How much do you spend a month on food and treats for your BC?

[nowwown]

Hi, my DH and I were going over finances/budget and he about had a heart attack when he saw I spend about $100-$150 a month on food and treats for Cody.

 

That includes 2 15-lb. bags a month of Wellness Core dry and about 15 cans of the Wellness Core canned. Plus training treats (fish/potato based only). Cody has alot of food allergies and this has been one of the only brands he can tolerate without severe diarrhea and staph infections. So I feel this cost is justified.

 

My DH said when he has had dogs in the past, they were healthy and happy and lived to 15+ years on Purina Dog Chow or generic store brands, and he can't remember spending more than $20-$30 a month (in today's $$).

 

So, how much do you think you spend per month on dog food and treats? C'mon, 'fess up!

[Anda]

I feed California Natural - last time, a 30 lb bag was $53 or something close. Got it at the end of November - it will last until part of February - my 44lb dog eats about 10lb of dry food/month - equivalent to $16-20/month. Shredded cheese for toppings - say $6-7/month. Few cans of wet food for toppings - another $4-5/month. Bacon for frying and using the grease for toppings as well - say $3/month. Treats - maybe $10/month?

 

I think we're spending less than $50/month for food and treats for Ouzo. Toys are a different category which is not the subject of this tread

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Food ~ Orijen 6 fresh fish (or what ever it's called). We go through a 7kg bag a month (approx) and that costs $37. 1 medium food roll from Natural Balance per month at $10. 1 bag of hard cookies (old mother hubbard I think) every two months $10. Recreational RMB's, maybe 3/month that I get from the butcher usually about $3 for 3. So it looks like I'm not even hitting $60/month. Which is really good come to think about it!

I buy everything from a local pet store that is family owend and operated, and I compared prices with another local franchise (Pet Planet) that doesn't sell live animals (personal ethical reasons). On average I am saving about $2 per item that I purchase from the family owend/operated store, the dog food is about $10 cheaper.

[MaryP]

I briefly tried to estimate this. I feed my three raw and it comes out to around $140-150 per month, depending on food prices at the time. Chicken and turkey has stayed pretty constant, but beef and pork have gone up a bit, though they seem to be coming back down a little in price lately. That doesn't include any money that I may spend on recreational bones and training treats. I usually burn through at least one Natural Balance roll (the long one) per month, which is what I use for training treats. I can't remember how much they cost, though. I also buy hooves like they are going out of style. They are the cheapest thing to buy for the dogs that lasts more than one sitting. They are around $1 a hoof and I usually buy about 10 at a time (both for my dogs and foster dogs) and those will typically last about a month unless the dogs take them outside and lose them, which they do quite often.

[Laurena]

I feed my dogs a mix of Taste of the Wild (wetlands) and Horizon Legacy , I go through a 30 lb bag of TOTW and around a half bag of Horizon . My kibble cost is around $80 . I usually go through $10 or so of raw meaty bones .

[sweet_ceana]

We feed Blue Buffalo. I honestly can't say how much we spend exactly, it depends on how many fosters are in the house, but I want to say about 70 on kibble and 35 on treats??? Some where near 100/month. (This is for a house with 3-4 dogs)

[Lizmo]

We feed a mix of dry food and raw. Dry kibble a month: $60 (about a 40lb bag and a half). Raw a month: $20+. I rarely ever buy treats, I just use cheese we have in the fridge or a few pieces of cooked ham or turkey we always have on hand.

 

So I'd say aroud $80 to $100 a month for 4 dogs.

[D Strickland]

Hi, my DH and I wer...........day's $$).

 

So, how much do you think you spend per month on dog food and treats? C'mon, 'fess up!

 

I'm feeding 3 dogs RAW. I figured that it costs me 2-3x more than Taste of the Wild ( $45 for a 30lb bag ). Average price per dog per day is around $2 ( that's feeding salmon, chicken, turkey, beef, sheep, deer, and goats ).

