Skip to content

How Much MY Basenji Cost is His First Year:

Basenji Talk
  • Yup, dogs aren't cheap, but they give so much love back in return…

  • We got Shaye at 10 weeks, and a companion mix for her when she was 9 months. The first total year, with all vet visits, including spay and hernia operation, everyone's shots, food, etc. was around $4,400. Of course that's Shaye and Gemma, who is the mix we got later.

  • I have older basenjis and I do not not to add anything up; better not to know how much they cost! Food and routine vetting are fairly stable, but a trip to the emergency vet and a couple of days in the ICU…

    So the first year is expensive with spay/neuters, and the older years can be expensive with dentals, issues. The in-between years have been 'cheap' for us. But worth every cent for the love and fun.

    Probably a good idea to put aside a set amount ($20 or more) every month or payday in a special cookie-jar, to have on hand for emergencies or old-dog issues. Wish I had thought of that a few years ago!

  • @MacPack:

    IProbably a good idea to put aside a set amount ($20 or more) every month or payday in a special cookie-jar, to have on hand for emergencies or old-dog issues. Wish I had thought of that a few years ago!

    That's a great idea! I will say, after that first mind-boggling year, I have stopped paying attention to the "Animals" category of my expenses - no sense in knowing, because it isn't going to affect the needs when they arise!:eek:

  • What's amazing is how lucrative the small animal veterinary business has become. For less than I pay on a "routine" health check for my Basenji…..wherein I transport him to the vet, wait (invariably) for some time in the waiting room, then get "seen" for ten or fifteen minutes, my horse vet will come to my farm (yes, and in the middle of the night or weekends for an emergency.....my small animal vet wants me to attend an emergency clinic in those cases) and wrestle with a large, sometimes uncooperative animal (risking his own life and limb), float teeth, give injections, or in the case of a colic, medication by stomach tube and perhaps stick his whole arm up the horse's rectum......and invariably I end up with a bill that is less than I paid for my dog! (It's also cheaper to get a colt castrated than a dog neutered......go figure!!!)

  • @MacPack:

    And best of all, you have Kenji, and that's priceless!

    My sentiments exactly. I could never put a price on what Kipawa has done for me personally and our home/household. As I sit on the couch now and watch him chew up a tough fabric frisbee, I wonder if he knows how valuable he is and how much we love him.

  • oh my goodness, if I tried to tally up the expenses of the treats and toys for my baby boy… I love to shower him with fun things to play with. But on the plus side, he has yet to ruin anything in the home after 9 months (crosses fingers)

  • very cool….and I can tell you this...Pippin has been WAY more pricey...starting from day #1..up until now..and he is 10 months old...but...A) you can't put a price on his love, B) I won't tell my husband all of the involved costs and C) I will do it again!!

  • @Kenji24:

    How Much MY Basenji Cost is His First Year:
    Without this plan; when Kenji was neutered it would have cost me nearly $800, but it only cost $210.

    Yikes!!!

    It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

  • @LindaH:

    Yikes!!!

    It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

    I know prices around the country vary, but $800 for a neuter in KY seems really high to me too. Z's spay was significantly less than 1/2 that cost (including pre-op blood work, pain meds and the surgery). And often spays are more $. I would bet the cost of living in co is about the same or slightly more in co compared to ky.

  • In Northern Ca, average spay/neuter is around 400 to 800.00. There are cheaper, however as they say, you get what you pay for.

  • I don't want to count the shoes I have had to repair/replace…our fault for leaving them where the b's can get them.

  • @LindaH:

    Yikes!!!

    It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

    Wow… you did not too bad compared to our costs on the west coast of Canada (we are basically in a suburb of Vancouver). Along with pre-surgery blood work and urinalysis, our bill was almost $700.00. And that was with nothing additional done. Rabies had already been done, no hernias to repair and Kipawa was already microchipped by his breeders.

    I know I could find a less costly vet, but I have built up a very good relationship with them and trust them totally. They were so wonderful when my angel cat Barney got cancer, arranging for us to see a specialist two days later. Everything they do provides peace of mind for me and my animalsis, and I just can't put a price on that.

  • A good vet is worth the price of their services, IMO.

  • Wow, I must confess that I'm often shocked by how much spay/neuters cost on this side of the world, since I never had to do one. Bowpi was already spayed when we got her, and Bowdu was neutered when we were living in Taiwan – for the oh so exorbitant cost of about $60USD. S/Ns are actually subsidized there so the gov't will PAY vets for every spay/neuter they perform, and so vets stand to make a decent chunk of change even when they charge clients such a small amount.

