How Much Does a Labrador Puppy Cost?
When you are thinking of bringing a new member into your family, you will have to ask yourself “How much does a Labrador puppy cost?” Of course, the cost of the dog depends on the breed, the age, and your living situation. Once you have answered these questions then it is time to start looking for a good breeder. There are many places to look for one and here are some suggestions.
The first thing to consider when buying a Labrador puppy is whether the breeder has saved all of his/her puppies in a puppy re-homing center. Many good breeders will not sell a dog to another owner unless the previous owner has had all of their vaccinations and microchip checks.
A good breeder will have all of their pups spayed or neutered before they are offered for adoption.
The cost of all of the vaccinations and microchip checks usually varies from about two hundred and fifty dollars to over one thousand dollars. If you adopt from a shelter or humane society then you can usually be guaranteed that all of these vaccinations have been passed by the American Kennel Club.
The second thing you should consider is how much does a Labrador cost per day at the local pet sitter? Some pet parents may charge up to three hundred dollars for an hour of sitting time daily. So the cost can add up quickly if you have several Labradors. To keep the cost down, there are a couple of things you can do.
The first thing is that you should find a vet who will not charge you for the vaccinations or heartworm testing that is required for our guide and service dog pups.
Many vets refuse to perform these tasks because they want to make money. You must find a vet who is open to doing this. Once you find a vet that agrees to perform the required vaccinations then you can price the visits accordingly.
Once you have determined how much your new puppy will cost then you can start to price the vet visits separately. This can be a little trickier if you have more than one retriever in your household. This is when price calculators are most useful. You can plug in the names of the dogs and the ages to find the average medical costs for each dog. Then you can price the visits accordingly.
You will obviously vary between the prices for the vet visits. Age and activity level will go a long way to determining the cost.
As your puppy gets older the price goes up because of the increased risk of illness. In general, however, the cost should remain fairly consistent no matter how old your dog is.
One final factor we need to discuss is shelter. While a shelter generally offers better medical care than a pet store, the cost of boarding can go very high. If you plan on adopting from a shelter, there is a way to calculate the actual cost of boarding. The total lifetime cost to adopt a Labrador from a shelter is the same as the cost of adoption at a pet store.
When calculating how much does a Labrador puppy costs you can also include the cost of pet insurance. Pet insurance will pay for vet bills, lost weight, and possible illnesses not covered by the vet. It’s a good idea to have a dog insurance policy when you get a Labrador puppy or any puppy for that matter. The cost of pet insurance is often inexpensive when compared with the cost of vet bills for a healthy well-settled dog.
