few months...this includes testing, insulin, needles & medicine and shampoo for his skin

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

Posted by bicosi

Also, can you recommend a breed (has to be an itty bitty dog, one good with kids and nothing big and I would like a pup please)..

I've checked kennels, rescue orgs etc., but they are older dogs and are very large dogs (which breaks my heart; wish I had the room to take them all in :( and I need to think of my kids safety first, which are amazing with pets (I grew up with everything you could possibly imagine as a kid and my kids love animals).. but I need to be realistic.

TIA!

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

my Great Dane - $100 a month in food, $900 the so far in vet bills, and he is only 9 months (tomorrow!)

My Shiba Inu (small, friendly dog) $20 a month in food. $500 the first year in vet bills, and only annual maintenance for the vet which is $95 or so. I groom him, but he would cost about $50 twice a year for pro grooming.

My vet is very inexpensive though, and does not charge for the office visit if we get boosters or heartworm meds for either dog. The Dane needs to see the vet every 4 weeks until he is 18 mos to make sure his bones & joints are growing properly.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

Food & litter: about $100-150/month (for 2 cats - wet & dry food)

Vet Bills: $2000 (cat had respiratory infection)

Grooming: $2000 (they are both long-haired cats so need fluff & buffs and lion's cuts frequently)

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

We have a shihtzu/dashund mix. He's about 13 lbs, great with kids, we got him from a local breeder.

Vet visits are $65 because we got to a vet that does regular and holistic work. The vet tells us what shots we should do and then we get them done at Petco so it's less money. Our vet gives us no problems with that. The only issue he's had so far was a skin infection 1.5 years ago, he had to go on antibiotics for a few days the medicine was about $40 if I remember correctly and we have to clean his ears regularly with solution. So far the biggest expense with him has been beds and toys because he is a little monster and destroys his them (thankfully he has never chewed anything in my house!).

Having a dog was far more affordable than I thought originally.

ETA: DH grooms him, and I cut his nails. So no grooming costs either.

Message edited 4/25/2011 3:56:05 PM.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

Northshore is having a pet adoption with small purebreed puppies

Pre-approvals will receive a $20 discount on any adoption during the April 30th and May 1st weekend event.

Pet Adoptathon - The Premiere Global Pet Adoption Event

Join Us for the Pet Adoptathon 2011 Kick-Off Weekend

Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st
North Shore Animal League America
25 Davis Ave, Port Washington, NY, 11050
Get Directions and More Details Here

Over 700 puppies, kittens, dogs and cats of all sizes available for adoption.
Including over 200 small purebred dogs too!!!

Activities include:
• Purina's Incredible Dog Team
• Kitty Cat Café
• Video Games • Photo Booth
• Kids Corner
• Mutt-i-grees® Marketplace...and much, much more!
Carolyn Hennesy Special Appearance: Carolyn Hennesy

On Saturday April 30th at @ 8:45am, join acclaimed actress and recent Animal League adopter, Carolyn Hennesy for the opening event where she will be cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
Jarvis Green Special Event: Jarvis Green
On Sunday, May 1st at 12pm (noon), meet two-time Super Bowl Champion Jarvis Green for fitness fun for kids of all ages!

Bring your sneakers for Melody Hounds Mutt-i-grees®
ACTIV-ities! These engaging activities will help your children bond and understand your newly adopted pet even more!
Planning on joining us and want to save time and money? If you plan on adopting a pet during the Kick-Off Weekend, come to the Port Washington, NY shelter before the event to get pre-approved for adoption.

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

Thank you! You guys rock!

Re: How much does your pet cost you in maintenance/vet bills, etc?

maltese dogs are small, very sweet and smart.

i would recommend pet insurance. i'd rather pay a little bit every month and have a medium size bill if/when something happens vs no monthly bit and a huge bill. i learned the hard way.