It’s easy to understand why people love to have a Labrador Retriever to call their own. Not only is the Labrador the American Kennel Club’s Most Popular Dog Breed, it is the friendliest, cheerful, and loyal dog that you and your family can love.
However, owning and raising a Lab comes with a catch. It is one of the most expensive dogs to buy and own. In CountryLiving’s listing, the Labrador actually comes in at No. 6. How much does it cost to raise a Labrador Retriever?
Let’s take a look at the 8 things you need to know!
1) Cost of a Labrador Puppy
When computing the cost of raising a Lab, dog lovers often forget to include the cost of buying a puppy. In fact, the puppy price tag is the first in a long line of expenditures in raising your dog.
Lab puppies cost between $400-$1,500, even going as high as $5,000.
- Factors affecting the price include the following:
- Purebred or mixed
- Age – the price gets lower the older the puppy is
- Puppy’s bloodline and/or Breeder’s reputation
- Pedigree and Registration papers
- Health screenings, medical expenses, and microchipping
- Early training and socialization
- Popularity of the breed in the buyer’s location
- Coat Color and Markings – Yellow Labs cost $700-$2,500. Black Labs are in the range of $600-$2,250. Chocolate Labs cost between $750 and $2,000.
The most expensive Lab puppies are finished hunting Labs (those that have completed training in retrieving and other hunting behaviors), with a price tag of $10,000-$15,000.
For inexpensive options, you can get adult dogs and puppies from your local shelter with rehoming fees of between $50 and $500.
2) General Costs
Generally speaking, the expenses during your first year of owning a Lab puppy are more expensive than in subsequent years.
During the first year, you can expect to spend an estimated $1,480-$5,125. In succeeding years, the cost drops to $915-$3,140 per year. The average cost per month in the succeeding years is between $76 and $262.
3) Veterinarian and Medical Costs
The first-year veterinarian costs are between $425 and $830, with vet fees costing $45-$55 per visit.
When your puppy is 8 weeks old, it should be checked out by a vet three times during the first year. Each vet visit costs $65-$170. The vet visit includes the cost of the physical exam, vaccines, fecal exam, and deworming, if needed. If the fecal exam is a separate procedure, it will cost $40-$50.
Additional costs during the first year include heartworm preventive medications at $75-$120 and flea prevention meds at $85-$125.
If the Lab is going to spend time outdoors, lives with other pets, or is to be boarded or kept in a kennel, they should be given three additional vaccines:
- Leptospirosis vaccine ($15-$25)
- Influenza vaccine including booster shot ($70-$90)
- Lyme vaccine against ticks including booster shot ($60-$80)
There are two optional procedures in the first year. The spaying of female Labs and neutering of male Labs cost between $150 and $450. Low-cost clinics, however, offer these procedures at $50-$100. Lab owners are also given the option to have a surgical procedure known as Gastropexy done on their dogs in order to prevent bloat or volvulus, a life-threatening condition common among Labs. Gastropexy costs $200-$400.
In the succeeding years, annual vet visits and exams cost $125-$265, inclusive of physical exam, vaccines, heartworm test, and a blood exam for middle aged and senior dogs. Annual booster shots for leptospirosis, influenza and Lyme disease are also given at the prices mentioned above. Rabies shots cost $15-$30.
4) Food and Treats
The bulk of the expenses for raising a Labrador Retriever go to food and treats. During the first year, you can expect to spend between $305 and $1,070 for your puppy’s food and treats alone.
In succeeding years, you can expect to spend $160-$495 a year on dog food and $125-$715 on treats. Take note that these costs can go higher if you buy your dogs premium brand dog food (which are definitely more expensive).
5) Pet Supplies
During the first year, you can expect to spend an average of $450 on pet supplies. This would include food and water bowls, dog collars, leash, ID tag with owner’s details engraved on it, dog bed, dog crate, poop bags, toys, first aid kits, grooming kits, etc.
