Cost of a dog / cat

oligeo

We are debating getting a pet, I would love a puppy - a westiepoo, and hubby would like a couple of kittens.

One of the deciding factors may have to be cost of keeping them.

What are the average amounts you spend on food for cats or a small dog?
Vet fees?
Insurance?

We wouldn't need kennels when we are away as family would look after either.

Any advice greatfully received, thanks.
Sarah

krlyr

If you're going to purposely go and buy a "Westiepoo" then you may well want to factor in all the costs that come alongside buying from a puppyfarm or backyard breeder. The cost of treating illness or disease caused by the puppies being in cramped, overcrowded conditions amongt unvaccinated dogs, the on-going conditions caused by careless breeding, the behaviourist needed to try to fix the result of undersocialisation and poor temperament in its parents and so on.
Designer "breeds" like the Westiepoo as a gimmick. A "cute" name given to a crossbreed. You'll pay over the odds for a Poodle bred with a Westie - and probably with not much care put into it.
I'm sure there are some responsible breeders of these crossbreeds, that genuinely feel there is a benefit to some crosses (for example, the original breeder of the Labradoodle was trying to get a non-allergic guide dog) but I imagine they are a rare specimen compared to those with pound signs in their eyes.
I would definately be doing a lot of homework and grilling on a breeder of a "designer breed" and ensuring they have not only done all the homework any good breeder should do, but also quizzing them on why they feel this cross has added benefits over the purebreeds - why is a "Westiepoo" better than a Westie or a Poodle?
I would look into the health issues that either breed are prone to. To copy and paste, here's a list for the Westie (may not be a complete list, just nabbed off a Google result)

• Atopic dermatitis
• Luxating patella
• Aggression
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Legg-Calv!-Perthes Disease
• Dry Eye (KCS)
• Addison’s disease
• Lymphoma
• White Shaker
• Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Juvenile Cataracts
• CMO (craniomandibular osteopathy)
• Pancreatic enzyme deficiency

And the Poodle

• Addison's
• Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
• Basic Genetics
• Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (Bloat)
• Chronic Active Hepatitis
• Cushings
• Epilepsy
• Hip Dysplasia
• Hypothyroidism
• Legg-Calve-Perthes
• Neonatal Encephalopathy (NEwS)
• Patellar Luxation
• PRA
• Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
• Sebaceous Adenitis (SA)
• Von Willebrand's disease (vWD)

As you can see, fairly extensive lists for both breeds and a few that overlap, so ensuring the breeder did all the necessary testing and research into the lineage of the parents would be very important to me, or your costs could rise very high indeed.

http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/good_breeder
http://www.apbc.org.uk/blog/choosing_a_puppy
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/buying/
http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaigns/companion/getpuppysmart

krlyr

And in terms of insurance - make a new email address (so your current one doesn't get spammed) and do various quotes on pet insurance websites. There's lots of threads on here about pet insurance and how to find the best deal/cover so worth searching the forum but generally I would say
- go for "for life" or "continuos" cover as opposed to a 12 month limit. Ongoing conditions can be costly and once diagnosed, you won't be covered anywhere else as it'll be a pre-existing condition.
- go for a high level of cover, £2000 won't get you far with on-going conditions or conditions that need extensive treatment (a hip replacement can be over £2k itself and that's excluding diagnosis like x-rays, rehabilitation like hydrotherapy, pain relief, etc). I have £7000 a year cover - would probably feel safer with a bit more as my two are large breed dogs but hopefully won't need it.
- consider whether introductory offers are worth it. You might get a cheap policy for a year, but come year 2, not only will you have the standard increase but you'll have to pay for that 20%/3 months you got free last year, which can lead to a steep increase!
- reputation. Often there for good reason! For example, E&L have a terrible reputation, and for good reason. Petplan have a great reputation, but you will pay extra for it (but they're one of the few companies that almost all vets will happily pay direct - so quite telling)
- ask your vet who they deal with. Not all vets do direct claims, or some may limit who they deal with. It's all well and good having insurance to cover big bills but if your vet doesn't deal direct you may find yourself needing to stump up £1000 and wait a few weeks to be paid it back by your insurance company. Thankfully most specialists do direct claims since the bill is often in the thousands!

peachyprice

A 'Westipoo'? For goodness sake OP, if you're going to get a dog, at least go for one breed or another, not pay through the nose for something that is just an expensive cross-breed.

