How Much Does A Pet Cost?
Your child wants a pet, but can you afford it? You should know that the budget varies according to the animal you choose and can quickly become substantial. Here's a handy guide to estimating the cost of a pet.
What are the expenses to be expected?
On average, a pet costs its owners between 600 and 800€ per year.
Indeed, the cost of a pet is not limited to its purchase price. It is also necessary to take into account different expenses that cannot be ignored:
- food
- accessories (collar, leash, basket, brush, toys)
- veterinary expenses (vaccines, anti-parasite products but also sterilization and unexpected illness or accident)
- grooming
Adopting a dog, a cat or any other animal is not a decision to be taken lightly and requires a real budget to welcome this new companion in the best conditions.
Which animal to choose?
If you have a limited budget, it's best to do your Homework before buying a puppy or kitten. Indeed, the cost of a hamster is not the same as that of a dog or a cat.
Here's a look at the budget to plan to maintain this or that pet.
For a dog
- purchase price: from 100 to 700€ without a pedigree and from 600 to 1500€ with a pedigree
- food: from 250 to 400€ of kibble for a medium-sized dog
- health : 150€ the first year for vaccines + 70€ for the microchip
- accessories : from 120 to 150€.
For a cat
- purchase price: from 50 to 2000€ depending on the breed
- food: from 200 to 250€ per year
- health: 180€ for vaccines + 70€ for the microchip
- accessories: about 70€ + 100€ for litter per year
For a rodent
- purchase price: from 5 to 15€ for a hamster and between 15 and 40€ for a guinea pig or a dwarf rabbit
- food : 60€ per year
- health : no vaccines for the hamster or the guinea pig ; 70€ of vaccines per year for the rabbit
- accessories : from 20 to 80€ + about 40€ of litter per year.
How to lower the bill?
A pet has certain incompressible expenses.
However, there are some good plans to Adopt an animal without breaking the bank:
- when buying your pet, you can save money by going to a shelter of the SPA (150€ on average for a dog and 100€ for a cat already sterilized, vaccinated and tattooed)
- As for food, dog food costs 3 times less than canned food (400€ per year against 1300€ for canned food)
- Maintenance: it all depends on the size and breed of the animal (some dogs need to be groomed every month, others once a year): ask before you decide!
- As for accessories, you can hunt for second-hand equipment and toys at garage sales and on the Internet.