In succeeding years, the cost of pet supplies becomes lower at $95-$385. This range covers supplies that need to be re-purchased, such as new toys, bed, shampoo and other grooming items, sanitary bags, and tooth brushing kit.
6) Training Costs
If you prefer a professional to handle your dog’s training, you can go for basic obedience group lessons. The cost of five weekly one-hour sessions is between $150 and $200.
However, if you are planning to have your Lab undergo service dog training, it is very expensive costing $10,000-$30,000 depending upon the type of training you want your dog to have.
7) Miscellaneous Costs
While the above items are the most common costs with raising a Labrador, there are potential miscellaneous expenses that you should consider or watch out for.
The first of these miscellaneous expenses is a dog license. While the usual cost of a license is just $10-$20, the price can go higher if your dog has not been spayed or neutered.
If you value your dog’s well-being and safety, you should get it microchipped at a cost of $25-$50.
There are cases wherein you are at work and can’t attend to your Lab’s needs. Hiring a dog walker can cost you $20-$50 for an hour a day. If you prefer dog boarding, the cost is between $25 and $85 per day.
Grooming costs is another important consideration. If you prefer to groom your Lab yourself, it will cost you $25-$290 to stock up on much needed grooming supplies. Professional grooming services are obviously more expensive, and you need to have a pro groom your dog two to eight times a year. The average cost per grooming service for Labs is $350.
The one thing that every dog owner is afraid of is their beloved pet getting sick. Suffice to say, treatment of potential health problems in Labradors can be very costly.
For example, Labs are prone to joint problems, particularly cranial cruciate ligament tears which are common in middle-aged and senior dogs. The cost of diagnostics (X-ray and blood workup) is between $200 and $400.
The surgical repair is priced at $2,000-$3,000. Even if you get the ligament tear in one knee treated, there is the potential of the same injury happening in the other knee, so you should prepare the above figures in case of that eventuality.
If you decide not to have your Lab undergo surgery, you will need to pay $50-$300 a month for your dog’s physical therapy and pain management.
Cancer treatment in Labs is equally costly, because of the diagnostics, surgery, and chemotherapy involved. Depending upon the type of cancer, treatment can cost between $500 and $10,000.
If your dog is suffering from allergies, allergy testing and injections may set you back $1,200-$2,400 a year. Your vet may even advise that your Lab eat prescription food, which costs $100 a month.
Because of their floppy ears, Labs are prone to chronic and recurrent ear infections. Treatment of these ear problems costs $600-$900 yearly.
Laryngeal paralysis is a life-threatening condition that is common Labradors. It is characterized by coughing after exertion, shortness of breath, and noisy breathing. The surgery, diagnostic procedures, antibiotics, fluids, and oxygen therapy in treating the condition can cost between $2,600 and $5,200. This price can go higher depending upon the severity of your dog’s condition.
If you have chosen not to have your Lab undergo Gastropexy, there is a risk of it developing bloat sometime in the future. The emergency treatment of bloat costs $1,500-$7,500. Even with this costly surgery, there is no guarantee that the procedure will be successful or, even if it does succeed, that the bloat will not occur again.
Because of the potential expenses when your dog gets sick or injured, it may be wise to consider getting pet insurance. An accident only insurance plan costs $190 a year. If you opt for an accident and illness plan, this will cost $565 a year.
8) Lifetime Costs
The average life expectancy of a Labrador Retriever is 11 years. Owning and raising a Lab for 11 years (without any of the miscellaneous costs) will cost you between $10,630 and $36,525.
If you add spaying or neutering and pet insurance, your overall costs for 11 years go up to $14,730-$45,955. The addition of spaying/neutering, pet insurance, dog walking, and dog boarding will raise your 11-year overall costs to $70,855-$188,000.
Expect much higher figures if your Lab suffers an accident or gets sick.
As you can see, raising a Labrador Retriever is a costly endeavor. However, if you love your dog, there is no price tag to giving it happiness in exchange for its love and companionship toward you and your family.
The best thing to do to lower costs is to obtain a pet insurance for your Lab so that costs of treatment can be covered by your insurance company.
