Im thinking of getting a dog - is this financial madness - LOL!

SuperMum2010

I grew up with dogs, as did OH, but we have never had one as a married couple because we have both worked full time.

The last few years OH has become stay at home dad/carer for our kids and also runs an ebay shop as a small second income. We have 3 cats, one of whom is on her last legs sadly, and a guinea pig, and if I had my way we would have goats, sheep, chickens, pigs etc etc aswell as dogs, but I would probably be divorced pretty quick!

Anyway - we now have an opportunity to take a choc lab pup which we have always said we would adore, as we have always felt there has been something missing by not having a dog in the house. Is this financial madness? I am realistic about the cost of having a dog, and also realistic about caring for it as we have always had pets and are responsible owners.

We like walking and exploring, but have a short holiday booked in the summer when we wouldnt be able to take the dog with us - we have family members who have dogs and would be able to care for another one for this short time. But would this be terrible timing - the pup would be about 4 months old by then?

So many questions! Any answers or advice very welcome! Trying to remain calm and balanced because I know if I go and see them I will bring three home in my handbag.

Fire_Fox

Which part of the cost are your concerned about? Have you looked at whether you are getting the best value for money with your cats food? Do you have pet insurance and would you get it for this dog? Have you considered adopting an adult dog which has already been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and is out of the (expensive) destructive stage? Maybe you could wait until after your oldest cat is gone (sorry) and your holiday is over to take on a dog?

SuperMum2010

I think its probably the ongoing feeding that concerns me. Would definitely be getting pet insurance as we have used it a lot for the cats. We have considered an adult dog but have concerns there re temperament with children and cats - seems very hard to find one that doesn't say "needs a home with older children and no small pets" - I have both of these already! I had considered a retired greyhound but that's out of the question with potential guinea pig chasing!! I know that neutering a male dog would be about £45 at the local vets, so that is ok (we had already decided we wanted a male anyway). Dont know how much it costs to chip and vaccine though? Can anyone help there?

beachbeth

I think my initial vaccinations for my dogs were about £25 and the follow-up yearly booster is around the same. It has cost me £20 to microchip them but I think it is possible to get it cheaper than this.

I would say not to necessarily go for the most expensive dog food either. It doesn't mean its the best because its costs more. I have tried various different foods for my dogs over the years and the one they do the best on is Chappie in tins. It is really cheap, but it is also kind to their stomachs and I don't have many stomach upsets with them eating this. I know a retired vet who recommended Chappie to me. Most vets today push certain brands because they sell it themselves.:(

Fire_Fox

SuperMum2010 wrote: »

I think its probably the ongoing feeding that concerns me. Would definitely be getting pet insurance as we have used it a lot for the cats. We have considered an adult dog but have concerns there re temperament with children and cats - seems very hard to find one that doesn't say "needs a home with older children and no small pets" - I have both of these already!

Feeding we can help with. As Beachbeth says many vets recommend Chappie wet, not sure the dry is well thought of tho?? There have been a lot of recommendations on the board for working dog foods as these are VAT-free and tend to be higher quality (higher meat content) to keep the dog in condition. Another option for both the cats and dog is to feed some raw food - if you have a friendly butcher you can get offal and offcuts for next to nothing (free in some cases!) just ask for pet meat.

If you don't have a good butcher, I priced up supermarket and online offerings the other day - fresh chicken wings, frozen chicken portions, heart, liver, kidneys are all under £2 per kilo. :money: Depending what brand you are feeding the cats it may contain as little as 4% meat and will usually cost a lot more!
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2303295&page=2

If you look on the breed association/ club site you may find ex-breeding b1tches or studs who have had a lovely family life but now need a new home. As long as the breeder is reputable these dogs will have had all the necessary screening/ hip scoring, plus be neutered, vaccinated and chipped.

