Month to Month Expenses
 

Hello YorkieTalk!

I'm new the site but have been browsing and enjoying the site since I joined. I have a question for you Yorkie owners. I am interested in getting a Yorkie and have been doing my research before I make the commitment to get a little bundle of joy. Most importantly, I was interested in knowing the financial commitment it takes to have a Yorkie. I know it differs from person to person and depends on various factors but overall about how much do you spend month to month or annually on keeping you puppy a happy camper! :-) Thanks!

~Nikole aka PuppyLove1913

next to nothing..I take mine in about 3-4 times a year for grooming($20) then the first few weeks, you get them their shots(if you get one at 12 weeks, you will probably have to have 2 more sets of shots), dog food is very cheap, as they don't eat much..if you buy one, get one with at least a one year gurantee(not a petstore)..then if you're going to housebreak inside, there is the cost of pee pads..I get the best ones out there(or I think they are), and that's probably the most expensive thing for me, but, I have 4 dogs using them..

Welcome to YT!
 

Here is a list of what I spend on my boys in a month:

Nail trimming
Food
Treats
toys
Shampoo + Conditioner
Day Camp (if applicable)
Meetups/events
Heartworm medication
Flea + tick preventative

Less frequent:
Full grooming
Vaccinations
Emergencies

Other things:
pee pads
clothing
beds

Welcome to YorkieTalk .

The expenses can vary greatly, but if you have a HEALTHY yorkie pup, it really shouldn't be much. But you always need to be sure you have money on hand, or access to money should an emergency arise.

Here are Slade's expenses:

Premium Quality food (about $10 a month.. maybe a little more maybe a bit less, he shares with my bigger dog, but I think on his own he would only eat about one 5 lb bag a month)

Heartworm pills ($6 a month, so $72 for the year)

Treats ($5/mnth)

Vet- I would say on average about $100 a yr for shots and everything

Grooming $30 every 6 months or so (I do it on my own in btwn visits)

We don't have fleas and ticks around my house, so we don't use any flea or tick preventative.

Of course, theres the large amount I spend on toys, clothes, blankets, bows, etc... but those aren't really NECESSATIES and he could do without those if I ddin't have the money to spend.

Welcome to YT! Great question. So many people don't consider the financial aspect of raising a puppy and owning a dog. :thumbup:

I saw this once and thought it was really interesting...shows low-high costs on average of owning a dog http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1543

I currently have one yorkie (and I'm dogsitting my parent's yorkie right now). It's expensive to own a puppy at first. They need to go to the vet however many times until vaccinations are complete - can be close $50-$100 each visit. Spay/Neuter - anywhere from $100-$400 depending on vet and what pre-op work you have done. Yorkies normally need baby teeth pulled as they commonly don't fall out on their own - anywhere from $50-$200 depending on vet and whether or not you do it at same time of spay. You'll also have to buy a lot of supplies at first - crate or x-pen, blankets, toys, chew toys, brush, shampoo, conditioner, harness, leash, collar, potty pads, microchips, ID tags, bed, etc. (price varies)

Food - I feed Nature's Variety Raw and spend about $40 a month to feed only Lacy
Grooming - if I didn't do it myself, it would cost me $40 a month
Bullystix & treats - $20 a month
Heartworm preventative - $5 a month
Flea preventative - $15 a month
Shampoo & Conditioner - $20 once every 4 months or so
Annual Vet checkup - $100-$200 depending on what is done
And I spend ALOT on unnecessary things like clothing, toys, carriers, etc...(not going to put amount here ;) )

It's also a good idea to consider vet costs for medical problems that may arise. Last October Lacy had a Urinary Tract Infection that cost me about $300 to treat. Today I discovered my parent's yorkie had tapeworms so I took him and Lacy to the vet for fecals and an exam - $75 (would have been $150 but I got a really good discount today). Lacy also has Luxating patellas (common to toy breeds) which may cost me $1500 for surgery one day. Many yorkies end up having liver shunt unfortunately - hundreds - thousands of dollars to do surgery on. Broken bones/accidents - hundreds to thousands of dollars. Yorkies commonly need teeth cleaned by a vet - a few hundred dollars. So it's always good to make sure you have money in case something arises and you owe large vet bills.

Good Luck :thumbup:

Welcome to YorkieTalk!

The initial expenses (first few months) will be pretty steep, but once you have all of the basics (beds, blankets, emergency medical kit supplies), it boils down to these for us...

frontline $18 a month
heartworm meds $4 a month
grooming $35 a month (including tip)
treats $5
food $7-$!5 a month (premium food bought in larger quantities and divided up plus some homecooked food)
distilled/bottled water ??
toys $10
toothbrush $3 (needs to be replaced frequently)
clothing/bows (optional)
doggy day care or walker

Supplies that need to be replaced less than once every few months:

toothpaste
shampoo
conditioner
comb
brush
harness/lead
tags


One time expenses:

Xpen
training classes and books (could be continuing)
YT membership donation! :thumbup: :D

And this next one is THE most important thing you can do for your pup!!

