Puppy first-year cost
The first year is the expensive one: one-time vet work and gear on top of running costs, and a growing puppy eats more per pound than an adult.
First year, — in —
—
— – — depending on choices
- Spay or neuter—
- Puppy vaccine series & visits—
- First-month gear—
- One-time costs—
Running costs in year one
— · —/mo
Puppy-rate food (— kcal/day at 2× resting energy), vet & prevention, insurance, grooming, gear, boarding.
| Food & treats | — |
| Vet & preventive | — |
| Insurance | — |
| Grooming | — |
| Supplies & gear | — |
| Training & boarding | — |
From year two the same dog runs about — a year.
How it is calculated
Spay/neuter is the average of the national spay and neuter prices from CareCredit's 2025–26 procedure study, adjusted for the state. The vaccine series is three DHPP doses, one rabies dose and two extra visits at the same national prices. Gear is the first-month list for the dog's size, from recorded retail prices. Running costs use the standard model with the puppy calorie factor; see the methodology.
SOURCE · Veterinary Exam and Procedure Costs (ASQ360° research, 50 states + DC) — CareCredit / Synchrony, 2025 data · accessed 2026-09-21
SOURCE · PetSmart.com regular (non-promotional) list prices — hand-recorded SKU sample — PetSmart (recorded by pawdget), 2026 data · accessed 2026-09-21
SOURCE · Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (table SARPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024 data · accessed 2026-09-21
SOURCE · Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals (RER = 70 × kg^0.75, MER factors) — Merck Veterinary Manual, 2024 data · accessed 2026-09-21
UPDATED 2026-09-21 · METHOD: estimate · View methodology