5 Costs to Consider Before Adopting a Pet

1. Upfront costs:

The upfront costs of a pet are the ones you can pretty easily calculate accurately. This is the actual price of the pet if you are buying from a breeder or the adoption fee if you are rescuing from a pound. It would also include any initial items you need to purchase (litter box, bowls, collars, leashes, crates, toys, etc.), as well as initial vet bill and spay/neuter fee (if applicable). As you can see, these upfront costs can vary widely depending on the individual situation. Some dogs can cost thousands of dollars from a breeder, and some could be “free”. But even the “free” pets have upfront costs, most of the time.

2. Routine costs:

Routine costs are the ongoing monthly expenses related to your pet. I did an analysis of my routine costs and the below is a breakdown:

• Dog Food- $25.69 per bag, lasts about a 1.5 months- $17.13 per month
• Cat Food- $20.79 per bag, lasts about 1.5 months- $13.86 per month
• Cat Litter- $15.59 per bag, lasts about 2 months- $7.80 per month
• Dog Allergy Meds- $17.99 per bottle, lasts about 2.5 months- $7.20 per month
• Dog Calming Treats- $24.28 per bottle, lasts about 2 months- $12.14 per month
• Cat Flea Medicine- $49.35 per box, lasts 4 months- $12.34 per month
• Dog Flea Medicine- $54.61 per box, lasts 4 months- $13.65 per month
• Total- $84.11 average per month

I’ll be honest- I was a little shocked when I started calculating this. And obviously this varies greatly from pet to pet. And it may also vary when your pet eventually gets in later stages of their life and may need extra supplements or medication.

3. Vet bills

This is something that pet parents often do not plan for but is something that is pretty much inevitable. At a minimum, your fur baby will need to go to the vet yearly for a physical. Puppies and kittens need to go more often for check ups and shots, and older pets may also need to go more often. There is also the emergency vet visit that all pet parents dread… and those are the ones that tend to be more costly. I know some people who have insurance for their pet to help cover the cost of vet bills. I use the sinking fund method to set money aside monthly for yearly/emergency vet appointments.

4. Travel Expenses

This is the expense I most often overlook. I am often guilty of coming up with a plan for my pets after already booking or committing to a trip. And this is another one that varies from person to person. Some possible solutions include kennels, pet sitters, or having a neighbor or friend come look in on your pet. All of these vary in cost from free to hundreds of dollars per trip. An additional solution is to take your pets with you, but this typically costs in pet fees either charged per night or by stay at most places.

5. Other Miscellaneous Expenses

When most people think about this category, they think about the time they were walking through the store and saw something and thought “oh, my dog would love that!”. And that thing was probably just $5. While treats, toys, and outfits do fall in this category, we also need to add expect-the-unexpected here. For example, when I think about this category, I think about the time my dog accidentally shut herself in my bathroom and then got scared and tried to chew her way out totally destroying the door. And I think of the brand-new leather chair I bought for my new house and how my cat immediately destroyed it by picking giant holes in it that I wasn’t able to repair. Or my coworker who told me that his new puppy went in his wife’s closet and ate at least one shoe from every single pair of shoes his wife owned (leaving all of my coworker’s shoes untouched, of course). This category can also include convenience costs like groomers, trainers, and socialization programs.

According to a Forbes article from January of this year, 66% of households in America include a pet with the largest percentage being a dog. In a sited study by The American Pet Association, as a country we spent $136.8 billion on our pets in 2022 (up from $123.6 billion in 2021). For reference, that is higher than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022 of Costa Rica, Iceland and Nepal combined (according to World Bank data). On the other hand, all the research is clear that pet ownership has many benefits including reducing stress, anxiety and loneliness in their human companions. They also encourage exercise, which improves overall health. The unconditional love and support that our furry friends provide us is priceless. But…there is still a price.