Pet ownership is extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, but have you considered how much it costs? Not only do you have the cost of purchasing your new pet initially but once you bring your beloved animal home, you have to keep spending money. Most pet owners treat their pets as a member of the family and say that the pleasure of owning a pet far outweighs any cost involved, but what are the biggest expenses of pet ownership?
Vet Bills
By far the most expensive part of being a pet owner is the vet bills. A dog can live for 12-15 years, and a cat can average around 17 years. That can be a lot of vet bills, especially as they get older. Fortunately, it is easy to get insurance for dogs and cats and a pet insurance comparison website can find you a good deal.
Other pets such as smaller mammals and horses are possible to insure although fewer insurers cover them so the price can be higher than you might expect. You are unlikely to be able to ensure a reptile so they can be expensive if they have health issues.
Food
Keeping your pets fed can be costly although this depends on what type of pet you want to get. For example, red rabbit tends to live on salad vegetables which won’t cost a lot of money. However, if you have your heart set on buying a large dog, you can expect the cost to be similar to that of a human.
Food costs can fluctuate as pets can have allergies or intolerances that you may not know about when you first bring them home. You should also factor in the cost of pet treats as these can be hard to resist at the pet shop, but the cost does add up.
Help
If you are unable to attend to all the needs of your pet yourself then you may need to hire help. There is a huge market for pet care, and you should be able to find everything you need, at a price.
Some of the most common help for pet owners is to pay for our dog walkers, pet sitters, and pet groomers. This can add up, especially if you like to keep your pet pampered and looking good.
Holidays
Some holiday companies allow you to take a dog with you for a small charge and this can be quite reasonable. However, this is more worthwhile if you are holidaying in the UK as the price of taking your pet on a plane can be prohibitive for a two-week holiday.
Most holiday companies will only allow dogs, so your fish, rabbit, and pot-bellied pig will need to find alternative arrangements. Animal boarding can cost almost as much as a human holiday.
Although pet ownership doesn’t come cheap, most pet owners love their animals and are happy to pay the price to make sure they are well cared for.
