Dog related spending out of control

onylon

The vets subscription includes regular checkups (basically free appointments), vaccinations, de-flea and worming. I got a slip of paper that claimed my hound had all the usual vaccinations as a puppy but by the time I got her she was 6 months overdue on everything. Rather than pay £150 for 3 appointments + the cost of the vaccines, it made sense to sign up to a 12 month plan. 

onylon

sheramber said:

There are many options for raw feeding. Some more expensive than others.

I use Durham Animal feed products which I buy from a local stockist.  it is basic meat and bones  mix which I have used for over 20 years for 4 different dogs with no problems and compliments from 2 vets as to how good my dogs looked.

I spend around a £1 a day to feed a 26kg dog depending on what mix I buy.

https://www.daf-petfood.co.uk/select-site/

Really interested in this, how much do you feed and what veg do you add?

sheramber

I feed half a 450 gm pack as dinner and 1/4 pack as breakfast.

I no longer add veg. I used to process bags of veg and fruit but have found no difference since I stopped. 

I try to feed based on 80% meat 10% bone and 10% offal. The meat minces are a mix of meat and bone.

I feed tripe for breakfast as, being the stomach lining , it contains the nutrients.

I also add liver/kidney at breakfast  at 10% of the daily  meal amount. I split that over 6 days for ease of calculating the amount.  The 7 th day I sometimes give a raw egg with the tripe. ( some dogs get the runs from a lot of liver at once).

She gets any left over cooked veg from human meals and any excess fruit.-  apples, pears, banana.  

Instead of liver cake I made pilchard cake the same way. Instructions are  online.

I used to get a raw  knuckle or marrow bone from the butcher each week but my current dog does not like anything that is too hard  so is not interested in bones. I do sometimes give her a raw chicken wing as a treat,  which she loves. She is a chewer  
so I don't worry about her gulping it down but I extend it fully before I give her it. 

 With a previous gulper I held onto it until he crushed it.

Dried fish skins treats can help prevent tartar on the teeth. 

You find you adjust what you feed as you go along. 

I made up a spreadsheet with the daily feeds on it and hung it up in the kitchen so easy to refer to.

gettingtheresometime

Vegastare said:

I would question why you have the £17 monthly vet fee.  I have insurance for my dog and I understand that flea, wormer and vaccinations are not covered.    I buy Drontal wormer and Frontline plus online and vet understands I save by doing this.  For medium size dog it is £72 from Pet Drugs online for one years supply.

If the £17 per month include nurses advice on flea wormer administering then ok while puppy is young ( does this include yearly booster) but the puppy worming treatment should change as 4 month comes along.
 

I'm guessing this was sold to the OP when they first went to the vets with their pooch as a way of spreading the costs of vaccines/flea & worm treatments. 

OP, if this is the case then check that it's a cost effective way of doing it - might be in the first year but may be not in subsequent years

elsien

I don't bother with regular flea treatments, I just do it if I have any concerns. Which was only once this year.

I'm not sure I'd count all the walking stuff as particularly dog related either - presumably you already had rain coats for bad weather any way. I do have walking boots but I rarely wear them for dog walking as i have to leave Gitdog behind for most country walks as he doesn't do stiles. Or mud. Or water. Or cows.
He has two beds, one upstairs and one downstairs that cost £20 off the market. He has a collar he's had for years, a good quality harness and lead, also had for years, and a long line.
The most expensive things (insurance aside) have been the toys - only two he can have because of being a power chewer are expensive, and his equafleece jumpers which have been a godsend in winter and which I fully expect to see him out. I'd rather pay a bit more for quality then you don't need to keep replacing things. 

Personally I do think the insurance is worth it. One stay in an out of hours hospital overnight when he'd eaten something he shouldn't cost me the best part of a grand. And that was just tests, drips and monitoring. People do tend to underestimate how quickly vets bills can rack up.

Otherwise for me its kennel fees when I go away, and the occasional bath because I'm not doing myself a mischief getting him in and out of mine. 

