# Annual Costs of owning a Golden Retriever



## GRnewbie

While there will be variances, how much does it cost to own a golden retriever on an annual basis i.e. food, Vets's visits, grooming, obedience classes etc


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## nolefan

Probably around a thousand dollars a year depending on your area. They don't have to be professionally groomed and if you join a dog training club your classes will often be cheaper. You do need to have cushion for unexpected vet bills. I just had my dog to the vet for allergies and a visit with a couple tests run was $100 and that didn't include any meds. You don't have to go all out on toys and stuff, but it does add up... And gets expensive to board if you go on vacation.


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## MikaTallulah

IMO you should plan to spend $3,000 the first year but have at least $5,000 set aside for emergencies. I have much more than than set aside for my fur butts and add to it each month since I don't have pet health insurance on my crew. 

I have heard most people spend at least $10,000 to $20,000 on their pet over it's lifetime. They are still cheaper than kids.

I spent so far roughly $3,000 on Buddy since I rescued him 6 months ago. Medical and training & I know I will keep on paying. I already had leashes, collars, beds, toys, etc. My pet food bill have gone up that is to be expected.

Food is $50/month at least (Buddy eats 2 cups daily if kibble)
I do my own grooming- He is not at a show dog- Pet only.
Yearly shots $120 dollars
Training at least $110 for 6 1hr sessions- Group
$50 per private lesson.
It cost me $500 to neuter Buddy.
Every hot spot or ear infections he gets would be at least $50 at the vets office


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## tippykayak

I set aside $100/month after food, treat, and toy expenses, just for emergencies.

Grooming you can do yourself. It takes a little bit of inexpensive equipment to do basic grooming to avoid mats. Getting a show look takes a bit more equipment and some expertise, but what's most important is to brush out your Golden's dead undercoat regularly and to avoid matting.


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## nolefan

Mika is correct, the first year tends to be tough. Mack's neuter was $300 And his heart worm/flea control trifles is is $200 a year. I'm afraid her number is more accurate. Probably $3000 the first year and then if you're lucky more like $2000 after that. 

You are smart to make sure you budget. Smart to ask questions up front.


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## tippykayak

Yeah, first year is more since you have lots of scheduled vet visits and vaccinations. Plus, you should really invest in puppy class and at least one subsequent obedience class in the first year.


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## MikaTallulah

Buddy was 2.5 years old when I got him but had no previous training & a medical disaster. I has been like having a new puppy minus the land shark stage and accidents in the house.


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## Jennifer1

I spend about $75 per month on food/treats for 2 dogs.
The occasional toy or bone (they've collected tons over the years so don't get them that often anymore)
Heart worm meds are $50 every 3 months (2 dogs)
Get visits are 50 twice a year (seniors)+ 150 for bloodwork. My vet clinic doesn't charge for vaccines if you are enrolled in their healthy pet program (basically bring in pet for exam once a year or twice a year for seniors) so about 250 per year for routine vet care per dog 

So I spend about 160O per year for 2 dogs.

Plus, with bear's hemangiosarcoma diagnosis it's been almost 6k in the last 6 weeks between diagnosis and the cancer vet. Thank god for pet insurance!


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## MicheleKC87

I know I spent about $3000 on Lily, but a lot of that was treats and toys she didn't absolutely need. I purchased a puppy plan at my vet that actually saved me over $900 in the last year, and I got discounts on her meds and the plan covered her spay. The plan for her second year will be cheaper because she's already been spayed, but I expect at least $1000 for her second year of expenses. I spend $60 on food that lasts two months, heartworm and flea meds (trifexis) $21 a month until she's done growing, $23 for the monthly cost of her plan. And I can't stop myself from spoiling her rotten with toys and treats!


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## hotel4dogs

a senior golden....
$55 every 3 weeks for prescription food = $990 / year
$1 a day for canned food so he'll eat the prescription food = $365 / year
supplements and meds $2.50 / day = $920 / year
special treats $25 / month = $300 / year
toys $ 5 / month = $60 / year
acupuncture vet = $153 every 3 weeks = $2601 / year
chiropractor vet = $ 40 every 3 weeks = $ 680 / year
bloodwork = $150 every 6 weeks = $1350 / year
vet visits = $ 45 every other month = $ 270 / year
eye exam, oncology consultation = $800 / year
assistive devices = $ 950 / year
dental cleaning = $248 / year
heartworm meds = $180 / year
vaccinations = $120 / year
license and tags = $50 / year
adequan injections = $20 per week = $1040 per year
probably forgot a few things along the way...like gas to go to vet appointments, and probably a bunch of other stuff. And that's without any major surgeries that particular year.

