why do purebred dogs cost so much?
In an effort to answer this often asked question I sat down with a piece of paper and my calculator... I must admit I had never done this exercise before; not wanting to focus on the financial aspect of breeding. I knew very well that more money was going out than coming in. Now that the exercise has been done, more people might understand. Passion is not fuelled by reason but by the quest ahead, and this is why I do it, certainly not for the money...
Here is an example of the costs involved in breeding a litter of three puppies, for a bitch that had two litters in her life time. Our bitches have a maximum of three, or exceptionally four litters in their lifetime These expenses do not take into account the price of the bitch, all the care given to her until she is ready to breed, care while she is an active breeding dog, and the care well into her senior years. Nor does it take in account the care for bitches who have not produced any offspring.
EXPENSES:
Health testing: including certification fees with the OFA 545$
Eyes (once a year with anophthalmologist veterinarian) 310$
The following fees can roughly be divided by the number of litters the bitch will have.
Hips and elbows 320$ / 2 = 160$
Thyroid 150$ / 2 = 75$
Pre-breeding veterinarian fees: 440$
Pre breeding check-up 80$
Progesterone readings 360$
Stud services fees: 2200$
Ultrasound to confirm pregnancy: 120$
Pre whelping X-rays to evaluate size, number, and position of puppies: 130$
C-section: 2300$
Puppies related fees: 1145$
Raw diet for eight weeks for three puppies 350$
Pre-departure check-up, vaccines, micro chip X 3 330$
Puppies and litter registration 165$
Departure kits X 3 300$
Total of expenses to produce three puppies: 6880$
Now if we look at revenues, the list will be much shorter.
Approximate sale price of one puppy: 2200$ X 3 6600$
Total revenue for producing three puppies: 6600$
Profit or deficit: - 280$
I realize three puppies is not a big litter; I chose this number of puppies to demonstrate the approximate the break-even point for a breeder. Then again this is not a true break-even as it does not take in account any of the breeding dog expenses, and there are many. Nor does it take into account the health tests and many pregnancy related fees of unsuccessful breeding. For example, in the case of a stillborn litter you go through all the above expenses but with absolutely no revenue. These expenses represent the minimum a breeder should put into her breeding program; other tests could be made to map the breed more thoroughly, such as heart tests. The veterinarian fees I pay are less than those of my breeder friends who live in the U.S.A. or in Ontario where vet fees are higher.
EXPENSES:
Health testing: including certification fees with the OFA 545$
Eyes (once a year with anophthalmologist veterinarian) 310$
The following fees can roughly be divided by the number of litters the bitch will have.
Hips and elbows 320$ / 2 = 160$
Thyroid 150$ / 2 = 75$
Pre-breeding veterinarian fees: 440$
Pre breeding check-up 80$
Progesterone readings 360$
Stud services fees: 2200$
Ultrasound to confirm pregnancy: 120$
Pre whelping X-rays to evaluate size, number, and position of puppies: 130$
C-section: 2300$
Puppies related fees: 1145$
Raw diet for eight weeks for three puppies 350$
Pre-departure check-up, vaccines, micro chip X 3 330$
Puppies and litter registration 165$
Departure kits X 3 300$
Total of expenses to produce three puppies: 6880$
Now if we look at revenues, the list will be much shorter.
Approximate sale price of one puppy: 2200$ X 3 6600$
Total revenue for producing three puppies: 6600$
Profit or deficit: - 280$
I realize three puppies is not a big litter; I chose this number of puppies to demonstrate the approximate the break-even point for a breeder. Then again this is not a true break-even as it does not take in account any of the breeding dog expenses, and there are many. Nor does it take into account the health tests and many pregnancy related fees of unsuccessful breeding. For example, in the case of a stillborn litter you go through all the above expenses but with absolutely no revenue. These expenses represent the minimum a breeder should put into her breeding program; other tests could be made to map the breed more thoroughly, such as heart tests. The veterinarian fees I pay are less than those of my breeder friends who live in the U.S.A. or in Ontario where vet fees are higher.
