How to save money on a dog

A typical adult dog costs $2,000 to $5,500 a year, depending on breed (see how much a dog costs). Most of that goes to a few large items: food, unplanned vet care, preventives, grooming and routine checkups. Saving a few dollars on toys makes little difference. The savings below come from those large items. Each figure comes from our cost model or from the price data behind it.

1. Switch to a cheaper dry food

Food is the largest yearly cost for most medium and large dogs. Our food prices come from current Chewy prices per 1,000 calories:

• Budget: $0.45, e.g. Purina Dog Chow Complete or Kirkland Signature
• Mid-tier: $1.42, e.g. Purina Pro Plan, Blue Buffalo, Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin
• Premium: $2.03, e.g. ORIJEN, ACANA, Fromm

For a 68 lb Labrador Retriever, food and treats cost:

Switching a Lab from mid-tier to budget food saves about $700 a year, or about $8,400 over its life. Switching from fresh delivery to mid-tier saves more than $4,300 a year. The fresh-food figure is a low-confidence estimate, because those brands don't publish per-calorie prices.

For a small dog, the savings are much smaller. A Chihuahua eats about $99 a year of mid-tier food, so switching to budget food saves about $80 a year. If you own a small dog, look for savings in grooming and vet costs instead.

Any complete-and-balanced food meets the same basic nutrition standard. If your dog has a medical condition, ask your vet before switching.

Buy the largest bag you can store. Smaller bags of the same food cost 20% to 40% more per pound than the largest bag, based on our mid-tier price survey.

2. Groom at home if your dog has a clipped coat

Breeds whose coats need clipping every 6 to 8 weeks are the biggest grooming expense. In the model:

Professional grooming prices come from HomeGuide's breed price list, adjusted for inflation. A full groom for a large doodle costs about $89. The DIY budget is double the APPA average for brushes and grooming supplies, to cover clippers and blades.

Home grooming takes time and skill. A curly coat that mats can cost more to fix at a groomer, and groomers may add a surcharge to shave a matted dog. A common middle path is to brush at home every few days and book a professional cut less often.

3. Use a low-cost vaccine clinic

Routine checkups, vaccines and tests cost about $330 a year at average prices. CareCredit notes that some shelters, pet stores and community centers host low-cost vaccine clinics. Prices at the low end of the national range are much lower than the average:

The ranges are from the Synchrony vet cost study. Paying low-end prices for an adult dog's exam, vaccines and heartworm test saves about $95 a year. For a puppy's vaccine series, the saving can be around $340.

Ask your vet which vaccines your dog needs. The model's average includes leptospirosis and Bordetella. Lyme and canine influenza vaccines are optional, cost $50 and $53, and matter only in some regions and lifestyles. CareCredit advises against giving vaccines yourself at home.

4. Buy preventives a year at a time

A monthly heartworm, flea and tick chew costs $400 to $460 a year in the model, depending on size. Buying a larger pack lowers the price per dose. For Simparica Trio, 22.1 to 44 lb, at Chewy's regular prices:

Buying a 12-pack instead of single doses saves about $108 a year. Our price notes also show a cheaper two-product setup: Heartgard Plus at about $11 to $13 a month, plus a separate flea and tick product. Vet-clinic prices are usually higher than online pharmacy prices. Ask for a written prescription so you can compare.

Don't skip prevention to save money. Heartworm treatment costs far more than a year of prevention.

5. Keep your dog lean

In APOP's 2022 survey, 59% of US dogs were overweight or obese. Extra weight raises the risk of cruciate ligament tears ($1,500 to $10,000 per knee, according to Lemonade) and arthritis, which costs $200 to $2,700 a year to manage. A lean dog also eats fewer calories, and food cost depends on calories.

6. Set the insurance deductible to what you can afford

If you buy insurance, choosing a higher deductible or a lower reimbursement rate can cut the premium by 10% to 15%. For a Lab paying about $836 a year, that's roughly $80 to $125 a year. If you can cover small bills yourself, you may not need insurance at all. Saving the premium in a dedicated account can cost less. Is pet insurance worth it compares insured and uninsured costs by breed.

7. Adopt instead of buying

Adopting saves money once, in the first year. Across the breeds on this site, the median saving is about $2,950 compared with a breeder puppy of the same breed. Most adoption fees include spay or neuter, vaccines and a microchip. Best Friends Animal Society charges $100 for an adult dog with all three included. See adopt vs buy a dog.

8. Plan ahead for boarding, walks and daycare

Optional services can cost more than the dog's basic care:

Prices are from HomeGuide and the Synchrony boarding study. The model counts 50 weeks a year for daycare and walks. A kennel costs about two-thirds as much as an in-home sitter. Swapping walks with a neighbor, or using daycare only on long workdays, costs nothing.

9. Pick a breed that's cheaper to own

Breed choice matters more than any other decision. In the model, the cheapest breed to keep, the Chihuahua, costs $2,060 a year. The most expensive, the Saint Bernard, costs $5,470. Small, short-coated, low-risk dogs cost the least. See the cheapest dog breeds.

What the savings add up to

Combining several of these savings:

For the Goldendoodle, the savings come to about $16,200 over a 13-year life. The other items on this list, including 12-packs of preventives and low-cost vaccine clinics, would add a little more. To try different combinations, use the calculator on how much a dog costs.