Total for the year $ 10,924

14 years of love and devotion....priceless


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## dborgers

It's over $1,000,000 a year here. Of course, Andy's love of Beluga caviar by the pound is almost all of that LOL


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## Thor

It would be interesting to note that these prices would vary quite significantly on an international scale. For example, Thor's monthly food budget is approx USD50. Shots (vaccinations) and meds (deworming) are coming to USD20, and other miscellaneous items (toys etc) are coming to USD20 each month too. However, I would consider getting puppy insurance if they have them in your country. Golden retrievers are known to develop multiple diseases etc later on in life, and the cost of treatment can be extremely prohibitive. Just my two cents.


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## wmag

This is what I spend every month!
Food- $43
Heart worm- $8
Flea and tick- $13
Toys- at least $20 Kasey gets a new toy usually once a week
(This week I spent an extra $17 for a new antler but that usually lasts about 3 months.)

If she has a regular vet visit it is at least $50 then add on for shots or anything else she needs. We had 2 emergency vet visits when she little and I was pretty lucky my vet only charged me a regular fee both times. She had some diarhea issues so I had to pay for medicine 2 times. She had a uti so more medicine. The medicine was about $10 each time but it does add up pretty quick! Tack on more money for getting stool and urine checked. To get her spayed was another $190.00. Depending where you live it could be more or less!


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## Jamm

Joey- $1000
crate- $100
toys- $200
necessity's (food, bowls, brush, leash, collar, etc)- $200
vet stuff (shots, check up, emergency)- $1000
puppy class's- $150

I saved up $3000 for before Joey came home, and that covered just about everything above  give or take I probably spent a little more on toys 

edit: our monthly probably looks like this.. (and it has just started to decrease as Joey is 2 now)

toys- $100
food- $40
flea preventative- $20
I also put $50 at the end of every month in an emergency pet fund for the boys... incase anything happens to them.

$210 a month seems about right.


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## Deb_Bayne

The emergency fund is a great idea, automatic withdrawals from one bank account to the pet account is awesome... love new technology. Instead of purchasing pet insurance we get to use our own money to work for us. 

So far Bayne has been very inexpensive except for the initial layout of crate, food, some toys, antlers. Now it's about $90 a month for food and his antler. The cats about $40 a month. Tomorrow is Bayne's first yearly checkup for his annual vaccinations and rabies shot, I'll see what that costs and then talk about when his neutering takes place... that'll be around $325.


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## rlb72c

Budget for Golden Retriever 

One Time Costs 
$2,000 Purchase of Dog with all Eye, Elbow, Hip, and Cancer Health Clearances American Kennel Club Breeder
$35 Microchipping the Dog Humane Society of Huron Valley
$40 Wire Crate with divider 42 Inches Amazon
$75 Dog Bed Dr. Foster Smith 48 inch rectangular
$20 Food and Water Bowls Stainless steel no spill
$30 Puppy Collar and leash Amazon
$25 Rotary Nail File Dremel Nail Tool
$8 Medium/fine steel tooth comb Morningsage Goldens Grooming
$9 Slicker brush Amazon
$65 Straight scissors 7 inch Amazon
$65 Thinning shears Millers Forge - Gold 7 1/2" 
$150 Dog Training: Puppy Preschool Humane Society of Huron Valley
$160 Dog Training: Basic Manners Humane Society of Huron Valley
$150 Dog Training: Agility Humane Society of Huron Valley
$50 Dog Training Books - 5 Used Paperback Books 
*Total One Time Costs $2,882* 

