Pets are awesome. They provide unconditional love and lifelong companionship. Our lives would be significantly poorer without them. (Well, except for ferrets. Screw those guys.)
Unfortunately, the cost of keeping a critter over its lifespan can be surprisingly steep once you factor in the purchase price, food, vet bills, pet insurance and miscellaneous equipment. For some species, we’re talking in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The infographic below was compiled by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) based on data from Animal Medicines Australia and Australian pet insurers. It estimates the average per-year cost of several popular pets – along with tips to keep the price down without sacrificing their happiness.
Here’s how the annual cost breaks down for the four most popular type of pet:
Dogs
- Food: $622
- Vet care: $397
- Health products: $248
- Grooming: $129
- Boarding: $86
- Cost per year: $1,475
Cats
- Food: $576
- Vet care: $273
- Health products: $159
- Grooming: $45
- Boarding: $80
- Cost per year: $1,029
Fish
- Food: $15
- Accessories: $20
- Cost per year: $50
Birds
- Food: $55
- Accessories: $22
- Cost per year: $115
There you have it: even a lowly gold fish can cost you upwards of $50 per year. For more details, check out the full infographic below. In addition to average costs, it contains useful information on pet insurance and common intestinal injuries to avoid.
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[Via MoneySmart]
Comments
5 responses to “Here’s How Much Your Pets Cost Per Year”
Is that a hipster with a pet raccoon?
This is what it costs me for my dog. Almost a $1,000 more than your estimate.
Food-$720
Vet-$300
Medicines-$400
Grooming-$360
Boarding-$600
Total- $2,380
Unfortunately, this does not include the cost of damage that pets often cause such as leaving “messages” for you when you are out or chewing clothing/shoes/wiring etc.
Having had both cats and dogs in the past this would significantly increase the dog side a lot more than cat side on average.
and you didn’t include annual vet checks for birds ? why not ? Per year can be around $80 to $100 per bird.
Who else remembers the “pet rock” fad?
Wow, $22 for accessories per bird per year!
That must be some pretty tricked out cages / aviaries.
My birds must really be slumming it….