Why is it that it's new dog owners think these cross-breeds with silly names are a great idea.

Caroline_a

Additional things to think about:

Dogs:

Collars/leads/harnesses/headcollars
Coats for small dogs
Beds
Microchipping
Vaccinations
Toys
Bowls
Training classes
Dog walker (if you work)

Cats

Most of the above except the bottom two, plus
Litter tray
Litter

Added on to both of the above would be the possible replacement of stuff that said dog/cats has destroyed whilst growing up. Of course this might not happen to you, but I bet there are a lot of people who would tell you otherwise..


Another vote too for avoiding expensive so-called 'designer' breeds which are basically badly bred mongrels for the most part. You will be paying good money for someone who has just stuck two dogs together to make as much money as possible without a consideration for health checks, etc etc.

Far better to look in the rescue centres!

gettingready

krlyr wrote: »

a hip replacement can be over £2k itself and that's excluding diagnosis like x-rays, rehabilitation like hydrotherapy, pain relief, etc

Zara's THR was £5700 :eek:
But yes, insured.. for 7k per year.

In hindsight, I would insure any dog for 10k

Westiepoo? Jesussssssss, sorry but.....

rising_from_the_ashes

First of all ..... so glad to hear you're thinking about costs before getting your pet ..... have a look at this thread for an idea of costs:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3834363

I have a large dog (Lab) and 2 adult cats and budget the following:

Dog - Total £68 / month

£50 / month:covers everything (food - wet & dry, supplements, vaccinations, vet trips, treats, toys, accessories etc etc) except insurance * - with this being £18 / month for a lifetime policy with a £7k / year limit

Cats - Total £53 / month

£50 / month covers everything (food - wet & dry, vaccinations, vet trips, treats, toys, accessories etc) except insurance * - with this being £13 / month for lifetime policies with £7k / year limit

* Insurance - make sure you get a Lifetime policy that renews to the full amount each year: some policies are limited to 12 months and some are lifetime but have a limit on the total amount paid out.

This may be of interest:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut-pet-insurance-costs
Hope that helps

but

peachyprice wrote: »

A 'Westipoo'?

I have to agree with the others and Peachy has said what I would ....

Please, please do not pay through the nose for a crossbreed - they make fantastic dogs but all these names that breeders are coming up with to inflate prices is ridiculous .....

lostinrates

While I tempted to agree with the frustration being shown about 'designer' crossbreeds I think it's been voiced somewhat harshly. Personally I have pedigrees, but feel that cross breeds should be handled like we do with horses, on partbred registers so their breeders and buyers are brought under the umbrella of the kennel club which would have to adapt (and come up to date) to encompass a very different sort of register.

Op, whaty is it that appeals about this particular cross to you? If its a particular trait that the puppy you chose may or may not inherit how would you feel about that?

Raksha

There's a lot of snobbery about 'designer breeds' but if you do your research, you will find there are responsible breeders out there who do breed the best of both breeds and raise puppies well to grow up in a family. They may be hard to find, but they are out there.

Just remember your puppy will turn into a dog, he may or may not cost a lot to keep, but you will loose your heart totally....

Sally_A

They are cheaper than children.

No way would I go for a westie/spotty/cocka/labby/pooey/doodle.

A rehomed mutt (or 2), aged about 4 or 5 years should have any underlying problems sorted or picked up by the rescue centre. Mine have thankfully had to have minimum vet visits, and lived to a ripe old age.

Mongrels seem to be much hardier than pedigrees, or the first batch of a pedigree mix.

Lab/collie/gsd/spaniel all the way in my book, with a soft spot for a bit of a greyhound or lurcher mix.

scaredy_cat

i vote for kittens!!! or adult cats if you are thinking of rehoming. Try your local Cats Protection.