Sheltie Yearly Costs

The food that we have left over is sealed, but I will buy more if I have to. I've been looking into vets that are near my location when I return back to school. There are some reputable ones. I just need to double check on the prices. I know that there will be a security deposit for pets, but my roommates and I are going to split it. What about small animals? My future roommate is going to have a chinchilla. I want to condition him to be fine with new experiences and animals from a young age as best I can.

As far as grooming goes, I will be doing it myself. This can save heaps of money. I feel like it will be a great opportunity to get close to him too :smile2:

It's reassuring to know that it won't cost as much as I thought. I will most definitely have money saved over for emergency. Even feeling more secure, I will work hard to maintain a stable life for my puppy. I can't wait! If it all works out, that is.
 
I think's Emma's cost was around $2500 including the $800 for her. Because she was diagnosed with a heart murmur I had an echocardiogram done, which cost around $500 but I was reimbursed over $300 from the insurance. There was the cost of the spay as well as vet visits to two different vets because the first vet refused to do the spay after Emma reacted to medication. There was also the cost of the MDR1 testing. I also have insurance on her.

Liam's was a lot less. He was basically vet visit before neuter, neuter, and then yearly shots.
 
Personally I don't count what I spend on toys as part of cost of dog ownership. Not that toys are optional for a puppy, but my Jake's favorite toy to this day is an old hunk of dock rope that I found in the garage (and washed 3 times.)

Also, you can make treats at a fraction of the cost of commercial ones, there is a whole section of this forum devoted to recipies, many for dog treats. (My dogs love the sweet potatoe treats, they're easy to make, and you get a mountain of them out of a $3 bag of yams.)

Point being that you don't *have* to spend $50-$100/month on treats and toys, with a little work/research and a lot of care you can make the things that make them happy -- with Shelties I think it truly is the thought that counts!

The cost of vet visits is a tough one to guage, try as you might you just can't prevent everything... but it surely helps if you try. Good diet, plenty of exercise and common sense go a long way. We've been very fortunate.

Where I live, summer brings a hoard of potential $2000-$5000 vet visits, lurking behind every rock and in every tuft of tall grass, called rattlesnakes. But I am supremely cautious; if either is ever bitten it will be the cost of an unfortunate accident or lapse in judgment, not part of the cost of the dog.

As for actual numbers, for each of my dogs, purchase price + vet (including shots and neuter/spay) for first year of life has been less than $1200; a $50 bag of Royal Canin lasts both of them 6-8 weeks; treats and toys: $15 - $150/month; value of their love and companionship: priceless. :yes:
 
I'm so grateful that I found the breeder that I did. She's only going to charge me $400 for him. Even with that, it significantly cuts down the costs. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep him healthy and exercised (though I know that bad things can happen).

I really like the idea of making my own treats. I'll check out those recipes. A dog doesn't need to have top of the line dog food or treats. I've also heard that you can buy huge bags of dog food that last for months. Have you guys found that to be true?

Even with weighing all of the expenses, I'm sure that it will be worth it. I'll have my job over the summer and raise around $3000 on top of the $800 or so that I have saved up already. I think that I can do this which makes me so happy. I've been waiting literally the majority of my life for a sheltie of my own :yes:
 
sheltieluvr6 said:
I really like the idea of making my own treats. I'll check out those recipes. A dog doesn't need to have top of the line dog food or treats. I've also heard that you can buy huge bags of dog food that last for months. Have you guys found that to be true?
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I'm not sure what you mean by a dog "doesn't need top of the line dog food." Consider where your dog will be getting everything he needs to thrive in life and be healthy from... his FOOD! They certainly deserve to be fed an appropriate diet that equals a dog food that's not full of corn, like any one you're going to get that will last for "months." Food is the first point of a healthy dog and if you don't meet their nutritional needs, you'll could easily encounter lots of health problems. Please take the time to research animal foods ... there's a ton of great advice on puppy foods and dog foods on here.
 
sheltieluvr6 said:
I really like the idea of making my own treats. I'll check out those recipes. A dog doesn't need to have top of the line dog food or treats. I've also heard that you can buy huge bags of dog food that last for months. Have you guys found that to be true?
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I'm going to address purchasing large bags of food 'that last for months' first.

Food does spoil. Once the bag is open, ANY food, regardless of quality, looses it's nutritional value after a month. Cheaper foods, with low quality ingredients and preservatives may not result in making your dog sick but the definitely will get even less nutrition from the food than normal.

As a general rule, buy the size bag that you can go through in a month.

Now, as for a higher quality food versus a lower quality food. Would you live on a diet of Twinkies and McDonald's and expect to be healthy? By feeding your dog cheap food, that's what you are doing them.

If you can't afford a really high quality food, at least pick the best food you can in the price range you can afford. Figuring out what that is involves educating yourself on what the ingredients mean. What is the difference between "by-product" and "meal". Why are "glutens" bad for your dog? How about Corn and Wheat? Then READ LABELS.

Corn and wheat are often used for fillers in dog food. Dog's can't digest corn and wheat so they just become "fillers" in a dog food; things to bulk up the food but with no nutritional gain. The cheaper the food, the more filler and non-nutritional ingredients go into it.

As a general rule, you want your first ingredient to be a protein source of some sort.
 
Have you considered adopting? There are other advantages to that besides giving a home to a homeless sheltie. The dog will be spayed, up to date on all shots (most probably), you will have a good idea of any health problems and the dog is probably house trained and out of the chewing state, which if you are in school is a huge plus. There are fewer surprises (temperament, health) when you adopt a dog.
 
eneda said:
Have you considered adopting? There are other advantages to that besides giving a home to a homeless sheltie. The dog will be spayed, up to date on all shots (most probably), you will have a good idea of any health problems and the dog is probably house trained and out of the chewing state, which if you are in school is a huge plus. There are fewer surprises (temperament, health) when you adopt a dog.
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Also remember your puppy will have to be crated or x-pen when you're not able to pay attention to it, such as studying, and he/she will most likely cry at first and it can be sooo annoying when you're trying to study. Also constantly, up to two times an hour, having to take it to potty can be distracting. Lack of sleep you might get at first will affect your studies. Ahhh they're so much work.


I was also thinking perhaps you could try out fostering and see how it goes before you get your own dog. I have three of my own dogs and have a 12-yr-old foster and also a couple of 7-week-old puppies right now and let me tell you, they're a handful and just one would be even more of a handful b/c then it will want attention from me all the time! These guys are border collie mixes and smarter than any dog I've ever met, but they wear you out so much. There are plenty of puppies in foster who need a place to stay for a couple weeks and it's a great way to get a true feel for just how much work they are.
 
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