Costs of taking care of a puppy in the US

[meddesire]

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I'm about to adopt a dog to amuse during the gap year(s) but never had experiences of it in the US before.
In my country, the only cost that my family has to pay is food. All the vaccines are free and thanks God, he was healthy and no pills needed to pay.

How is that different in the US?
My dad gives my a lot of warnings like: what if it gets sick? what if it's going to bite my neighbors? what if it causes unexpected accidents? But really, all of us have no experiences about them in the US before and if those happen, we don't really know how to deal with it. He also said that we may need to buy an insurance for him, but don't know what kind? How often does he need vaccination? Any extra costs (compared to the one in the country) that we need to pay?

All advices needed seriously.

 

[rufflev]

If money is an issue then I wouldn't recommend doing this - especially if you're doing it to 'amuse' yourself during your gap year.

Costs to consider:

• Spaying/Neutering - $200
• Initial medical exam - $50 to 100
• Miscellaneous (collar, leash, bed) - $100+
• Annual food/treat expense - $250+ (depending on dog size and how much it eats).
• Annual medical exams - $200+
• Pet Health Insurance - $200+ (annually)
• Toys (optional) - $25-100 (annually)
• Preventative medication - $100-300
• Training (optional) - $100-200

In a year, you could expect expenses to range from $1000-3000 for a healthy dog - this price will heavily increase if the dog has some pre-existing medical condition or develops one.

 

[meddesire]

If money is an issue then I wouldn't recommend doing this - especially if you're doing it to 'amuse' yourself during your gap year.

Costs to consider:

• Spaying/Neutering - $200
• Initial medical exam - $50 to 100
• Miscellaneous (collar, leash, bed) - $100+
• Annual food/treat expense - $250+ (depending on dog size and how much it eats).
• Annual medical exams - $200+
• Pet Health Insurance - $200+ (annually)
• Toys (optional) - $25-100 (annually)
• Preventative medication - $100-300
• Training (optional) - $100-200

In a year, you could expect expenses to range from $1000-3000 for a healthy dog - this price will heavily increase if the dog has some pre-existing medical condition or develops one.

Thanks for the advice! That detailed list's really helpful.

 

[DNC127]

Hate when people get pets to "amuse" themselves... This is why we have over crowded shelters, puppy mills, and animals being needlessly killed.

In the event that I am being too harsh and you would be a good dog owner, I still don't recommend getting one if you plan to go to medical school. Can kill hours out of your study time when you realize "Oh no I need to go feed spot" then you get home, feed spot, walk spot, feed yourself, decide to chill for a second, and boom you left school at 5 and all of a sudden its 8.

 

[deleted838145]

Do not get a dog if you just want it as a form of amusement during a gap year. Caring for a dog is almost like raising an actual child. It is a huge commitment!

If you want a pet that is easy to care for and not costly, then I suggest adopting a hamster or goldfish/freshwater fish (before buying the cage/tank, accessories, and food, they are usually less than $10). (Note: Rabbits and cats are also huge commitments.)

Or raise a plant. Even better if you have the space for a garden--grow your own produce!

Just please don't get a dog you will only give attention to for a year or two and then no longer have the time/will to care for it because of med school commitments.

 

[Toutie]

Why don't you just find a job as a dog walker or dog sitter for your gap year? You get to play with dogs, have no expenses or future commitments...and you make a little money too.

 

[Turkishking]

I'm going to buy a dog in the future. This post makes me very excited. Just thinking about my future huskies seems great.

 

[blackroses]

If money is an issue then I wouldn't recommend doing this - especially if you're doing it to 'amuse' yourself during your gap year.

Costs to consider:

• Spaying/Neutering - $200
• Initial medical exam - $50 to 100
• Miscellaneous (collar, leash, bed) - $100+
• Annual food/treat expense - $250+ (depending on dog size and how much it eats).
• Annual medical exams - $200+
• Pet Health Insurance - $200+ (annually)
• Toys (optional) - $25-100 (annually)
• Preventative medication - $100-300
• Training (optional) - $100-200

In a year, you could expect expenses to range from $1000-3000 for a healthy dog - this price will heavily increase if the dog has some pre-existing medical condition or develops one.

Note that these costs assume a perfectly healthy animal. I adopted a cat with an extremely common and relatively minor genetic condition. I typically cough up $600-700 a year on top of these expenses for vet bills related to this condition.

In addition to planning for the costs listed above, plan on an additional $500-700 yearly for any unanticipated chronic illness and maintain "untouchable" funds of at least $800 for emergency vet care.

Costs aside though, your reasons for adopting an animal are quite poor. "Amusement" is not a good reason to adopt an animal that needs daily attention, care, and commitment for 13+ years.

 

[Podstar]

I have two dogs I will be taking from undergrad to pod school. My advice is if you are going to get a pup: 1) getting it during the gap year is a good idea, as it will be a year old when you start school and not peeing on the floor every minute and 2) only get one if you are willing to put in the time, effort, and money for the maybe 10+ years you will be taking care of it. If you have any specific questions feel free to shoot me a PM. Getting my dogs was the best decision I have ever made.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

I'm going to buy a dog in the future. This post makes me very excited. Just thinking about my future huskies seems great.

Huskies need a lot of care and attention. So much you might not be able to do it as a doctor (and even less likely in residency). This is one of the major reasons I seriously considering not getting one even though it's one of my fav breeds.

 

[MedicalWaste]

Per the AKC:

"The average cost for the first year of raising small dogs was $2674; medium dogs on the average cost $2889; the cost for large dogs is $3239 and giant breeds such as Great Danes have an annual cost of $3536. The average first year cost across all sizes was $3085.

Supplies were estimated at $432 per year, Food was $435 per year, and Preventative Medications were estimated at $389 per year. Veterinary costs were $650 per year and included all lab work plus are for one serious illness per year was added into the figures.

According to Giffear and Scott, the average lifetime cost of raising a dog is $23,410. These numbers don’t include training classes, so don’t forget to add in CGC classes, obedience, agility and agility equipment and private lessons if you need them. Whatever the final total is on raising your dog, when it comes to keeping your dog healthy and providing training, it is all money well spent."

Source - How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Dog?

 

[MedicalWaste]

Per the AKC:

"The average cost for the first year of raising small dogs was $2674; medium dogs on the average cost $2889; the cost for large dogs is $3239 and giant breeds such as Great Danes have an annual cost of $3536. The average first year cost across all sizes was $3085.

Supplies were estimated at $432 per year, Food was $435 per year, and Preventative Medications were estimated at $389 per year. Veterinary costs were $650 per year and included all lab work plus are for one serious illness per year was added into the figures.

According to Giffear and Scott, the average lifetime cost of raising a dog is $23,410. These numbers don’t include training classes, so don’t forget to add in CGC classes, obedience, agility and agility equipment and private lessons if you need them. Whatever the final total is on raising your dog, when it comes to keeping your dog healthy and providing training, it is all money well spent."

Source - How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Dog?

Follow-up: As indicated above, this would be for the average dog which is fairly healthy. Over the years, I've personally had 2 major medical issues with my dogs. One cost ~ $4,000 and the other cost ~ $5,000 (major eye surgery and cancer surgery/treatment, respectively).