buying a boxer

[vaboxer]

I totally agree with the above posts and tingoddess is right...if you dont pay a lot for the dog, my guess is the parents were never health tested and that can lead to TONS of issues, especially with Boxers being prone to certain ailments.

Example...My 5 year old was bought as a gift for me, his parents were both health tested, and I have NEVER had issues with Hook (besides his chubbiness)

My 2 year old Dayla I bought before knowing better (which means before being a member of this board). I bought her cheap from a person that I now KNOW was a backyard breeder. She had ear mites when I brought her home and kennel cough shortly afterwards which took a month or so to get over. She is not yet 2 and I have had to remove 1 bump from her back...and she has constant yeast infections (which I just paid $95 dollars for medicine for).

I NOW know better...but at the time I just wanted a Boxer and I could only spend so much money.

 

[Chappy2]

So Far....
1)$800 on Hunter & $250 on crate puppy proof ect.
2)120x5 vet visits so far= $600
3)$100 Puppy class
4)Next month $250 on pre paid neuter
5)$50 a month on food and treat bones = $300
6)Build him a pen in the basement = $200
7)His 30+toys and rawhides, bed, collars, leashes, supplies, ect =$400
8)Frontline and Heartworm = $25 per month =$150
Total=$2900 and he is only 6.5 months and chances are I am forgetting allot.

Bottom Line: DOGS ARE DEFINITLY NOT CHEEP!

 

[VTbxrFan]

Thanks for proving me right!!!

About two weeks after I adopted my boy (through rescue, but direct transfer from his original owners) I discovered that he needed surgery for luxating patella and ruptured cruciate ligament. A couple of people told me they were sure I could give him back since I didn't know that when I adopted him. Like h*ll I was giving him back! After 30 seconds, I was completely in love with the guy and would have sold everything I own to keep him! I simply replied that even with knee surgery, he would be MUCH cheaper than the first year with a young puppy. I see from the figures here that I was definitely right!

But back to the original post, I wanted to point out that even adult rescue dogs can get expensive very quickly. You just don't know what health problems are going to develop down the road. They are worth every penny if you have the money to spend on them, but it isn't fair to the dogs to get one if you aren't in a position to provide all of the care and supplies needed for their health and comfort. Please ask your cousin to reconsider. And as others pointed out, a "cheap" puppy will probably be poorly bred.

 

[cards]

Sooo as you can see there is no such thing as a "cheap dog". This year alone we have spent no less than $2000. on vet bill's(and well worth it i might add).

 

[BoxerDadx3]

Rusty- removal of an eye ulcer by an optomologist-$400- trips to the vet before for working to get rid of the ulcer-$275 neutering-$250 shots, thyroid meds, food, toys, ect. Scooby-$2000- treatment by neurologist to treat meningitis-$1800- vet trips trying to figure out he had meningitis-$250 neutering shots, toys, food, ect. Daphne- twelve weeks old, just a couple of vet visits so far, will be getting neutered- oh and I forgot Rusty's and Scoobys ear crops $600- Daphne will be left with natural ears. As you can see from everyone else also, it gets expensive. But their family, and you really don't worry about cost if you've taken this into consideration from the start. We should have gotten, insurance from the start for them. But what you gonna do.

 

[tingoddess]

Seeing it all layed out, I now know where all that disposable income goes every year. It's like everytime you walk into Petco or Walmart it's oh, lets just get a bone or look, new squeaky toys.
But I'll never be a drunk or a wastrel, I don't have any money left over to drink on and I have to stay employed to keep my dog habit supplied with the good stuff. Let's face it. They are just about the healthiest addiction you can have :D

 

[Moonshadow]

Yes, I agree!

Sometimes I think they cost me more than my kids did.

At the grocery store, they wonder if I ever eat. It's all cat food, dog food, cat litter, treats, etc.

However, the ball wasn't totally dropped with the rescue suggestion. Meta has by far been our least expensive because of the care and testing she was given when we got her by our local animal shelter. Granted her immune system is a little down, but we are building that up with herbs. She looks better already and we had the benefit of not having to test her or vaccinate her. But, we don't know what is yet to come. Weighing the love versus the cost, we came out waaaaayyyyyyy ahead.

But we would sell our souls to keep her healthy as we would with all of our pets! Sometimes it feels like we have sold our souls!!! I know everything else is in hock!

lovicon

 

[Boomer'sPapa]

Inexpensive boxer? Is there such a thing?

I'll agree with Karen here....thus far (just over 3 mo), Boomer has been inexpensive (if you call $1,200 cheap, and most of that was in the first month)....but I know something is going to come along sooner or later. Bringing the boxer home means a safe place to spend time when he is alone, good quality food, toys, trips to the vet (or emergency vet, as the case may be), pet deposit if you rent, necessary medications, bowls, collars, leashes, etc, etc...ad infinitum.

I can tell you that both boxers I had growing up (Sophia & Dani) were far from inexpensive, although Sophia was more than Dani...she had hip dysplasia (and resulting surgery at around three years old) and CHF & arthritis in her later years...not to mention the 75+ possible cancerous tumors we had removed over the course of her 13 years of companionship. There was even an emergency surgery to remove a hardened piece of plastic kitty play toy from her stomach and large intestine (She almost died during the surgery). I think all said and done, my parents spent over $50,000 in 13 years, just on Sophia alone.

Anyway, that's enough...

Cheers,

 

[GG-CG-AG]

When I read your post, I take it to mean that you will be buying the dog for your cousin and your cousin will then become the primary caretaker for the dog. I MUST agree with everyone who has already said this... it CANNOT be stressed enough... IF YOU BUY A "CHEAP" dog, then you are in all actuality spending more money in the long run b/c it will be most likely poorly bred and it will have health problems that become very costly. That's just vet bills alone. Dogs are not cheap, and if you are looking for a 'cheap' dog then chances are you are in for a REAL surprise!

Spend a little more time ont hese boards and do a little research... 'cheap' dogs are not a good thing. Please... whatever you do... DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE! :(

check out http://www.collie.net/~dwayne/pierce/ and look at the pictures. This is an example of where pet store animals come from.

 

[Adelle]

The older they get the more expensive they get, this year we have spent about $5,000 on Hooligan, between emergency visits, been hospitalized, tests, test and more test and now chemo therapy - but its all money well spent.

Owning a dog no matter what breed is an expensive commitment. We only paid $250 to buy Hooligan as a pup but as you can see we have paid that many times over since.