Question

Any St Bernard owners out there? We are about a year out from getting a dog (still building our home) and want to prepare the monthly costs. How much do you budget? Also, do you have a sinking fund for vet or do you get the pet insurance?  

Answer 1

We have a Bernese Mountain Dog (so same family ) we spend about $95 a month on food. We’re lucky because she doesn’t ruin her toys so that’s not a frequent expense for us but I do know some dogs go through toys in 2 minutes and that’s something to consider! We have pet insurance (costs $170/month with a $300 deductible) which has already paid for itself because when she was a puppy she ate part of a bed sheet and had emergency surgery which would’ve cost thousands of dollars out of pocket! BMDs have the highest cost of being insured because they tend to get hip dysplasia and cancer  We do have a sinking fund for the vet though because here in Canada no insurance companies cover “regular” stuff so we still have to pay for flea/tick meds, annual vaccines/checkups and anything of that nature. I really recommend the pet insurance for the big dogs because they’re so much more likely to get expensive problems in the future with their bones and stuff but of course a high quality food helps keep their weight under control and their bones as strong as possible ☺️ Hope my rambling helped a bit!  you can message me if you have any other questions ☺️

Comments

Our girl Rhea  PS another cost to consider is spaying/neutering! Spaying costs a bit more because it’s a more difficult surgery but I’m not sure if American pet insurances offer any coverage of that!  

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@lai80 this is great info! Thank you!  

Answer 2

We have a 100lb lab. He eats a $95 bag of food every 3 weeks. He is on anti-inflammatoires (for the last 5 years since he was 5) which are $89/month. He just got a check up which was $300. And because he has floppy ears he gets regular ear infections which are about $100-300 a pop. He has also had 2 surgeries. He torn a ligament and had an eye cyst. If you get insurance make sure you know exactly what is it isn’t covered. Just cause you have insurance doesn’t mean you won’t have to pay vet bills.  

Answer 3

Soooooo many variables. I have a husky/german shepherd cross and I budget $300 a month just for food. I believe HIGH quality food leads to less problems down the road.  

Answer 4

I have a nine month Saint puppy and two soon to be 5 great pyreness. I’m still trying to get the hang of budgeting but I do have a cash envelope for pets. I also have insurance on all three. I pay $144 a month. I have noticed that as they age the premium goes up. My girl (GP) uses hers every month for Allergies.  

Answer 5

Invest in a good vacuum! Loved our sweet Saint so much! but do not miss the tumble weeds of hair  

Comments

I second this! We got a cheap vacuum the first time around and just our German Shepherd’s hair ruined it. We invested in a nicer Dyson vacuum and that thing tackles both hers and our Mastiff’s hair with no problem

Answer 6

Wise to start now. I go to Bayou Animal Shelter here on Galveston County, in my area.  

Answer 7

Definitely do the pet insurance! Could save you a ton of money, especially with a large dog. I have Trupanion. Love them!  

Answer 8

I have a Saint Bernard. He will be 11 on June 1st. He’s the best, but he’s been fairly expensive. They need quality food and big dogs just cost more; everything is more expensive. Mine needed emergency surgery when he was 6 months old and cost around 10k. I didn’t have pet insurance. Since then he’s had few minor problems, nothing more then $400 at a time. We are fortunate that he’s been really healthy. I do have a doggy sinking fund, we don’t have pet insurance (we have 3 dogs and 2 cats). All that being said, he is certainly not my last Saint Bernard. This dog feels like part of my soul walking around outside of my body. I have never loved a creature more.