The cost of pet insurance and a monthly deposit into an emergency medical account.

And...I'm sure I forgot some things, but at least this gives you an idea. :)

I agree with post!:thumbup: :thumbup:

Dittos to everything MyFairLacy wrote. Franklin just came down with Parvo and that's costing us about $600 dollars to treat.

Welcome to YT!!

What a great thread & you've gotten so many fantastic thought out answers - of course one of the reasons I love this place :)

One expense you'll have if you pee pad train is either disposable or washable pads. Or you could train for outside.

I think the first year is the most expensive, outside of anything major as they age.

Thank you for the warm welcome YT!!!! I truly appreciate all of your help. Each of you'll advice was helpful! Hopefully I'll be posting pictures of a new puppy soon! :D

THANKS AGAIN!:)

What heartworm pills do ypu have yours on? I use Revolution and it is usually 40.00 for 3 doses!!

What heartworm pills do you have yours on? I use Revolution and it is usually 40.00 for 3 doses!!

well..where do i begin..:D
Food-I feed NV raw and spend about $70 per month for the girls
Grooming- for each girl $50 per month so total of $100
Flea and Heart Worm treatments-$40 a month
treats and bully sticks- about $ 30 a month
clothing- sigh..i can't mention since my hubby will kill me if he sees it :D
Pee Pads- $ 30 a month
Day Care - around $ 400 a month, i only take them like twice a week.
Emergency Vet Care if needed -between $ 50-$ 300
There are more when we have to travel somewhere and take them. The airline charges around $85 per puppy for each way to fly in cabin.
There are too many other stuff that i can't remember...really my hubby just saw me typing this and he is rolling his eyes big time so i can't mention anymore..eheheh:p

:thumbup: good post!! everything you said is so true! It is just like having a skin kid!!

welcome to YT... I won't be much help because mine is times 4 lol

We use heartguard. Btwn mom and I we have 4 dogs, and the vet gives discounts if a certain number of pills are bought, I think maybe 15%? Its about $100 every 6 months for 3 dogs (the eldest isn't on pills anymore).

The love of a little ball of fur who thinks you are the best mommy (or daddy) in the world?


PRICELESS! :D

Kudos to you for looking into EVERYTHING that comes with a dog

Food- I home cook for Layla and about once a month do up a batch of food... i'd say roughly $40
Toys- I probably spend #20 a month on toys.. but God knows she doesn't need it
Clothes- because it is winter i spend more on clothes a month- probably $20-$30
Babysitting- We probably spend $40 a month on her babysitter
Vet- since homecooking we haven't been to the vet but before homecooking we were there a lot... probably $30 a month

She isn't cheap :) but thats because we choose to buy stuff she doens't need (ie toys) but thing like the vet and a quality food will be expensive.. but i found the vet to be VERY expensive the first year of having her and since then it's not so bad... we just go for shots and every 6 months for a blood panel.

I def. agree with the other posts that the cost can vary. So far Tucker has been to the vet twice. In one of those visits, I bought him heartworm meds. I think the total vet bill so far has been around $100.00. He will have to go back for a parvo booster and nueturing. Ga offers a program called spay GA and it only costs 40 to get your pet nuetured. My vet accepts this program and all I have to do is pay spay ga and then bring a certificate to my vet. I'm sure it will be more with the bloodowork I am going to have them do. I will also be getting flea meds when the weather warms up. I dunno what that will cost mabe $50.00? I have purchased an xpen (50.00) winter clothes (50.00) Leashes and harnesses (50.00) pee pads (20.00) carpet cleaner (15.00) toys (50.00) hairbows (25.00) food (50.00) For grooming, I spend 30.00 per month
I am about to enroll him in pet training classes (100.00 per session) The sessions last around 8 weeks each and I think there are four or five of them. I am also about to put him in doggy daycare 1 or two days per week. That will cost $15.00 per day. That's what I've spent so far and I've had him since the week after Thanksgiving. I think it probably costs more in the beginning and you can def. spend way more than you really need to. It's hard not to LOL!

yeah..first couple of months can be very expensive since you have to get all the shots and also the puppy training classes. But after that you shouldn't really have to worry about the vet bill that much..Unless, you are like me..i get freaked out over little things and then i just run to the vet . and there goes like 40 bucks on just walking in..heheh..my hubby thinks i am such a drama queen for freaking out over little things but i just love my babies soooo much and i just don't want to take any chances. My girls are very healthy but i am always paranoid..:rolleyes:

I spend about $100.00 a month for my 2. That is about average. (Once in awhile I go over). But also may be facing surgery with Shelby..... which could be expensive.
If you budget, I would set aside $100 a month.That way if you have any big expenses come up, you will have it saved. (and if you don't, what a great nestegg you will have) ;)