 

So ... approx $60 per dog per month. My budget is $200/month and I usually have some left over.

[phej]

I think we spend little over $100 a month on chews, treats and food for two dogs (feeding one dog Evo and the bc is fed Natural Balance because of allergies).

[mbc1963]

A 30-lb bag of grain-free Taste of the Wild is about $45 at my local store. It lasts about 2 months, I think... so I'd say that's about $22/month. I really don't buy treats much - Buddy likes kibble as a treat out in the world, and neighbors and friends give him lots of miscellaneous treats. Single dog.

 

However... let's see... close to $1000 on the stick-impalement incident last February, plus the recent $140 on severe diarrhea... That's all in 10 months. I agree with the theme in the other thread that spending time with the dog is the best way to 'spend' on him - I don't do much for special treats or toys. Medical care and good food and lots of attention.

 

Mary

[Laura L]

For the Border Collies it's about $35 each and for the guard dogs it's $60. I don't really give them treats although the turkey necks & raw meaty bones are included in there.

 

Laura

[urge to herd]

I buy CA Natural chicken/rice for my dogs. The girls go through about a 15 lb bag in a month, so that's $23, if I remember correctly. They get exotic kibble for training treats, a 5 lb bag of EVO or Call of the Wild or similar, $12-13. That lasts for at least 2 months, if not longer. Canned food, eggs occasionally, another $15.00. They also get fish oil caps + vit e 3-4x/week. Just started Samantha on Dog Gone Pain, to see if it helps her gimpy old self.

 

I haven't bought a toy in a while, except to replace balls that we lose. I'm also thinking about trying the Costco food.

 

Our medical bills for Buzz were around $5500 - 2 sets of xrays, an amputation, 4 chemotherapy treatments, 1 general practice veterinarian, 1 orthopedic surgeon, 1 internist. And I haven't added up what we spent on supplements/raw food for his last 4 months.

 

The thread about saving for a pet's medical care has got me socking away some funds, too. All our critters are senior citizens, Buzz was the youngest by a few years. We've had to take the cats, both about 14 or 15 , to the vet for age related stuff about 4 times in the last 12 months. And they are on prescription food.

 

Sigh. Food is the least of it, in the long run.

 

Ruth

[urge to herd]

I buy CA Natural chicken/rice for my dogs. The girls go through about a 15 lb bag in a month, so that's $23, if I remember correctly. They get exotic kibble for training treats, a 5 lb bag of EVO or Call of the Wild or similar, $12-13. That lasts for at least 2 months, if not longer. Canned food, eggs occasionally, another $15.00. They also get fish oil caps + vit e 3-4x/week. Just started Samantha on Dog Gone Pain, to see if it helps her gimpy old self.

 

I haven't bought a toy in a while, except to replace balls that we lose. I'm also thinking about trying the Costco food.

 

Our medical bills for Buzz were around $5500 - 2 sets of xrays, an amputation, 4 chemotherapy treatments, 1 general practice veterinarian, 1 orthopedic surgeon, 1 internist. And I haven't added up what we spent on supplements/raw food for his last 4 months.

 

The thread about saving for a pet's medical care has got me socking away some funds, too. All our critters are senior citizens, Buzz was the youngest by a few years. We've had to take the cats, both about 14 or 15 , to the vet for age related stuff about 4 times in the last 12 months. And they are on prescription food.

 

Sigh. Food is the least of it, in the long run.

 

Ruth

[stockdogranch]

I'm feeding anywhere from 7-8 dogs at any given moment, depending on who's here for training. I buy probably 3 bags of (good quality) kibble at around $25 apiece, and than my raw order to the co-op is usually right around $80, so I would say somewhere in the $150 range for that many dogs (in a big month, maybe $200), and there is always some raw left over in the freezer. I do not use treats at all. They sometimes get recreational RMBs, but that's part of the raw order, so already accounted for. Can't imagine spending that much on just 1 or 2 dogs. I'd go broke in a minute (oh, wait--I AM broke)

 

A

 

ETA: I'm with Ruth--food is the least of it. I've had some pretty spectacular vet bills over the past several years (just freak things that happen), but we seem to have good outcomes, so it's worth it. And I'm also feeding sheep and calves and a horse (not to mention me), but even with all that food, vet bills are still the biggie.

