I believe the vast majority of people have observed that perhaps the positive side of the pandemic regarding pets is the record level of adoptions. More than half of Quebecers have a pet (dog or cat) at home. However, you should not dive into an adoption with your head down. Several criteria must be taken into consideration. Among other things, as you will see, there is a financial investment in having a pet, but also a psychological investment. In this blog, we will focus on the financial side, in order to prepare you well and reduce the psychological impact related to a lack of funds to take good care of your animal.
If you are thinking of having a pet, here are the things to consider:
1- Acquisition cost based on origin
The amount to be paid for the adoption of an animal from a shelter will obviously be less expensive than an animal from a farm. On the other hand, each breeding is not equivalent so it is a very important point, to validate what is included: make sure that your animal will be seen by a veterinarian before adoption, that it will be vaccinated and dewormed. Also, make sure that the parents are also well vaccinated and that the mother is dewormed regularly. For puppies and kittens, it is recommended by AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) to start deworming from the age of 2 weeks and to continue them every 2 weeks until adoption. Subsequently, the dewormers will be continued with the new animal parents. A final point to consider is the genetic tests that can be done depending on the breed risk. Most serious breeders will do this kind of testing. Finally, an adoption contract gives you a certain guarantee. It is very important to choose your breeder carefully because the future health of your animal may depend on it. Don’t just rely on the price to believe this is a serious breeder. Ask for proof of exams, vaccinations and references. The price of your animal during adoption will depend on all its criteria.
If you have other pets in the home, certain tests are highly recommended before the newcomer comes into contact with the other pets. Some diseases are contagious and incurable. It would be a shame to contaminate all the animals in the house. If you have any questions about introducing a new animal into your home, contact your veterinarian. Adoption prices vary widely. For rabbits, we are talking about 80 to 400$, for cats, we are sometimes talking about barely 100$ up to sometimes 2500$ depending on whether it is a purebred cat or not. In closing, dogs are a bit the same thing. Depending on their origin and the breed, we are talking about a few hundred dollars up to sometimes $5 to $10,000 per animal.
2- Games, clothes, food, daycare, etc.
Before your new treasure is home, plan the amount for his comfort and feeding. For cats and dogs, it is recommended to have several sets, sometimes several feeding bowls. You will have to separate his food from that of the others if he is still developing and you have other animals at home but they are adults. Some feeding bowls work with a microchip attached to the collar. While you can count from $30 to $50 for a classic bowl, electronic ones can vary from $100 to $200. These are very practical but quite expensive. Do not forget the licenses for the city. And yes, there is an amount for that too, which often takes the form of an annual payment ranging from a few tens of dollars to a few hundred depending on the city and the duration.
3-Socialization and education
We now know that the pandemic has brought about a lack of socialization on the part of our pets and especially dogs. Ms. Carole-Anne Des Ormeaux, CPA, Director of Finance at the Montreal SPCA explains: “Those who adopted a dog during the pandemic should start socializing their animal, having it kept, even a few hours a week, to avoid ‘he won’t suffer from separation anxiety when they return to the office and turn into a ticking time bomb.1 It is therefore important to plan a budget for this aspect of a few dollars a day.
Dog training courses are also the same thing. Plan a budget of a hundred dollars for this type of course.
4- Medical care and prevention
Depending on the age of the adoption, the care and recommended tests are different. For puppies and kittens, it is necessary to plan monthly examinations and vaccination according to their age as well as their lifestyle. It will also be necessary to provide preventive treatments against parasites. Remember that some parasites and diseases can be zoonoses and therefore transmissible to humans. Protecting them is also protecting us. For older animals, blood and urine analysis tests are necessary in order to fully understand their health and predict the future.
The Association des médecins vétérinaires du Québec presents several fact sheets on their website explaining well on average the costs related to health care. Recommended care is again a veterinarian consensus and shared by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).
CATS
(kitten to old) will cost you on average between $2000 and $3000 per year.
Here is a list of the tests usually recommended:
- Health check-up (every 6 to 12 months depending on age)
- Vaccines (indoor and outdoor cats)
- Fecal examination for parasites (minimum 1 time per year)
- Dewormers (prevention against internal parasites even for indoor cats; the frequency is only less)
- Prevention against fleas, ticks and tapeworms (outdoor cats)
- Implantation of a microchip
- Sterilization
- Annual blood test (for cats over 2 years old); 1 in 7 cats under the age of 6 may have abnormal blood tests2
- Scaling/Polishing and dental X-rays (annually for most cats and beginning around the age of 2 or 3 years old)
DOGS
(puppy to old) will cost you on average between $3500 to $4500 per year.
- Health examination (every 6 to 12 months depending on age)
- Vaccines
- Fecal examination for parasites (minimum 1 time per year)
- Dewormers (every month and all year round)
- Prevention against fleas, ticks and tapeworms (every month and all year round)
- Implantation of a microchip
- Sterilization
- Annual blood test (for dogs over 2 years old); 1 in 4 dogs over the age of 7 may have abnormal blood tests2
- Scaling / Polishing and dental X-rays (annually for most dogs and starting around the age of 2 or 3 years old especially for dog breeds with short noses such as bulldogs)
RABBITS
will cost you on average between $1500 and $2500 per year. Here is a list of the tests usually recommended:
- Health examination
- Fecal examination for parasites (minimum 1 time per year)
- Dewormers (prevention against internal and external parasites)
- Prevention against fleas, ticks and tapeworms
- Implantation of a microchip
- Sterilization
Food
Despite being small, a rabbit constantly eats. Plan an approximate amount of $500 to $600 per year just for food.
4- Insurance
Most insurers offer a range of products with varying prices. The cost of these plans can be reduced by choosing fewer options and you can add coverage according to your needs. As with us, the price will vary depending on the risk associated with the animal and the coverage you want. The earlier you take out insurance, the more money you will save. Count around $50 to $150 per month depending on whether it is accident insurance or preventive medicine insurance. Insurance in the event of an accident being less expensive but less often less useful in the long term. For more details, please see our blog on the subject: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR ANIMALS?
In conclusion, the adoption of a pet is to be planned in its entirety. Since it’s a wonderful time to welcome a new member of your family, by planning your budget for just over 10 years to come, their arrival will be even happier, because you will be able to properly predict the impact financially on your family.
Dre Chantal Riendeau, D.M.V
References:
1. Un animal de compagnie, combien ça coûte vraiment? CPA, 29.06.2021 | MATHIEU DE LAJARTRE
2. Données au dossier de IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Westbrook, Maine USA. Cette étude a été basée sur l’âge chronologique des patients. Leur poids n’était pas disponible. © 2018 IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Tous droits réservés. • 09-2092938-00
Photo credits:
CottonBro, Thirdman, Maitree Rimthong on Pexels
