what is a reasonable amount of money spent on a puppy and adult dog per month.(shots, food, treats, and the other essensials if i missed them)

any input at all would be appreciated

Well, monthly is kind-of hard (to me) to put into perspective.

I don't buy dog food every month, nor do we visit the vet every month. We do not buy leashes or jackets (for dogs who need some hairy help in the cold weather!).

But lets see, I could possibly do yearly for a puppy or something, since I have a puppy now. I'm pulling out my puppy's reccords to answer this one - lol.

Initial vet visits, which could amount to 6 or more visits - within the first 6-12 months:

Somewhere between $700-$1,000 for Vet visits in this period of time, depending on your area and what your costs are that is - not to mention some of these shots are optional. Any tests the pup may need (if it has symptoms of anything the vet will take no chances in a baby), rabies, distemper, kennel cough, stool tests, heart worm medicine, flea and tick prevention, spay/neuter (spaying is much more expencive than neutering is), Lyme series, also take into consideration an emergency 24 hour vet visit (VERY expensive BTW) if your dog has a bad reaction to a shot or medicine - it happened to my pup. This could add in the cost of a Benedril shot before every shot he gets from them on.

So, with that said, I would guess $1,000 for the first year of vet visits of a puppies life - assuming you get the puppy at 8 weeks or so.

Next, for food, it depends what brand you buy, where you buy it, how much you buy, and how much your dog eats to say how often you buy food.

For my 42lb almost 6 month old ACD, he is pretty active and eats 3 cups of food daily, plus 1/4 of a can of wet food.
I buy a 35lb bag once every 2-3 months, and cans every 2 months.
This would equal - $300 or so for food a year.

Then there are toys and treats. I spend at least $20 a month on them. So that is $240 a year.

As far as your initial things for a dog: Food bowls, leashes, collars, accessories (jacket, toys box, cookie jar, dog bed, bandanas, etc.) I would say I've spent $250.

So, for the first year of the pups life, I would say the expence would be between:
$1750-$2000. Not to mention the price you pay for the puppy, which could be anywhere from $150-$3000.

Oh boy, that was a lot to write. By the way, why're you curious to know the ultimate cost?

Prices for a dog vary from month to month and are subjective to your region, type and size of dog, what you choose to feed or not to feed, and other variables.

I'm just trying to see if i can afford one and take care of it properly. I know I'm not going to get it like clothes and stuff, and I already have a leash, collars, and cage. I wana feed him good food but he's going to be a companion maybe a weight puller( if i can find a club around here). But if I can buy the shots and give it to him myself I'ma do that, I did it with my last pup and it saved some money.

I beleive that the question that you are asking depends on what your standards are when it comes to quality. Higher quality--more $$. Also it depends on what you are dealing with age. If a puppy is more younger, then you should be spending no less than $1,000 in vet bills to get the puppys first shots, including those that are optional. Also you may be paying for the dew claws if they aren't already done by the previous owner/breeder. If you plan on getting your pet fixed OR it has health issues then expect to pay over $1,000 in keeping your pet healthy. These costs don't include the essentials like food, shampoo, treats, a comb/brush, food dishes, a collar, liciense, a bed, a crate to keep your pet in while you are away, and toys...these are the thigs that will keep your pet healthy, happy and good-looking. If you buy those in high quality, my range would be that you would spend between 100 and $150. (some crates are more expensive then others (( depends on size, structure)) ) These are just some estimates of how much I spent when I got my dog, I can't gaurntee that the same ranges will apply to you. I hope I helped in some way shape or form...

well I'm not going to have the highest quality probably more like medium to semi-high since I come from a very poor family. I know I'm going to get him fixed and ears cropped( if I can find a vet to do it) and like I said I have a leash, a regular collar, a choke chain, a cage, a brush, and even some left over puppy pads.

Uhm - Doing shots yourself always worries me.

I would absolutely rather a vet do it.

Constant food and vet bills seem like they might pose the greatest challenge for you my friend.

There are a great many things to consider when getting a new dog, maybe you should wait until you know you can afford everything?

Best of luck to you, let us know when you figure everything out. I hope you are able to get your dog !

if vets didnt add $30 to do it themselves, yea i would let the vet do it but I gave my pit her first rounds of shots and everything was good plus its less trouble then taking her to the vet

I don't do needles or i would do the shots myself too, almost all breeders give the dogs the shots themselves. However it's hard to find the things you need to do shots yourself.

i give my dogs their heartworm medication in a 1% form liquid y vet home says as long as you know the correct amount you're fine. If you're really worried about the amount you go a small bit beneath the amount.

well she only lived to 6months so all I gave her was her 2nd and 3rd round of shots and the guy I got her from did her first for me so I would know how to do em

acdxx009 I meant to ask what do you feed your dogs?

I know - needles absolutely freak me out; Lol.

Well, we're right now switching over to Chicken Soup for the Puppy/Dog Lover's Soul. Angeeleeta reccomended it to me, and told me good things about it.

Online, it costs like $35.99 for a 35lb bag. And something like $12.99 for 12 13.5oz cans. (petfooddirect.com)

its real good so it would last longer than like purina?

I'm not at all a dog food expert, nor do I pretend to be.

I would say yes, since good food means you have to feed your dog less since they're getting what they need out of the food; there is little to no waste.

I bet if Angeeleeta see's this, she would probably agree.

I don't think Purina is a very good dog food; just take a look at the ingredients. First ten ingredients:
Ground yellow corn
poultry by-product meal
corn gluten meal
soybean meal
beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of vitamin E)
brewers rice
dicalcium phosphate
calcium carbonate
malted barley flour
salt

I'm sure you can see, that isn't good at all.

yea, see I didnt know anything when I got my pit but thats what I fed her cuz I didnt know about the ingredients in dog food and all that

Don't worry, I didn't know either. I thought all dog food was made of like the same thing. But when you really think about it, it's like eating McDonalds everyday Vs. organic and wholesome foods. (That's how I choose to think of it anyways)

yea, thats a good way to look at it. I looked at the chicken soup dog food and it looks really good.

asdxx009 is totally right! It's basically whole nutrients vs. fillers.

If you buy a higher quality dog food, you literally get what you pay for. If your dog is being fed a more nutritious and well balanced dog food, they will need to be fed less to keep fit. Better dog foods also make for less poo, less stinky poo, less shedding, a shiny coat, healthier teeth and less offensive breath.

I have given my dogs their shot in the past too. They are rather easy to get, and you can get syringes at any fleet supply store.

However, while it's okay to give the 3, 5 or 7 ways yourself (whichever you may choose), make sure your having a vet give your rabies shot to your states standard.

If you give your own rabies and your dog does bite, they usually don't honor that shot and will put the dog down for testing. Rabies shots aren't very much.

Heartworm testing and medication is also highly recommend at the vet because you cannot do it yourself, and if your dog gets heartworm, it's very expensive to treat.

yea rabies and heartworm for sure I'd take them to the vet but the others I can do myself.