SuperMum2010

Thats great info re the cat and dog food, thankyou! I sometimes give the cats left over meat, but it had never occured to me that a good load of cheaper meat might be cheaper than tins and have obvious meat content! Also thanks re costs for vaccinations and chipping - I had thought chipping would cost more than that, so was a nice surprise. Am keeping ears open for update re "compulsory insurance" though, that was in the news this week...£600???? Surely if you bought pet insurance where you are covered for liability this would be an acceptable alternative?

narabanekeater

In relation to the retired greyhound I wouldnt worry to much about you guinea pig. Ive had several x racers and also have 2 cats and have has small furry pets and have never had any probs. All my animals live quite happily together
Ex racers make good pets and if you let me know where you are if you do decide to look into an ex racer I will give you some phone numbers for The retired greyhound trust contacts I know. An x racer will come vaccinated and should be spayed (or we will pay for it)
PM me if I can be of more help and good luck

foreign_correspondent

A pup can be a lot for someone who is looking after little ones/working at home as well - I know people who work from home, who have still found having a pup an immense challenge, and houstraining can be really stressful with small children, especially if the dog keps widdling where the little one likes to crawl! Also, pups nipping and mouthing at little ones can become problematic. However, I dont know how old your kids are, and hopefully your OH knows what he is letting himeself in for, and has nerves of steel!! :-) Personally, I would prefer a mature steady dog, and there are a few in rescues that are small furry and child friendly!

However, financially, having a dog does not have to cost a lot - but a lab will eat quite a lot,.(most labs will eat anything they find!) so food costs will clearly be more than for a small dog. They are also a working breed, and tend to need more exercise and stimulation that many people think. Food does not have to be expensive, but some dogs will do better on cheaper foods than others - occasionally dogs with sensitive tums do need more expensive food, so it is worth being prepared for that.

With a labrador, if taking on a pup, I would be looking for one that is from parents with an excellent hip score. Hip dysplasia is common in labs and can affect them badly from a young age. It can be painful, disabling, and very costly to treat - even if you are insured, lots of big vets bills will cause most insurers to push up their excess, or even their premiums.

See here for more about hip dysplasia:
http://www.lab-health.co.uk/Charlies_story/charlie.htm

You also need to choose a true 'for life' policy (for any dog) so that if an ongoing and expensive condition arises the insurers will cover it for the life of the dog, not just for the first 12 months.

Other costs you need to factor in are puppy damage (chewed remote controls, shoes, toys etc - and anything else they can find access to as soon as your back is turned!), wormers and flea treatment, (up to £10-£15 a month) the cost of kennels or boarding whilst you go away, and, if your OH returns to work at any point in the lifetime of the dog (maybe within the next 15 years) the cost of a midday dog walker! (which can be quite expensive)

Can't think of anything else right now, but whilst I think dogs can be kept quite economically, if its too much of a stretch is can become problematic if there are any unexpected costs. Bear in mind as well that most vets expect you to pay for any treatments up front, then claim back from the insurance, so you do need to be able to access money up front for that - eg. may dog managed to eat glass last year - cue an unexpected vets bill of over £500, which I paid and claimed back. It could be a problem if you cannot always access funds.

Fire_Fox

SuperMum2010 wrote: »

Thats great info re the cat and dog food, thankyou! I sometimes give the cats left over meat, but it had never occured to me that a good load of cheaper meat might be cheaper than tins and have obvious meat content!

I was shocked when I started reading the ingredients on cat food and looking at the price per kilo compared with the price of actual meat. And I was completely jealous when some cat [STRIKE]owners[/STRIKE] slaves told me their butcher gave them freebies! My cat absolutely LOVES raw so hopefully your mogs and new dog will be the same.

If you are interested, please do some reading into BARF/ 'Raw Meaty Bones'/ prey model/ frankenprey. Dogs are very adaptable and will thrive on a mix of offcuts from the butcher plus leftovers: cats do need a balance between meat, raw bone, fat and offal. Raw is best as taurine and other essential nutrients are damaged by the heating process, however some cooked leftovers are fine (but NOT cooked bones which may splinter).

foreign_correspondent

....just a thought - if your old cat is on her last legs, I wonder if it may be better to wait till she is gone? - someone I knew took on a pup with an elderly cat, and the cat was very distressed by it.

tabskitten

I had a retired greyhound and i can honestly say she was a complete pleasure and would recommend to anyone to do this and give a dog that needs a home one!!