What’s It Really Cost to Own a Pet?
It’s fairly common knowledge these days that people with a pet live longer than those without, but at what price? Is it more cost effective than, say, a personal trainer or a fad diet? Almost certainly, but it’s not free…
While health care and healthy life expenses for people soar, they do the same for pets. That adorable baby thing you can’t resist can turn into a destructo machine at a moment’s notice, destroying furniture, eating car seat belts, and swallowing everything you can think of, from coins to safety pins. You may need to pop a couple of aspirin for your resulting headache, but your pet could require costly medical treatment. Even if you need to visit the vet only for predictable expenses, such as vaccinations, city-required licenses, spaying and neutering, flea and parasite prevention, and the occasional puppy sniffles, costs add up. You might purchase vitamins or special shampoo for a pet with sensitive skin. You also need accessories that help guarantee the security, happiness and safety of your furry, feathered, or finned friend, including collars, leashes, cages or aquariums (with heaters, filters, rocks and plants), and fences. Then there are those items that keep both you and your pet happy, such as climbing and clawing “trees,” birdy cuddle bones, vitamins for fish and fowl and toys/exercise items. Especially at holiday time, we have the tendency to want to share the spirit by adopting a new family member. Think carefully about that tendency, as you’re making a commitment for the lifetime (think years—my dog is 15!) of that animal.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, www.aspca.org offers the following averages, which include food, medical care and various accessories for the normal everyday pet. Note, these costs are only for the first year:
First-year costs of common pets:
- Small bird $195
- Small dog $810
- Fish $235
- Rabbit $911
- Guinea pig $645
- Medium dog $1,190
- Cat $715
- Large dog $1,580
We can hardly place a price on the love and comfort that our pets bring us. For everything else, however, put pen to paper to calculate whether you can afford that totally dependable, but also dependent, friend. You may find yourself less tempted to tie a big Christmas bow around that little guy and put him under your tree. If you’re confident that you still want to give or receive a pet as a present, do a little homework first, like consulting the “Pets as Presents for your Kids” link on the ASPCA website. As an alternative, consider satisfying your desire to help those wonderful creatures by donating to your local pet rescue society or to the ASPCA.
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1 opinion for What’s It Really Cost to Own a Pet?
miss kitty
Dec 5, 2006 at 10:40 am
One of the advantages of adopting an adult dog or cat is that probably half of the “first year” expenses are already taken care of. The first year you own a pet is probably the MOST expensive year, as you won’t be buying a crate and carrier or paying for a sterilization every year of ownership. You can also knock of $200, $300, and $400 for smal med and large dogs respectively if you don’t take them to the groomers regulary (my dog has been once in her 6 years- I just bath her at home.)
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