[MaggieDog]

I estimate about $25/dog/month for food and treats; the girls each eat 1 cup per day of regular Wellness right now and we use dog food samples or cat food for treats. I put away about $100-150/month for future vet expenses (including flea/tick and heartworm meds), so obviously food isn't my big spending area, but it is the most constant cost.

 

Your big food spending figure is likely due to the canned food in there - I know when Maggie was eating canned exclusively after a dental surgery it added up super fast. Is there a specific reason why you're adding canned to a good dry kibble?

 

I also noticed you're buying two 15lb bags of the Core - any reason why you're not just getting one 30lb bag? At least at my food place it's about $5-10 cheaper to buy the bigger bag vs. two smaller bags depending on the type of food you feed. And you can't forget that the grain-free foods are a lot more expensive when compared to other high quality diets that include grains; Core is one of the priciest of the grain-frees around here.

[sluj]

hm, a 40lb bag runs me between $35 and 50, but it lasts longer than two months. I've decided to drop bully sticks in favor of RMBs, but they were running me about 20/6 wks. Natural Balance roll for treats is $10, but I don't get them that often. Maybe $3 for cookies once in a while, and another $3 for turkey necks whenever I can find them. $25 for a big bottle of fish oil, but I'm not sure how long that lasts. Also, lots of people food scraps, and eggs and yoghurt. I'd say about 40-50 for a typical month.

[Guest maya's mom]

My main monthly expense, is a bag of 25 Bully Sticks, which runs be $50, which includes the shipping. It breaks out to about $1.89 per stick, which if any of you have bought them at the store, you know they are now anywhere between $3.99 and $5.99 per stick. (Where I live anyway.) We feed CA Natural Lamb and Rice, and I buy the 20lb bag, which costs me $25. But, I am not exactly sure how long that lasts me, b/c I usually buy before I am out, if I am in the area of the store. I also buy three treats, Zuke's Hip Action, Plato Salmon bites, and Dried Sweet Potato's by Front Porch Pets. These bags are the large size, and last me for probably about 2 months, and each bag is approx $15. So, I think I am under $100 month. Some months way under, some months maybe just at, or over. If I factor in everything though, I do also pay $44 month for Maya's VPI Pet Insurance. Which we already made our money back on this year, her first year, with her spaying, all the vaccines, etc. Starting next year I am dropping the coverage and just going with their basic policy which will cost me only $22 month.

[Maralynn]

Missy goes through a 15# bag of TOTW in about 1.5 months - $15/month

 

Kipp goes through a 40# bag of Diamond Naturals in about 2.5 months - $12/month

 

Training treats are kibble, hot dogs, cheese or food rolls. They also get some raw/homecooked - probably $8-10/month

 

Total for both dogs $35-$37/ month

 

And I've found that the best treats for my two are beef ribs. I buy a section at Wal-Mart for $7-$8 and cut it into individual ribs. I end up with 6-8 ribs and they get about 2 weeks worth of recreational chewing out of each one.

[SoloRiver]

Man, I am spending nowhere near that on three dogs. Right now they are eating Kirkland kibble from Costco (approx $45 for two bags which will probably last something like three months), which makes a big difference, but even when I was feeding them EVO and Canidae (which I will again since I rotate foods) I don't think it was anywhere near $150 per dog. They get raw breakfasts some mornings, and I admit I don't really know how much that costs because it's usually something that comes out of the human food supply, like chicken legs or wings, or freezer-burned fish my husband caught last year, or whatever. They get canned breakfasts some mornings, not sure how much that costs but I am guessing $1.50/can max.