Yearly Costs 
$250 - 1 Year Puppy Routine Healthcare - Exams, Neutering, Vaccinations - Animal Hospital -
(Which is $250 down and $57.27 per month)
$100 - 1 Year Heartworm Prevention Medicine Humane Society of Huron Valley
$200 - 1 Year Flea & Tick Prevention Medicine Humane Society of Huron Valley
http://www.hshv.org/site/DocServer/CF-016-PreventativePricingIverhart.pdf?docID=1821
*Total Recurrent Yearly Costs $550 *

Monthly Costs 
$75 - Very High Quality Dog Food and treats 
$20 - Toys 
$40 - Health Insurance for Emergency Accident & Illness Healthy Paws 
(Which for this particular quote, at this time, covers 90% accident and illness coverage, and has a $250 annual deductible.)
$58 - 1 Year Puppy Routine Healthcare - Exams, Neutering, Vaccinations Animal Hospital - 
(Which is $250 down and $57.27 per month)
*Total Recurrent Monthly Costs $193*

*This budget does not include any payments for a dog walker - which can vary between $5 to $20 per walk, depending on the region you live in (quite a range from small town to Manhattan pricing). It does not include any payments for boarding your dog when traveling. If you have to add in boarding costs, it will be about $15 to $30 per day, depending on the area you are in. It can be even more if there are additional requirements for your dog like the kennel having to give medications, etc. It also does not include any doggie day care fees, if you want more socialization for your dog and you live in a city - etc, which can be very expensive per day. It does not include adding a real fence or invisible fence to your yard, if needed/wanted. It does not include adding a doggie door to your house, if needed/wanted. It also assumes that you are doing all of the grooming yourself, and you are not hiring that service out. The budget allotted for toys is quite low in this budget.


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## danoon58

Yes, it is expensive but I have become an advocate of Canine Health Insurance. We use Healthy Paws with a $100 deductible and only paw 10% off covered costs. Seamus is now 17 months old and we pay around $50 a month.


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## tikiandme

At this point I've spent almost $30,000 over and above regular veterinary care on my boy. He is now 10 years old.


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## Altairss

Overage cost per year for a dog is said to be about 1250 a year but that varies by where you live, the type of food you buy, do you board, train, petwalker, doggy daycare. For two dogs I estimated for this year I will have spent about 3000.


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## Sweet Girl

Definitely more expensive for almost everything listed there in Canada. My 36 inch wire crate, for example, cost $77+tax on Amazon. 

And much depends where you live in Canada, too - vet care here in downtown Toronto is more expensive than what my friend pays in the Toronto suburbs and much more expensive than what my mother would pay in rural Nova Scotia. Training, pet insurance, food... all more expensive.


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## Wolfeye

One of the other "costs" depends on your lifestyle and work. My wife and I both work. Kids are at school all day during the Fall-Spring. So, what to do with a puppy? You can stuff him in a crate for 4 hours and let him out at lunch, once he can hold his little bladder that long. I've chosen daycare for Bagheera. That, to me, is the "right" thing to do, but right can become wrong if it's too expensive. We pay $324 a month for daycare. He loves the place, and he's tuckered out in the evening when we get home. I call that a win-win situation. 

On a related note, sometimes you may decide to go someplace, someplace that isn't dog-friendly. Vacations like that mean boarding for the dog, or as we've done in the past, a pet sitter who comes by several times a day to play with and let the dog out for potty. If you travel a lot and can't take the dog with you, this can be a significant cost.


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## Max209

Most Goldens are quite expensive, mostly because as owners we feel that they provide something very special to us and we feel, umm ?obligated (for lack of a better tem) to provide similar experience and care in return. That said, there is a VERY wide range of discretionary spending, and also a very wide range of Veterinary/Medical expenses, many of which cannot be predicted. There are certainly ways to raise a Golden with a modest budget too. I thought about trying to track all my dog related expenses, but as a previous comment mentioned the return is truly priceless. One of many "Golden Principles" your dog will teach you is that it's not about the money.