Savvy_Sue

elsien said:

I do have walking boots but I rarely wear them for dog walking as i have to leave Gitdog behind for most country walks as he doesn't do stiles. Or mud. Or water. Or cows.

I'm just going to put this up about walking a dog near cows: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/advice/safety/walking-near-livestock.aspx

You are very wise to keep Gitdog away from cows and vice versa, so it's for everyone else ...

And if you are going to walk a dog near cows, Sheffield has the NHS's foremost consultant in bovine trauma. 

onylon

elsien said:

I'm not sure I'd count all the walking stuff as particularly dog related either - presumably you already had rain coats for bad weather any way. I do have walking boots but I rarely wear them for dog walking as i have to leave Gitdog behind for most country walks as he doesn't do stiles. Or mud. Or water. Or cows.

Gitdog is very sensible.

I have always been a city girl and like Gitdog I simply avoided rain/mud/cows so had very little suitable clothing or footwear. So far dog walking in rural Scotland has turned out to be a more expensive pastime than drinking in London pubs!

bellaboo86

You seem to be paying an awful lot. I have 2 dogs and a cat and I pay £40 a month for all 3. Also, I get flea treatments through the post for all 3 and that costs £20ish (I get worm stuff separately). What do you feed the dog? I spend around £65/70 a month on the two dogs. I appreciate this might be tricker to change if yours has a sensitive stomach. 
£20 a month on toys is excessive. Your dog is either destroying them, and so the ones you buy aren’t suitable or they have more than they could possibly need. Nyla one toys are good for chewers.
I wouldn’t have thought greyhounds need grooming. I stick mine in the bath if they are really muddy but other than that I just brush them. 

As for collars, your dog doesn’t care if they’re pretty- I really wouldn’t bother until the ones you have already purchased are looking tatty. 

Lots of savings to be made here. 

Monsternextdoor

Dog mum here.

Mine is 6 ish months old and I can relate to wanting to spend and I have a toy sized dog.

My insurance is £300 a year
Food I feed what we eat, chicken, veg, rice, pasta it's amazing how much you actually save.
Toys yeah .... Its balls I go thru but the Kong minis are the best ones and the range is the cheapest.
Collars mine has cat dicky bows as he's that small they fit the best so I spend on harnesses - Ive spent £200 since june, Plus I spent £40 last night as he has outgrown his ones from his tiny size.
Walking gear ...... you don't have wellies and waterproofs already ?
Vets mine was underweight when we got him so he's been on 2 weekly weigh ins - FREE 
Flea and tick meds  £10 a month 
Bed and blankets - £40 once but he won't use it- sleeps with one of the humans normally 
Groomers - £50 every 6 weeks but I paid that for my last dog  
Treats £15 a month, I buy in bulk tho so that would be the average - pigs ears, deer hide, jerky etc 
Jackets for furry balls £40 but he will need more as it gets colder plus he will need to be seen in the dark.
Pool £20 I have a water dog and he is desperate to be in water all the time when hot, The kids big pool is full of chlorine and its no good for his fur so he has his own.
Shampoo, conditioner and paw wax  £30 a month, Hes washed twice a month and his hair is curly so we use a specialist curly pooch one, Paw balm helps them get used to getting his paws touched. 


Is he pampered and spoilt most deffo ! 

But I would spend the same if not more on the kids every month.

NSG666

£50/month insurance seems high but i guess it's breed and cover related. Pet insurance is the most complicated insurance I've ever come across. I had it then stopped but have had a few large vet bills since - the last one c. £1500 when he nearly died and now he's on heart pills that via our vet at £1.80 each 3/ day would be c£2kpa but but buying them online it costs c£700pa. Like any insurance, it's only value for money if you make a significant claim but I didn't bother and I'm not regretting it (yet) as I can afford it - the difficulty would be if there was a chance to save him but it would cost £5/10k or if I were skint.

Flea and wormer - VetUK own brand but you've got the vet scheme for now.