    Anyway, I do think it's important to keep track of expenses like this, and it'll probably help others who want a more realistic idea of the expenses incurred in raising a dog. There's always more than that cute face to worry about, especially for the first year!

  • I have Voodoo now for 3 months, and he is 9 months old now, but here it has been a lot cheaper. Had most of the stuff he needed allready from my other dogs, so only expenses I had was food and getting him ready to enter Sweden (rabi?s-titer, de-worming…). Over here his food is free, vet is free, so now he doesn't cost me anything. With some quick calculations, I spend a total of 140 dollar on him so far.

  • It is important to be able to explain to people the cost of proper care… Many are so hung up on the price of a pup, they do not realize that proper care way out spend the cost to purchase. And when they understand those costs, they can more understand why the price might seem high to them.

    So many people question the price saying "I only want a pet", but the cost to breed that pet is no different then a show/performance puppy if you do it right.

  • @tanza:

    It is important to be able to explain to people the cost of proper care… Many are so hung up on the price of a pup, they do not realize that proper care way out spend the cost to purchase. And when they understand those costs, they can more understand why the price might seem high to them.

    So many people question the price saying "I only want a pet", but the cost to breed that pet is no different then a show/performance puppy if you do it right.

    Excellent comments, Pat!

  • @tanza:

    It is important to be able to explain to people the cost of proper care… Many are so hung up on the price of a pup, they do not realize that proper care way out spend the cost to purchase...

    My thoughts exactly, this is one of the reasons why I posted this.

    @LindaH:

    Yikes!!!

    It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

    Yeah, yikes is right. I did some digging and found that around 800 is on the high end and 200 - 400 is a good number for this area. Thankfully I could do the wellness plan. Since this was my first dog and first S/N, I kinda went overboard on the post op stuff. Meds (which he didnt need), the halo so he didnt lick himself, the laser up-charge and there was another up-charge that i choose. The laser, they said, would heal quicker and is less painful after the op. Apparently they were correct, Kenji was only lethargic that day. the next day he was close to normal. he ate well, slept all day and went for a nice long walk. Everyday after that he was back to his old self.

    @MacPack:

    Good post. It's very for anyone to have an idea how much this 'extra mouth' will cost. You didn't have a couch or expensive shoe replacement so you are actually doing really well, haha!
    And best of all, you have Kenji, and that's priceless!

    Thanks, I really do hope this post help future and even current owners. So far Kenji really doesn't like chewing on shoes. he used to chew on shoe laces but hasn't done that in a while. BUT he does like underwear and socks… and still shews on my chairs, :mad: GRRRR :mad:!! But I'd rather replace those then 50 - 100 pair of shoes.

    Like everyone else said he is priceless. I cant put a price on him.

  • @Kenji24:

    Thanks, I really do hope this post help future and even current owners. So far Kenji really doesn't like chewing on shoes.

    Don't believe I'd have said (typed) that outloud. Just sayin.

Suggested Topics

  • Is this a Basenji?

    Moved Basenji Talk
    5
    1 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    @weedtrek Possibly Basenji mix, nose looks a bit wider and the eyes are less oval. Could well be a Basenji mix though.
  • Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    -1 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    Where I am it costs about $2K+ for a dog from a breeder for just about any breed. Goldens may be less because the litters are so large. That may seem like a lot, but, as Debra mentions, dogs cost money to care for. After vet bills and boarding fees and food, it matters little what the dog cost to acquire. Leaving true puppy mills out of the discussion, given the costs of being a responsible breeder -- testing, vet bills, feeding -- and how much work breeding is, I can't imagine anyone doing it for the money. That leads to two problems for people looking for dogs. One is that since breeding isn't really lucrative, there aren't a ton of breeders, which means the supply of pups is low. Second is that most Basenji breeders want to place their pups in the best possible homes -- remember they aren't doing it for the money -- which means they're looking for people who have had Basenjis before. Something of a Catch-22.
  • Basenji or...not?

    Basenji Talk
    26
    1 Votes
    26 Posts
    11k Views
    HeidiAceH
    @debradownsouth Thanks you so much. We'll give it a try.
  • 0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Cara does crazed spins on the bed. She sounds possessed.
  • Basenji Song-Moon Over Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Oh Barklessdog, you are a brave person. I must now stand with you in insane-solidarity and admit I bought it too. It is awful but when you get the line "we couldn't say goodbye so we took him home" part, you know you got to help support the woman. lol
  • First Time Basenji-Less in 18 Months!

    Basenji Talk
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    1k Views
    L
    I can relate. Mine's vacationing at her grandma's for the second time this summer. I'd say the house is too quiet without her but come to think of it it's quiet when she IS here! Don't sleep too good though–-there's a little empty spot behind my knees....