Yeah this is a questions I've kind of been dreading, how much do vet bills amount to yearly? Also I've read that puppies in their first year are more expensive to take care of due to more vaccinations and such, so how much does it cost for a puppy in their first year?

I'm hoping that you guys can tell me how much it costs you specifically since I'm sure that it varies from place to place. From there I can average them out to get a rough idea or just do a stare and compare. I should've payed more attention to my dad when he took our previous dog to the vet. =_=

I have never had a puppy so my figures are for adult dogs.

In an average year with no emergency vet visits or unexpected issues I spend about $750 a year for my 3 adult dogs. That ends up being approx. $250 per adult dog per year and includes annual wellness visit, blood work, heartworm test, fecal test, and year prescription of Heartgard Plus.

Now if we have an unexpected issue or emergency vet visit then the amount I spend that year can skyrocket in no time. My most recent example is when Faith had an impacted anal gland that literally popped up overnight. Had to get that lanced, flushed, treated, and had her on antibiotics for a week. It got reinfected within the first week and we had to make another trip back to have it drained again and put on stronger antibiotics for another 2 weeks. Anyway, that fairly minor incident set us back close to a thousand dollars.

$250 a year isn't that bad... I was expecting to spend around $750-$1000 a year per dog so that's pretty good news! Although don't vaccinations add about $30-$50 per shot (i.e rabies, tetanus, etc.)? Anyways I'll have to be careful to always have some emergency $$ for unexpected visits since they sound pretty expensive, although I'm glad I asked now thanks!

I am about to find out next week when I take my pup to the vet for her 8 week check-up . I'll let you know what was done and what it cost. I'm also taking her to take her to puppy Kindergarden when she's 11 weeks, that's another $100. Then she goes to the vet again at 12 weeks. Luckily my vet takes Care Credit so I can pay the bills off interest free for 6 months. Sorry I don't have any exact numbers for you yet. All I know is PUPPY'S ARE EXPENSIVE!! On top of the vet bills that are coming we've already blown over $1,000 on that little bitch. She cost $800, the extra tall baby gate to keep her in her room when we can't watch her was $65, her pack of premium bully sticks was also $65, filling the freezer with meat for her has been at least $100 (she is stocked for about 6 weeks). She's lucky I already love her to dealth and want to spoil the heck out of her.

Edit: sorry for the typos. Will fix later once I get off the phone and onto the iMac

Okay lol they do sound expensive. If you could let me know how much it cost you for what they did that would be awesome! The main reason I can't just shoot off and find a breeder right now is because of that initial $800-$1000 it takes to bring one home. I have a seasonal job and I'm going to apply for another part time job to get enough money by fall (for both the initial cost and other expenses) but I hear you when you say that they're not cheap! Anyways thanks for taking the time to answer!

Ok ive had koda since he was 8 weeks.. Now he is 5.5months.. His firsit vet visit was 150 i think.. That was some shots, fecal test, and look over.. I took him for a 2nd shot which was like another 60 i think.. Then i took him for his 3rd shot plus a bortella shot for training center that requires it and that was like 125 i think total for that visit.. He get sick about a month ago and cost me 250.. And next week he is getting neuterd and chipped which is like another 175.. Soooo in about 5 months i spent about 760.. And none of that includes food which i spent a lot trying to find him one he likes and works well for his tummy. Plus toys.. And i didnt include cost of heartworm or flee med cause vet gave them to me for free the last few times but ill have to pay next month from now on

Ack, those numbers are quite painful. Although if I can find a way to budget out the first year it seems like it would get easier to take care of them so thanks for posting!

Honestly i would get pet insurance.. Im probably going to get it soon. I need to start looking into it

Hmm yeah that does sound like a good idea. Do you know how much it might cost?

I got a quote from Trupanion for when Anya turns 8 weeks and it's less than $30 a month with a $500 deductible

$44.44 with $0 deductible-- I think I'll do that!
By the way, I really admire how far sighted you are such a young age! I was not capable of planning so far ahead at that age.

$44.44 isn't bad at all, I think I'll look into it! I'm a little new when it comes to purchasing insurance (as you could probably tell) so how much coverage does it provide?

Also thanks for the compliment! I'm not really anything too special though, I just want to avoid any mistakes by absorbing as much info as possible.