10 Things My Two Golden Retrievers Taught Me | Thought Catalog


15 Facts That Golden Retrievers Can Teach Us About Life


That said, it might be interesting to start a thread asking how others have minimized expenses in various areas of caring for their Goldens


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## G-bear

This is an amusing thread if for no other reason that I doubt ANY of us would give up our fur kids regardless of the cost. I have seen so many members pay out tens of thousands of dollars for medical care for their "kids" because one simply cannot put a dollar value on love. The love we have for our dogs and the love they have for us is priceless. With that having been said I have to tell you that after years of leaving our dogs with family members (and once with our former vet) when we went on vacation we finally decided that we would no longer vacation without our dogs. So we purchased a lake home with acreage so that the dogs could enjoy themselves on vacation with us. We named the place Bailey's Acres. Yup. We're nuts.


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## B and G Mom

G-bear said:


> ...we finally decided that we would no longer vacation without our dogs. So we purchased a lake home with acreage so that the dogs could enjoy themselves on vacation with us. We named the place Bailey's Acres. Yup. We're nuts.


So much this!!!!!!!

We may do the same or end up with a travel trailer suitable for 3 dogs so that we don't have to leave them.


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## Ivyacres

Great thread...we spend about $2000. a year, give or take a bit.

Vet and meds - $400. Food & treats - $520. Daycare/pedicure - $850. License/misc items - $300. Unconditional love from Honey - Priceless!
:wink2:


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## jennretz

I didn't get health insurance for Duke until he was a year old. By that time, he'd had severe allergy issues, bump issues, etc. Basically they wouldn't cover him. He's my expensive boy.
Daycare+dog walker: $380/month - $450/month
Grooming: $70/month (includes tip)
Classes: $70/month
Rx Dogfood: $95/month - $100/month
Treats: $10/month
Rx's: $100-$150/month
Vet Visits: $2,000/year
Toys: $200/year

Charlie does have insurance and isn't as much per year:
Daycare + dog walker: $380/month - $450/month
Grooming: $70/month (includes tip)
Training: $70/month
Toys: shared with Duke so not duplicated
High quality dogfood: $60/month
Treats: $10/month
Rx's: $50/month - $75/month (after reimbursed)
Vet visits: $500/year (after reimbursed)
Insurance: $400 - $500/year

I'm sure I'm forgetting things like leashes and training equipment....Probably $500/year for both boys


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## Amystelter

OMG, I stopped adding after daycare and food! I don't mind though, like others comments, their love and companionship is priceless!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## puddles everywhere

I have two goldens & a Chihuahua ... used to foster for Chihuahua Rescue and some guys just don't make the cut for adoption :[-)

I spend $140 a month for food - $1680 yr
flea/tick meds are $150 every 3 months for all 3 - $560 yr
Heartworm meds $210 yr for all 3
I'm retired so don't have to spend anything on daycare or boarding
I do the grooming, suck at trimming but they are clean 
This was the hardest one... I've never had to pay for vet care before this year. I'm a registered Vet Tech but my vet and I both retired last year and he sold his practice... we both moved to different parts of the country. 
Shots / heart worm check / blood & urine test (I do them yearly) $300 yr per dog
Like everyone else has said, you must plan on emergencies. My newly acquired pup was very ill and it was about $1200. just to get her well. Compared to what some people on this forum are facing that's a very small expense. 
Earlier this year my last golden suddenly got sick, this was an additional vet bill of $2000. for just one week of care. This has been a tough year for vet bills.
I owned a petsitting / boarding business so dog beds/leashes/bowls and toys were in abundance so no extra expense there. 

Wow, not sure I've ever set down and looked at the yearly expense before, frightening! That precious golden giving kisses each morning to wake me up... Priceless!


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## Kalhayd

Bayleigh- almost 11 years of ownership cost me food, annual visit, and flea and heartworm preventives, grooming & her spay. At the end she cost about $900 for blood work & vet visits, but she was pretty inexpensive. 

Dory- 6-months old... We've already spent close to 8K on her.  add in her food(60 a month, her preventatives(30 a month) her spay when it occurs(400-500), etc... And she's an expensive girl. 


Plan to have a good chunk in savings for emergencies- because they can arise when you're least expecting it.


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## Kalhayd

Whoops- forgot dog walkers! Twice a day for Dory at $130 a week.


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## puddles everywhere

Kalhayd your right.... I forgot about the cost of spay when that happens, didn't include microchip or the one time cost of the grooming table/ stainless tub/ dryer and all the other grooming tools. 

I'm so sorry Dory has had such a rough start and very glad she is doing better.


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