Owning a dog is very popular nowadays, thanks to the internet and all the people who offer adoption services. For people who love dogs, owning a dog for the first time is very exciting and fun. But then you’re hit with a problem: budgeting.
Owning a dog or any pet for that matter isn’t always easy. There are many new things that you need to learn and for most people, if they’re not careful, the dog or pet budget could be overblown. Just like with any expenses, a budget can help you buy only what you need and what items give you the best value.
Initial expenses
Let’s start with the first step of owning a dog: adopting or buying one. Adopting is preferable because it is cheaper and you’re taking in a dog that really needs your help. If you’re adopting a dog from a reputable shelter, they should already be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped the dog. This saves you a lot of money and time on the initial medical exam.
The cost of initial expenses is always higher than other expenses later. Because other than dog food, you will need to buy a collar and a leash, a crate, a bed, and a water bowl. You’ll only buy these items once and should last for a while before you need to replace them.
Food expenses
Food expenses can be considered as fixed costs as you probably will need to buy the same dog food brand and amount of food each month. So don’t worry, this one will be easy. The prices of dog food vary depending on the brand, quality, ingredients, and the size and age of your dog.
Premium dog food products are usually more expensive because they are made of pure meat with no additives. These products have better nutritional value and will make your dog love mealtime even more.
Despite being expensive, there’s another thing you should know, the higher the nutritional value is the less your dog needs to eat. Because how much food your dog eats every day is depending on the nutrition your dog gets for every meal. Finding the balance between price and nutrition value can save you a lot of money.
Vet visits
To make sure that your dog is healthy and fit, you need to go to the vet regularly. If you think going to the vet is expensive, you’re sorely mistaken. Visiting the vet regularly to prevent diseases makes taking care of your dog much cheaper.
Take a yearly exam, for example, it usually includes a thorough physical from head to tail, as well as necessary vaccinations, flea and tick control, and heart worm preventive treatment. Vets in big cities are usually more expensive than in a small town, but they usually also offer membership programs that could save you quite a lot of money.
Grooming aids
If you want to take it easy but still want your dog to be clean and look best, you can go to a grooming aid. Costs vary greatly, depending on the location, and size, and coat of your dog. Some dog breeds are very difficult to handle so they charge more for these dogs. While other dogs could be so much cheaper.
Grooming involves a bath, brushing, nail trims, fleas and ticks inspection, and dental care. And same as vet visits, grooming can prevent diseases and save you a lot of money in the long run. Of course, you can always groom your dog yourself. If you’re planning to do it yourself then you need to purchase grooming tools.
Toys
We can’t forget about toys in our budget. The cost of toys is different for each dog. Some dogs love to play more than others so you can adjust your budget based on your dog breed. See if your dog loves to chew their toys or not. Dogs who love to chew toys will break them quicker. If that’s the case, getting enough supply of bones and chew toys are more preferable.
Conclusion
Creating a budget plan for your new dog is really fun. You get to learn more about taking care of a dog and your dog as well.
