A dog costs tens of thousands of crowns every year, the most expensive food

Owners spend an average of 17,000 to 55,000 crowns on the care of their four-legged pets – depending on the size, breed and health of the dog.

“Costs include regular veterinary examinations, feeding, training, grooming, breeding materials and insurance fees,” Klára Groulíková, founder of the Online Dog School, told Novinka.

According to her, food prices are rising especially. “In the last four years, the price has increased by a quarter. The costs are very dependent on the weight of the dog and the breed. They are between five and eighteen thousand crowns per year,” she said.

Regular visits to the vet are also an essential part of care. “As part of prevention, we usually talk about vaccination, claw treatment and dental prevention,” said David Gallus from the Abvet veterinary clinic in Bohumín.

On average the prices of the clinical examination are around 500 crowns, for the examination they are usually a few tens of crowns lower.

The owner of the dog will pay 100 to 200 kroner for cutting the claws and about 500 kroner for an X-ray, and usually the other is cheaper.

Of the vaccines, only the one against rabies is necessary. Vaccines are usually effective for three years and cost an average of 600 kroner. Recommended vaccines against infectious diseases are about a hundred times cheaper.

The basis is also the mandatory identification of dogs with a microchip, which even with the application costs 700 crowns on average.

“For veterinary examinations and regular vaccinations, the owner of the dog will pay about three to seven thousand crowns a year,” said Groulíková.

But vet prices differ fundamentally by region. While in Brno, the lowest prices for ultrasonic tartar removal for small dogs are around five hundred, in Prague they start at around four times that.

The demand is mainly for sport and family dogs or small breeds without demand. The purchase price of puppies with proof of origin starts at around 15,000 kroner for more common breeds.

“German Shepherd, Dachshund, Chihuahua, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Golden Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier and German Spitz are in first place,” said Vladimíra Tichá, spokesperson for the Czech Cynological Union -Moravian.

While around 1978 the highest price for a puppy was set at 300 CZK within hunting breeds, today the popular rough-haired Dachshund with papers in the country costs around 15,000 crowns .

“Usually the price of Border Collie puppies without proven pedigree goes from eight to fifteen thousand kroner, puppies with proven pedigree cost from twenty to thirty five thousand kroner. It really depends on the health and quality of the human race,” Hana and Ivo Novák from the Czech kennel Efebie told Novinkám.

The difference in the purchase price of puppies without proven pedigree and with it is often more than fifty percent. But the experts clearly agree that it is worth paying extra, paradoxically also from a financial point of view.

“Pedigree puppies are far more likely to be healthy and free of character defects that may show up later. If the dog does not have papers, it was often removed from breeding because of a health problem. Later, one can spend tens or even hundreds of thousands on a veterinarian,” said expert Pavel Bradáč.

In any case, he recommends visiting a training area for puppies. “From a young age, the dog must be social enough, he must have a good start. Only five to ten percent of dogs go to the training camp, but ideally everyone should go, for most people it is also time well spent ,” said Bradáč.

Basic group training courses cost around 1,200 to 5,000 kroner.

Cynologists and veterinarians agree that it makes sense to insure the dog. The basic insurance price ranges from approximately 190 to 550 crowns per month and often includes liability insurance for damages.

A common way to get a dog is to choose from one of the shelters. “Up to a quarter of them come from the shelter. An administrative fee is included, which is usually between five hundred and two thousand crowns. This covers basic veterinary care and vaccinations,” said Groulíková.

However, adoption fees can rise to 5,000 crowns if the dog was brought to the Czech Republic from abroad or if it has already been neutered.

“There are several benefits to adopting a dog from a shelter. It is already known about his character and his state of health. If it is a high-quality shelter, it should also tell the future owner which dog will be suitable for him,” said Bradáč.