Seeing the bond between Groot and our family, our neighbors decided to get a beagle too. They had some concerns if raising a beagle would fit in their budget, so I decided to spend my weekend calculating the total expense and cost of raising a beagle. Here’s what I found out:
Monthly Expenses of Owning a Beagle
The monthly expenses of a beagle can be anywhere between $250 to $500. The first-year expenses, including food, vet, and vaccination cost can go up to $2,000 to $2,500. Following years can cost around $1,000/year.
Now that you have a general idea let’s break down the total cost of owning a beagle.
Price of a Beagle
Generally, the price of a beagle depends on three factors:
1. Lineage
A lineage is the dog’s past generation. A dog is considered to have a superior lineage when its parents and grandparents participated in Reputed Dog Shows.
While a pet quality beagle can cost around $500 to $1,200, a beagle puppy with superior lineage can cost as high as $2,000.
Professional Breeders selectively breed beagles by considering lineage that goes back four to five generations.
2. Location
The location where you live can drastically affect the price of a beagle puppy. These pups can be quite expensive in cities like Loss Angeles and New York than in small towns. You can check out some local blogs about pets in your area to find out and compare prices.
3. Market Place
Two of the most popular market places where you can buy a pup are Breeders and Puppy mills.
Puppy mills are puppy factories whose primary goal is to maximize their profit. The dogs here are kept in awful conditions and used only for breeding.
This video will tell you how inhumane and torturous these places are for dogs:
The cost of puppies at such places may be cheap, but these puppies suffer from many health problems due to improper care and unsanitary conditions.
Most puppies sold at flea markets, online stores, and petstores come from such puppy mills.
The best place you can buy a beagle is from a professional breeder. A good breeder would be happy to show you the place where he raises the puppies.
I highly recommend you to visit the place of the breed and see how sanitary it is.
Veterinarian expenses of a Beagle
Being a responsible dog owner, you will need to take your beagle to the vet for regular check-ups. Regular checkups are essential for maintaining a healthy diet and keeping your beagle active.
The average cost for a typical vet visit could range from $50 to $100. However, the price highly depends on the location you live in.
Apart from regular checks, you may require other tests and checkups like a heartworm test, fecal exam, geriatric screening, and allergy testing.
Here is are some necessary tests that your beagle pup might need to take during the first year:
| Tests/Checkups | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Routine Checkups | $50 to $100 |
| Heartworm Test | $40 to $60 |
| Fecal exam | $30 to $50 |
| Allergy Testing (skin) | $150 to $250 |
| Allergy Testing (blood) | $200 to $300 |
| Geriatric Screening | $80 to $100 |
| Dental Cleaning | $50 to $100 |
| Spaying/Neutering | $50 to $200 |
Vaccination cost of Beagles
Vaccines are proactive because it prevents your dog from diseases. Beagle vaccinations can cover more than 11 different diseases.
The vet will vaccinate your beagle puppy four times in its the first year.
According to American Veterinary Medicine Association, it is advisable to vaccinate your beagle against the core and non-core diseases.
Core vaccines are the essential ones. Rabies, canine distemper, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and adenovirus comes under this category.
Core vaccinations are a one-time shot that will immune your pooch against these life-threatening diseases for a lifetime.
The non-core vaccines are the optional ones. They include vaccinations for Lyme disease, giardiasis, measles, kennel cough, coronavirus, and leptospirosis.
Here what to expect:
| Vaccinations | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Core Vaccines | $70 to $150 |
| Rabies | $20 |
| Bordetella | $20 to $50 |
You will need to visit the vet four times during the first year to take all these shots. After that, your beagle will need boosters shots once a year.
Cost of Food for a Beagle
The cost of commercial dog food for your beagle will cost you around $30 to $60 per month, depending on the dog food quality.
A good quality dog food for your beagle will cost you around $50 per month. Whereas selecting a cheaper option will cut down the price of feeding.
Here are three of my recommendations for premium-quality dog food for beagles:
Beagles are an energetic breed and hence have high nutrition requirements. Being a small breed, they may not require a bowl full of food, but they need high quality, protein-rich diet for their well being.
You can also feed your beagle homemade food. However, you will need to carefully construct a diet plan which can cover all the necessary nutrients.
