
As you’d guess, cheaper dog foods will cost less. This assumes you’re purchasing high-quality dog food. The bigger they are, the more they will eat, which will increase your costs.

The price difference is due to the size difference as the puppy grows. Growing Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies will cost about $130 a year, while adults will cost about $180. These dogs are small, so you won’t be spending that much to feed them.

This will include all the preventative vet care your dog needs, including booster vaccinations and parasite prevention. However, these savings are not very significant.įor each following year, you can expect to pay about $450. They are a bit smaller, so flea and tick medication may be a bit cheaper. They need all their puppy vaccinations, for instance, as well as more visits to the vet. This is because puppies require more preventative vet care than adults. The kneecaps can be examined by a regular veterinarian and typically costs as little as $25.įor the first year, you should expect to pay about $600 in vet bills. The hips require an x-ray to check for alignment, which can cost anywhere from $200 to $500. The dog’s kneecaps and hips need to be tested as well. Usually, this testing can cost around $200, as it must be done by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. Sometimes, it can be as inexpensive as $50. This must be performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. The health testing gets roped into the price of the puppy.Ī heart clearance test is recommended. These tests can be expensive, which is one reason that puppies from breeders are so expensive. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club recommends several health tests to identify the healthiest dogs for breeds. Many of these tests are recommended before breeding any dog, as they can pick up on genetic problems that may be passed onto the puppies. Some of these can be checked for using specific health tests. Like all breeds, these dogs are prone to a few health problems. It may also prevent behavioral problems later on and reduce the amount you’ll need to spend on training. This makes it far easier for these dogs to adapt to their new home. Often, breeders socialize their puppies very well. You simply won’t have to pay for all your dog’s vaccinations, as they would have already received some of them. This extra care will lower your vet bills for your pet’s first year. They often receive their first vaccinations and see a vet at least once. Most puppies from breeders receive basic health care before they are adopted out. This testing prevents certain health problems from being passed down to the puppies, though it isn’t a fool-proof method in most cases. This helps them only choose the healthiest dogs for producing litters, which means that their puppies are usually quite healthy. However, you really get quite a bit extra when you go through a breeder.īreeders often perform health testing on any dog they plan on breeding. Purchasing a puppy through a breeder is often the most expensive option. However, they still sell puppies until they are caught. For this reason, they often take many shortcuts in their dogs’ care. These businesses try to produce as many puppies as possible as cheaply as possible. Many puppy mills also advertise their puppies on Craigslist. Without proper socialization, the puppy may be more prone to behavioral problems. But if the puppy is cheap, it is likely that the person selling the puppy did not put much time into their care. This depends largely on who raised them, of course.

Many of these puppies are also not socialized properly. You may save some upfront, but you’ll likely end up paying more after you bring your puppy home. Most of them do not receive the proper health care and vaccinations when they are puppies, which will increase your vet costs after adoption. They typically receive less care before they are adopted, which can lead to all sorts of problems. With that said, these puppies are cheap for a reason. In others, you might not actually save that much at all. You can find puppies through these means for only a few hundred dollars in some cases. Sometimes, puppies on Craigslist and similar marketplaces are the least expensive.