Nanook is 17 weeks old. When I took him to the vet I signed him up for their puppy plan. It cost $130 total for the first 6 months. It covers all the visits, shots, fecal test and nail trims :-) I got a chip which was $39...so his first 6 months will be $169. My vet is somewhat expensive when it come to neutering so I will probably go to a low cost clinic for that and I have heard that runs about $100. I looked into insurance as well. Trupanion quoted me $39 with a $500 deductible 90% coverage ( it was only $28 with a $200 deductible until I used the free 30 day trial my vet gave me with them...the priced jumped after that...turned me off of that company) I think we will go with Pet Plan...$200 deductible for $30 a month also 90% coverage...and from what I can tell it covers basically the same thing!

Nice! I'm looking for plans that will cover regular visits as well emergencies. I checked out Pet Plan and they seem pretty good, but after a quick search it didn't look like they covered regular check ups...

The easiest thing for you to do honestly would be to call around to your local vets and get their prices..our prices really won't do anything to help you.

You can ask them how much a first overall puppy exam would be and I'm sure they would be more then willing to help you. You have to factor in the initial exam fee, overall wellness exam, vaccine costs, fecal tests, blood tests, and probably urine tests. At some point and time all of my puppies have had to have treatment for a UTI, but they are all female puppies.

So my best advice would be to call around to your local clinics and see what they say. Ask if they have any puppy plans; some clinics have puppy packages to help you save money.

Ah thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to do that! On a slightly different note, what type of vaccinations do puppies need and how many?

blu is in his first year (8 months) so far for the vet i've spent about $600 or so, although by the time he is 1 year i will of spent about 850 (getting his neuter/chipping done around that time, plus going for a check up in a month). Generally speaking my current vet is more on the expensive side than useual.

i think generally speaking in the puppy stage of life, be prepared to spend between 500 to 1000... depending on the prices of your vet and the area you live in. after that it is drastically cheaper, this is assuming there are no accidents or no need to see the emergency vet.

Something you can do that i've done is open a seperate bank account from your own and throw in a few bucks every pay check or whenever you have a few spare bucks and have your vet charge you from that account. thats what i do that way whenver i need to go see him it's not breaking my wallet... infact dont even feel it since i only use that money for his vet visits.

Cool thanks I'll try that out too!

I've got a list of 3-4 clinics in my area, I'll call them up (at a later date) and see if their prices match the ones I've got written down. It's that first year I'm worried about, after that it should be easier to cover the costs...

I got quoted wit pet plan for 25.60 amonth with 200 deduct and 100% reimburment. I think im going to go with that.. Even though it doesnt cover regular check up visits i havnt found one that covers check ups tht i like

Most pet insurances don't cover exam fees. They are only there to help you in case of emergencies, not day to day vet bills. I use Trupanion and it has one of the highest ratings of all insurance plans. The other one I looked at was Healthy Paws. I never even looked at Pet Plan. The deductible isn't all it's about. You want a company that will cover a wide range of things, including hip dysplasia and one that cover your pet FOR LIFE. Lots of companies don't do either. I searched and compared companies for over a year before I decided on Trupanion.

Yeah Pet Plan or Trupanion seem pretty good from what I've read for emergencies, or just for pet insurance in general. Although I think that I found a place that might be good for what I want:

http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/coverage/wellness-rewards-plan

If I read it correctly, then it should help cover the normal vet checkups for a puppy, which is exactly what I need (after the first year I shouldn't need help with normal vet checkups, so I could get Pet Plan or Trupanion after that). At least that's how I hope it will work out assuming I didn't miss anything vitally important...

Petplan covers hip dysplesia along with a lot of other stuff.. And includes vet exam fees aslong as they were brought in for illness or emergency.. And its life long coverage

I need to get pet insurance as well .... Micoles bother Riley bit her face by mistake (playing too rough) and got her right next to her eye... ended up costing me $425 to get her stitches. Having a puppy is expensive. She is just 4 months old and I have put about a grand into her already.

Youch I hope your dog is okay! I see that insurance is probably a must so I'll definitely have to do more research on that within the coming months, Thanks guys!

No problem and yes she is perfectly fine now. Even the vet told me she is ready for her close up at the beauty pageant