You can refer to this indebt Beagle Feeding Guide for more information.
Cost of Spaying/Neutering your Beagle
Neutering or spaying your beagle can cost you anywhere from $50 to $400. Opting for low-cost clinics will cost you in the low end. However, vets can be expensive.
The majority of dog owners choose to spay or neuter their dogs in the USA. If you do not plan to breed your beagle, you may want to consider spaying/neuter your pooch.
To learn more about the benefits of spaying or neutering your beagle, you can read this article about Reasons why you should Neuter or Spay your beagle.
Training costs
Training is crucial for every dog. You will need to spend an ample amount of time teaching your dog commands and giving behavioral training.
Apart from being friendly, social, affectionate, and loyal, beagles are a stubborn breed. They can be a little challenging to train.
I would highly recommend you join Group Training Sessions to learn how to train your beagle. Usually, these classes happen four times a week, for one hour, and cost about $50 per month.
A better option would be to hire a professional dog trainer to help you out with the training. The trainer will cost you about $50 to $500 per session, depending on the location you live in.
Besides, you can opt for the boarding obedience school for your beagle. These schools will expect you to pay around $1000 for four to six hours of training in a day.
Cost of Toys for your Beagle
Beagles are energetic and mischievous dogs, especially when they are puppies. All they want to do is play all day. It can be challenging to keep them entertained throughout the day. And that’s why you need toys.
When beagles are 4 to 5 months old, they go through the teething phase. During this time, they will start chewing on everything to relieve pain in their irritating gums. You will need to get them quality chew toys.
Here are some basic but necessary toys that you will need to buy:
- Rope Toys will cost you around $10 to $20. You will need ropes to play pull with your beagle.
- Kong Toys are food puzzle toys. You fill them up with treats and let your beagle struggle to get them out of the toy. Normal KONG Toy will cost you around $10 to $15.
- You will need a couple of good-quality balls to play fetch with your beagle.
- You will need to get some chew toys to be prepared for their teething phase. If possible, get 4 to 6 chew toys of different textures and shapes.
Make sure to get good quality toys, as puppies often break them into pieces and swallow them.
Cost of Dog Bed
Of course, you want your adorable little furball to have a comfortable and sound sleep. A dog bed may seem like a luxury, but it is a necessity.
Studies prove that a comfortable dog bed contributes to keeping the canine’s joint strong and healthy.
A good quality bed for your beagle will cost you near around $50. While one bed is enough, you can buy two to three of them and keep them in different parts of your house.
Here are my dog bed recommendations for Beagles.
Cost of Dental cleaning
Dental cleaning among dogs is an expensive affair. The process includes providing anesthesia to your dog and cleaning their teeth and gums.
The gums of puppies are generally healthy and free of any dental problems.
The teeth of puppies tend to be healthy and free of any dental problems. But as they grow, their dental health starts deteriorating. According to a survey, 1 out of 3 dogs has one or the other dental problem.
Some of the common issues that dogs often face in their adulthood are:
- Tartar Build-up
- Plaque Build-up
- Bleeding gums
- Gingivitis
- Loss of teeth
To avoid these, it is advised to do dental cleaning of your beagle once a year, which will cost you around $300 to $700.
Grooming Cost
Grooming plays an important role in the well-being of a dog. You can prevent numerous health issues by grooming your beagle regularly.
Dog Groomers charge around $50 to $100 for a standard grooming session of a beagle which includes shampoo bath, nail clipping, brushing teeth, and cleaning ears. However, you can reduce the cost by grooming your beagle at home.
Grooming of beagle includes the following
- Bath
- Brushing the Coat
- Clipping nails
- Cleaning the Ears
- Brushing teeth
I highly recommend grooming your beagle yourself and taking them to a professional groomer once every six months. To know more about it, you can do go through Beagle Grooming Guide.
Tips and tricks for saving money
After raising two adorable beagles, and one labrador, I have found some ways to save money.
- Get a Pet Insurance.
- Try looking for various Veterinary care discount programs.
- Do not shy away from negotiating with the vet.
- Take your puppy to the vet as soon as you notice something unusual. Neglecting will make things worst.
- Do not cut down the price on Food.
Final Thoughts
Not just beagle, but raising any dog is a considerable investment, but the returns are priceless.
