How Much Does It Cost to Keep a Dog?

Having a dog as a life companion is also a big responsibility, since it needs to be well cared for and fed. On top of food costs, we need to add vet expenses and, of course, the many unexpected costs that'll come up along the way.

It's worth remembering that a dog has an average lifespan of between 10 and 15 years — many even live longer. This comes with costs we need to keep in mind, which we have to take on and handle. Let's look at how much it costs on average to keep a dog in Spain.

Food and Basic Needs

One of the most important points to consider is our dog's diet. There are hundreds of dog food brands at very low prices, but unfortunately the quality of this kibble is also very low. That's why we should choose high-quality kibble that meets our dog's needs based on its age.

A well-fed dog will have better health than one fed low-quality kibble. It'll also live longer, and its quality of life will be far better. If our budget is a bit tight or limited, we can always take advantage of the best deals to buy kibble with a good quality-to-price ratio.

Besides kibble, our dog will need a good bed to rest in, some toys like chew toys or balls, and a quality food and water bowl (preferably stainless steel). You could say these are the basic maintenance needs for a dog.

Vaccines, Illnesses, and Vet Expenses

A dog isn't an immortal animal — it's a living being like us that needs vaccines and frequent vet checkups. Every dog needs its mandatory vaccines, and on top of that, annual booster shots. This already adds up to a considerable expense we need to keep in mind, since these are very important for looking after its health.

Just like with people, a dog can also get sick, even with all its vaccines up to date. An allergy, a digestive issue, a sprained paw, or any other condition of this kind requires a mandatory vet visit.

Vaccines and treatments for certain conditions aren't cheap. So it goes without saying that we need to be financially stable enough to cover this kind of expense.

On top of that, we have well-known flea and tick collars or spot treatments, which are applied monthly. These also come with a small expense we need to cover, to keep our dog protected against fleas and ticks.

Liability Insurance

In countries like Spain, the new animal protection and welfare law requires every dog to have liability insurance. This is a small additional annual expense we also need to budget for.

Optimizing Expenses

Even knowing all the expenses involved in having a dog as a life companion, we at Soyunperro assure you these costs are trivial compared to the love and happiness we'll receive from our four-legged companion.

That said, we can optimize costs a bit — why not? Let's look at the different ways to save a few euros:

• Use discount coupons when buying your dog's kibble, like the ones you can find on coupon sites.
• Check with different vets to find out which one has the most affordable prices for checkups and vaccines. You can also check with animal shelters, which often offer affordable veterinary services.
• Check with your local city council, since they often organize group vaccination drives at really low prices.
• Buying more often means saving more — buying in larger quantities (like kibble) generally gets you better prices than buying small amounts.
• Don't skimp on the quality of your dog's toys — cheap chew toys are made of low-quality plastic that usually breaks quickly. Pricier toys, however, are made from high-quality plastics/silicones and similar materials, very durable, which can last many, many years.
• Cheap can end up costing more: Good-quality kibble guarantees good health, while low-quality kibble will cause health problems in our dog in the short and medium term, which will come with extra vet costs.