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How Much Does a Dog Cost Per Month?

Many animal lovers ask themselves before a dog moves in: What does the dog cost me per month and year? The answer is not that simple. Because the differences are big from dog to dog. The cost depends on its size and health, as well as your needs. We give an overview of the possible cost ranges.

Dog Food Costs Per Month

The largest monthly item for most healthy dogs is food. Of course, this is cheaper for a Chihuahua that weighs 1.5 kg than for a Great Dane, which can weigh up to 80 kg. How expensive the dog food depends on many other factors:

Quality (high meat content, little grain …); Wet or dry food?; Conventional or organic feed?; Does the dog need an exclusion diet or food for allergy sufferers?; Packaging units – large cans and bags are relatively cheaper.
In the following, we compare four types of food in different qualities and for different sizes. We are guided by the manufacturers’ feeding recommendations and the price from the online shop at Zooplus (as of November 9th).

The figures are only rough estimates for dogs of normal weight. Because if a four-legged friend is out and about in the woods and fields for hours, it needs more food. We compare:

  • Pedigree Adult with beef and vegetables, 15 kg sack for 22.53 euros
  • Defu Adult Bio, 12.5 kg sack for 39.19 euros
  • a wet food: Rinti connoisseur meat, 6 x 400 g for 6.36 euros; 6 x 800 g for 11.26 euros
  • Virbac Veterinary Dog Allergy A2, 12 kg sack for 81.33 euros, 2 x 12 kg for 156.79 euros

Monthly Food Costs for Small Dogs

Anyone who has a 5 kg dog and buys a 15 kg dry food sack from Pedigree for around 23 euros can get by with the sack for 176 days. This means that the feed would cost just under 4 euros per month. Organic dry food with a much higher proportion of meat costs around 8.50 euros per month.

With wet food, the expenditure is around 25 euros per month. With a special allergy food like the listed Virbac dog food, he can get by with a 12 kg sack for around 100 days. The feed costs 24.54 euros per month.

Monthly Food Costs for Medium-Sized Dogs

A 20 kg dog can get by with the inexpensive Pedigree dry food for two months. The monthly feed costs then amount to approx. 11.50 euros. For organic dry food, you pay around 26 euros per month for a medium-sized dog at 250 g per day.

If a 20 kg dog receives only Rinti wet food, it would eat up to 800 g per day. The cheaper 800 g cans are therefore worthwhile. We would need 30 pieces per month for the dog, which corresponds to an amount of 56.80 euros.

However, if we buy the economy packs with 24 cans each, we come to 52.50 euros per month. Virbac’s allergy food would cost a little over 60 euros per month for a medium-sized dog.

Monthly Feed Costs for Large Dogs

A large dog weighing 50 kilograms needs a sack of cheap dry food (22.53 euros) per month because it eats 450 g per day. Organic dry food with more meat costs around 46.80 euros for a large dog and is therefore twice as expensive.

When it comes to wet food, weighty four-legged friends really do too: they need two large 800 g cans of Rinti connoisseur meat per day. The cheapest solution is savings packages, with which we still come to an amount of 105 euros per month.

If a large dog suffers from a food allergy and needs special food, the Virbac food costs around 120 euros per month.

Dog Food – It’s Not Just the Price That Counts!

Those who value the health of their four-legged friend should above all pay attention to good ingredients. Dog food that is largely grain-based may be cheap – but is it dog-friendly? Conversely, however, it is not true that the most expensive products are always the best.

Take your time, compare the ingredients and the price per kilo, then choose a food that you are convinced of. Mixed feeding of wet and dry feed is also possible.

Dog Costs Per Month: Accessories and Chews

Whether dog toys, chews, new leashes, or a raincoat for the senior dog – not only the dog food costs. These other expenses are also individually different – and partly depend on the taste of the owner. On the one hand, they come into play when purchasing a dog, but they also cause running costs.

If you want a Barbour harness for your dog to match your own jacket, dig deeper into your pocket. Even thrifty people should calculate 10 to 30 euros per month for the other costs.

Insurance and Dog Tax Costs

The dog tax varies between the municipalities in Germany from 60 to around 160 euros per dog and year. Second and third dogs as well as so-called list dogs can be more expensive in some communities. This means 5 to 13 euros per month, in individual cases more.

Dog liability insurance costs between 35 and 50 euros a year for a dog. There may be discounts for two dogs.

Veterinary Costs for Dogs Per Year

The regular veterinary costs include vaccination costs. After the primary immunization of puppies, these are 50 to 80 euros per year, whereby an annual vaccination is not necessary.

However, you should still plan more money for the vet, as there can always be unforeseen visits to the vet. Whether diarrhea, worming, parasite control, or a torn claw – the vet is the right contact. If you set aside 20 euros a month for the vet, you are covered.

But be careful: If expensive treatments such as operations are added, 1,000 euros and more can quickly become due. Some owners choose to have health insurance for dogs. In addition to the monthly amount, additional contributions are still to be paid.

Costs for Dog Care, Dog Hairdressers, Dog Schools, Clubs

Optional costs do not matter for all dogs. But if you work all day, for example, and are not allowed to take your four-legged friend to work, you should look for suitable dog care. The costs vary not only from city to city but also from the number of hours and services such as pick-up service.

Poodles, doodle mix-breeds such as the Labradoodle, and many breeds of hunting dogs need regular grooming in the form of clipping and trimming. If you want to do it yourself, you need patience and high-quality tools such as a good clipper for shearing. It’s easier with the experts. A visit to the dog groomer costs between 40 and 80 euros.

Dog sports such as agility or mantrailing are suitable for common occupations. Dog schools often offer packages, for example, 10 agility lessons for 140 euros. Those who attend the course weekly can expect around 60 euros per month.

Example: This is the Cost of a Medium-sized Dog Per Month

  • 12 to 60 euros for dog food
  • 20 euros for chews and accessories
  • 12 euros for dog tax and liability
  • 20 euros veterinary costs
  • 0 to 80 euros optional costs without supervision

So that makes a total of 64 to 202 euros per month or 864 to 2,424 euros per year. For dogs that need special food or that are very large, the food costs alone can quickly amount to well over 1,000 euros per year.

Alice White

Written by Alice White

Alice White, a devoted pet lover and writer, has turned her boundless affection for animals into a fulfilling career. Originally dreaming of wildlife, her limited scientific background led her to specialize in animal literature. Now she happily spends her days researching and writing about various creatures, living her dream.

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