The Cost Of Having A Dog In London

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You think you are ready to take care of a dog and give them all the love they deserve? That’s brilliant! But are you financially ready? Sometimes, we get so overwhelmed by the idea, the need to adopt a pet that we kind of put aside in our brain the realities of raising a dog in the capital. That’s why we’ve decided to break down for you the cost of having a dog in London.

INSURANCE

Before anything else, if you adopt from a rescue or a good breeder, they will recommend you to get a pet insurance for your dog. While it might seem a bit futile for a pet, it can actually be a real life saviour when you leave in London! Veterinary prices can go quite high when you live here, so a pet insurance will avoid you paying a full vet bill. Insurance cost will depend on the type of dog you own, from their size, to their breed costs may vary and some aspects might not be covered equally, but you should count around £30 per month.

HEALTH CARE

As mentioned before, there’s possibly no way avoid the vet, and in London they can be extra expensive. Even if your puppy is the healthiest little creature in the world, check ups and vaccinations will be unavoidable. The first jabs will cost you around £100, and an extra £50 for annual vaccination renewals.

Spaying and neutering is also essential, and depending on your dog’s size will cost from £60 to £180.

Dental hygiene is primordial for your dog’s dental health. If you’d like to avoid any issue on that side and extremely expensive procedures (around £500), we recommend buying dog toothpaste for a regular use, which will save you a lot of money. A good dog toothpaste will cost you around £10.

If unfortunately your dog were to get injured, you’d have to be ready to get around £1500 out of your pocket, so please do consider getting a pet insurance!

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TRANSPORTS

Luckily for you, London is very much a dog friendly city. The tube allows dogs in the trains, buses, trams, and all this for no extra cost! The only requirement is for them to be on lead or in a carrier.

If you decide to travel outside London, you might need to pay a fee if you’re traveling with more than two dogs. So check online the policies of the company you’re using to travel, the price should be around £5 extra per journey per additional animal.

FOOD

While the cost for food doesn’t really vary from one city to the other, we thought we’d include the annual cost of feeding your dog to give you a complete overlook. Once again you’ll have to factor in the size of your dog which will influence the quantity of food, but you’d have to count around £200-£400 per year, roughly £25 per month.

WHEN YOU’RE AWAY

Whether it’s because you can’t bring your dog to work or you’re traveling somewhere you can’t bring your dog with you, they will need to be taken care of when you’re away. If you simply require a dog walker in London, you can count £20/ hour.

However if you’re looking for a more complete service for a day or a week, the prices will be higher. A night of dog sitting could cost you around £70, and a dog hotel might charge you around £50 per day per dog. That’s a cost you definitely need to think of when planning your holidays!

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GROOMING

Grooming in London can be quite expensive depending on your dog’s breed. If we were to take an example on an average breed dog, counting the regular grooming needs, you’d be paying around £45 per grooming session, which would be needed every two months or so.

BREAKDOWN

Here’s the yearly breakdown of the cost of having a dog in London:

• Insurance: £360
• Healthcare: £220
• Transports: £0
• Food: £300
• Boarding/Dog Hotels: £350 (for a week)
• Grooming: £270
• Total average cost: £1500/year or £125/per month.

Remember that this is an approximate estimation for a healthy dog! Adopting a pet is an immense financial and personal responsibility, you should make sure you’re able to take care of that little fluff ball.