 

They get treats including pig ears, jerky treats, Hungry Dog grab bags (best value ever for fancy chews), and Yummy Chummies. That would be $50/month max if I were really getting crazy that month with buying treats, which I usually don't. Otherwise for treats they get odds and ends of stuff that we make for ourselves, like various meat trimmings, cheese, bananas, whatever which I don't count in the budget since it's just incidental human food.

 

Solo and Fly get glucosamine/chondroitin, dunno how much that costs, and Solo gets Adequan weekly which is pretty expensive ($25/week). He was on Rimadyl, but I weaned him off and he seems to not need it anymore. He's also on behavioral meds, but those are on the $4 prescription list at Fred Meyer so the cost is negligible.

[juliepoudrier]

I spend a lot and I figure this is a case where ignorance is bliss, at least for me. With 10-11 dogs (including the LGD, who generally eats the same as everyone else--I just don't see the point in buying a separate cheap food for her), I go through I don't know, 3-4 bags of high-quality kibble a month so between $75 and $100 on kibble. They also get canned mixed with their kibble (less than two cans/day for all the dogs), and depending on whether I buy the cheap stuff ($0.67/can) or the good stuff ($2+ can for foods like EVO, Wellness, Before Grain, Pinnacle, Merrick, Solid Gold). I also feed raw to some of them, and they all get fish oil and vit E supplements, as well as added oil. They also get eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, leftovers, etc. The mature dogs get glucosamine and MSM as well. Then there are all the meds various dogs get (the geriatrics anyway), but my vet is good about writing prescriptions so I can shop around on price at least. Like I said, it's probably better if I don't know the exact figure, and since when I shop I also include food for the cats (skyrocketing right now while I try to find something Elvis will actually eat), I don't ever have an exact figure for just the dogs.

 

Still, it seems that vet bills are more likely to kill me than feed costs. My own groceries may be lacking, but the dogs don't do without.

 

J.

[hsnrs]

We also feed Costco's Lamb and Rice. Sam gets twice the amount the 3 girls do and we feed twice a day. About half a cup each meal. No treats but sometimes we buy knuckle bones. They don't have vet bills very often and we are lucky not to have to supplement anything. The food for the dogs is cheap compared to people food. The 40 lb bag is probably $23 by now. We have to travel to Tucson which is about 200 miles round trip. N

[Anda]

Missy goes through a 15# bag of TOTW in about 1.5 months - $15/month

 

Finally, another dog who only eats 10lb/month - glad to hear mine is not the only wierd one out there Plus it happens to be one of my favorite girls here!

 

I Missy!

[haleigh]

Oh sheesh...dads the one with the coupons, so this is a rough estimate:

 

$30 a month for Orijen kibble (60 dollar 30 pound bag lasts 2 months)

$45 a month for supplements (glucosamine, fish oil, pycogenol, prozyme, monthly since the people take all but the prozyme)

$15 a month for treats if we get the solid gold lamb jerky, same if we make our own chicken jerky every week

$10 a month on chewies, but her nylabone seems to be holding up this month, so we didn't meet budget! Yay!

[theshine]

I have four dogs, two 37 lbs, one 26 lbs, and the puppy is 15 lbs. I buy a 35 lb bag of food for the three adults, costs $35, and it lasts a month. A smaller bag of puppy food is costing me $15 and lasting about 3 weeks. I don't spend much on treats, some people food, RMB's, or maybe a box of somethingorother at the grocery store, $5 per month...so $55-$60 per month for four dogs.

[PSmitty]

I've never actually figured it out, but a good estimate is about $130 a month. That's for three dogs (50, 37, 32 lbs). Right now they're eating Prairie Instinct kibble, but they also get turkey/chicken necks regularly and other RMBs. My estimate included the yogurt and pumpkin they get daily, along with their vitamins and Glycoflex.