A Realistic Cost of Owning a Dog in Singapore
- alaughingseal
- May 7, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2021
How much would it cost to buy a dog-happiness? How much would it really cost to own a dog in Singapore? There are several sites, which show the cost breakdown of owning a dog but I personally find them pretty unrealistic! In this post, I hope to portray a more realistic cost of owning a dog in Singapore! Read here about my journey to getting Burger! Before I begin, here are some things you need to know to better understand how I achieve my cost!
My dog is a small Pomeranian, weighing a light 2kg (which translates to how little he eats)! Also, I am a very hands-on mummy, who watches tons of YouTube videos, and takes on the bulk of the cost - GROOMING - in my own hands.
Moreover, the cost does not include the initial cost of purchasing/adopting the dog, the leash, the bed, the crate, pee tray and etc. In my case, I personally feel that all these do not contribute to the final sum much as...
he only has one leash
only has 2 beds - a floor mat and a proper bed (but... my dog loves sleeping on a $3 floor mat as it's less hot than a bed),
a couple of affordable toys from Pet Lovers Centre
one pee tray (he doesn't use pee pads, I reuse newspapers instead),
or a crate - he only had 1 crate in his life and that's the only one he had when he first came over to my place).
However, here are some of the compulsory costs, which you can't really avoid and you would need to pay..
Burger being only 2kg, doesn't eat much food and he gets full very easily. However, he does love fruits and from time to time, as we humans are eating fruits, we would also cut some for him! Treats wise, I do not spoil him with treats, but instead, buy treats that serve as dental "chews" as well. He loves and I LOVE chicken feet! I love buying him dehydrated chicken feet, that would not only keep him occupied for about 30 mins or so, the bones in the chicken feet also help to scrape the plaque off his teeth!
For the past 6 years, I had never invested in parasite prevention pills like Nexguard for Burger because I didn't see the need to until one day Burger was infested with ticks. It was truly a nerve-wrecking situation but thank goodness I spotted it early and managed to remove the ticks using Frontline's medication and it did not escalate to a tick fever. Dealing with the ticks was one helluva problem as they go all over the place and multiply super quickly! As the saying goes, 'prevention is better than cure'. I would go ahead to spend that $160 a year than to deal with the stress and worries that come along with a tick infestation issue.
Here are some of the common optional costs for a small dog, which you may have to pay from time to time, but I will give you some tips on how you can save on them!
ln most of the posts that claim that it takes about $30000 to own a dog, the bulk of the cost usually comes from grooming and dog training. Both are truly expensive necessities that you will either need to DIY or let a professional take care of it. P.s. big dogs do require more food, and charges for everything else like grooming would be more too!
Firstly, for grooming, there are 2 types of grooming - basic and full grooming. The main difference between these 2 is that the latter includes cutting and styling of the dog hair to a certain pattern that you like. A cut like the one below would definitely require a professional as an amateur like me would never be able to do it!
Personally, I do not send Burger for basic grooming as it can easily (it is subjective!) be done by ourselves - showering, and drying the dog. Probably the toughest thing in basic grooming would be trimming the nails (lots of headache, patience, perspiration, squeaking, slight bleeding). When I first started trimming Burger's nails, I was extremely panicky and my hands were clammy!
On several occasions, I even snipped Burger's quick (in layman term's - veins) and he squeaked so loudly that I thought my heart was going to shatter into pieces and of course, his nail started bleeding. If I had allowed my fear to wash over me, I would never dare to touch the nail clipper again but I was thankful to have a forgiving and cooperative baby, who trusted me and allowed me to cut his nails again! After several tries, I slowly got the hang of it and I could cut his nails with confidence! Fast forward to 6 years later, I still do get a little nervous when I am cutting his nails but it isn't that bad! So to all new dog owners out there, be brave, be scared BUT DO IT ANYWAY!
For full grooming, I do send Burger for full grooming once a year, usually for certain occasions e.g. Chinese New Year celebration where he gets to meet people as well! For my wedding, Burger played a huge role in it and for my photoshoots and wedding day, I splurged a little and sent him for more full grooming sessions! Other than that, I trim his fur myself and take care of the rest personally too! Nothing beats a good weekly bonding session with my pup baby!
Secondly, for oral hygiene, I do know of people who send their dogs for dental scaling on a yearly basis, but I wasn't a huge fan of that as that would mean that Burger would have to undergo GA yearly...? Not too sure about that... For the past 6 years, I have only brought Burger for one dental scaling and I do not intend to bring him for another anytime soon.
To avoid these costly procedures, I brush his teeth daily, allow him to chew on either dehydrated chicken feet or beef chews every few days and I find it manageable and pretty alright for his teeth? HAHA my Burger's oral hygiene was recently checked during a consultation with his vet and all is well! So.. I assume what I am doing is right? hehe
Brushing your baby's teeth may not be the easiest, but like I said, you got to keep trying! Perhaps you can get your dog to be comfortable with your fingers in his mouth, before moving towards a finger brush, and then a normal dog toothbrush. Feel free to explore YouTube for help as that was my best friend in my early years!
Here is my compiled typical yearly cost for Burger and it would amount to just about $7000 (a mega super conservative amount!) for his entire lifetime (of course, I would love if he could live up to 15 years old, but I'd keep it to an average of 12 years).
However, but let's be real here, I've been with Burger for 6 years and counting and not every year is a rosy year, free from issues. There were 2 instances, where I spent about $600 per vet visit.
First, it was when I brought Burger for sterilisation and the cost of sterilisation is only about $200, but before the minor surgery, Burger would need to undergo a blood test to ensure his health. A few tests were taken that cost about $200+? Medicine was also provided for Burger after the sterilisation and the entire visit was about $600.
Secondly, was dental scaling procedures. I brush Burger's teeth every night and that saved me a lot of visits to the vet due to oral complications. However, that does not mean that Burger had clear white teeth (I wish!). Recently, I brought him for a full dental scaling (with GA) and similarly, a blood test was needed to ensure he was in the pink of health before undergoing GA. Burger had 2 front teeth extracted and this entire procedure cost me about $600 too.
The purpose of elaborating on these 2 cases is to show that there are procedures, which you would have to do, and would not think of forgoing on. However, they are merely one-time off procedures, which yes, would cost you money, but I would not have included in my yearly spending.
TLDR: In a nutshell, I would safely as that the cost of owning this ball of happy fluff, would safely amount to about $10000 - $15000 (should he fall ill anytime) in a lifetime, but would I have chosen not to spend this kind of money? No. I would still choose him in a heartbeat and do anything for him :")
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