How Much Does It Cost to Own a Dog Per Month in the UK?
What does it cost to own a dog per month in the UK?
There is no single monthly figure that fits every dog.
Dog size affects food quantities and often the price of medicines and parasite treatments. Breed can affect grooming and insurance. Your working pattern may mean paying for a dog walker or daycare. Health problems can change the budget again.
For a consistent starting point, PDSA currently publishes these minimum ongoing-cost estimates:
| Dog size | Minimum per month | Equivalent over 12 months |
| Small dog | £69 | £828 |
| Medium dog | £83 | £996 |
| Large dog | £116 | £1,392 |
The annual figures above are First Dog calculations: PDSA’s monthly estimate multiplied by 12. They are useful for planning, but they are still minimum benchmarks rather than complete household budgets.
PDSA says its ongoing calculation includes yearly health checks and booster vaccinations, regular flea and worm treatment, insurance, food, toys, poo bags and toothpaste. Its costs were last calculated in 2024 using online prices.
What should a monthly dog budget include?
A practical dog budget works better when you separate predictable monthly spending from costs that happen less often.
Regular essentials
- Food
- Pet insurance, if you choose to insure
- Flea, tick and worm treatment as advised for your dog
- Routine veterinary and preventive care
- Treats and chews
- Poo bags and dental-care products
- Replacement toys and basic equipment
Lifestyle-dependent costs
- Professional grooming
- Dog walking
- Daycare
- Training classes or one-to-one training
- Boarding, pet sitting or holiday care
- Specialist or prescription diets
Unexpected costs
Illness and injury do not arrive on a monthly schedule. Insurance can help with some eligible veterinary costs, depending on the policy, but you may still need to pay an excess, excluded treatment or costs above a policy limit. If you do not insure, your emergency fund becomes even more important.
How much does dog food cost per month?
Food is one of the clearest examples of why a single national monthly figure can mislead.
A small dog eating a modest amount of a mainstream complete food can cost much less to feed than a large dog eating considerably more, while specialist diets and premium feeding choices can move the figure again.
Instead of copying somebody else’s food budget, calculate it from the food you actually expect to buy: pack price, pack weight and your dog’s daily feeding amount.
Use First Dog’s Puppy Feeding Cost Calculator to turn your chosen food and feeding amount into a daily, monthly and annual estimate.
How much does dog insurance cost per month?
Insurance premiums vary by dog, age, breed, postcode, policy type, cover level and other underwriting factors, so an average is a reference point rather than a quote.
MoneySuperMarket’s published August 2026 quote data reports an average monthly dog-insurance price of £12.33. Its data also shows different averages by policy type, and individual quotes can be substantially different.
When budgeting, use an actual quote for your dog wherever possible. Price also needs to be considered alongside what the policy covers, its limits, excesses and exclusions.
For the decision rather than just the price, read How to Choose Puppy Insurance in the UK.
How much should you budget for routine vet care?
Routine veterinary costs are easier to plan for than emergency treatment, but they do not necessarily arrive every month.
Depending on your dog and veterinary practice, predictable costs may include health checks, booster vaccinations and parasite prevention. Some practices offer health plans that spread certain routine costs across monthly payments; these are not the same thing as pet insurance.
A useful budgeting method is to estimate your expected annual routine-care total and divide it by 12. That gives you a monthly amount to reserve even when no vet payment is due that month.
What is not included in a basic monthly dog-cost estimate?
This is where a headline monthly figure can become misleading.
PDSA explicitly says its minimum dog-cost estimates do not include the purchase price of the dog, vet fees for illness or injury, special diets, or lifestyle and breed-dependent services such as daycare, boarding, grooming and training.
Those exclusions matter. For some households, professional services can add more to the budget than toys, bowls and other small purchases ever will.
Why does the monthly cost vary so much between dogs?
Size
Larger dogs generally eat more, and size can also affect the cost of some treatments and products. PDSA’s own minimum benchmark rises from £69 a month for a small dog to £116 for a large dog.
Diet
Brand, portion size and whether your dog needs a specialist diet can materially change the monthly food bill.
Age and health
Health needs can change over a dog’s life. Insurance premiums may also change at renewal, and some policies introduce different excess arrangements as dogs get older.
Breed and coat
Some coats can be maintained largely at home; others may need regular professional grooming. Breed can also influence insurance pricing.
Your lifestyle
A household where somebody is usually at home may have little or no dog-walking or daycare expenditure. Another household may need paid help several days each week.
Where you live
Prices for services such as veterinary care, grooming, daycare and dog walking can vary by area. Use local prices for any service you expect to rely on regularly.
Monthly costs versus occasional costs
A cost does not have to appear every month to belong in your monthly budget.
If you expect to spend £240 across the year on a particular recurring need, reserving £20 a month gives you a more realistic picture of what dog ownership is taking from your household budget.
The same approach works for annual boosters, replacement equipment, boarding, grooming and other predictable but irregular expenses.
This is why your bank statement in a quiet month is not necessarily your true monthly cost of owning a dog.
Build your own monthly dog budget
The most useful figure is not somebody else’s average. It is the amount your own dog is likely to require within your own household.
Start with:
- monthly food
- monthly insurance
- parasite prevention
- routine healthcare divided across the year
- treats and chews
- replacement toys and supplies
- grooming
- dog walking or daycare
- training
- boarding or pet sitting
- a reserve for unexpected costs
Then total the regular monthly items and add one-twelfth of your expected annual or occasional spending.
If you are planning for a new puppy, use the Puppy First-Year Cost Calculator. It separates setup costs from ongoing monthly costs and other first-year expenses, so you can see both the first-year total and the ongoing monthly figure.
How much does a dog cost per year?
Using PDSA’s minimum monthly benchmark alone, the ongoing annual equivalent is £828 for a small dog, £996 for a medium dog and £1,392 for a large dog.
Again, those figures do not include every cost a real household may face. A dog that needs professional grooming, regular daycare, boarding or unexpected veterinary treatment could cost considerably more.
For planning, calculate your own monthly baseline and multiply it by 12, then add predictable annual costs that are not already included.
Does a larger dog cost more?
Size can increase some costs, especially food and weight-related products or treatments, and PDSA’s minimum monthly estimates are higher for larger dogs.
But size is not the only driver. A small dog needing frequent professional grooming, specialist food or substantial veterinary care could cost more than a larger dog without those needs. Treat size as one budgeting factor, not a complete forecast.
Can you reduce the cost of owning a dog?
Yes, but the useful savings are the ones that reduce waste rather than compromise care.
- Compare the unit price of food and supplies rather than the headline pack price.
- Avoid repeatedly buying equipment your dog does not need.
- Maintain appropriate preventive care rather than skipping it simply to reduce this month’s spending.
- Compare insurance on both price and cover rather than automatically choosing the cheapest premium.
- Learn which grooming tasks can safely be done at home for your dog’s coat and which need professional help.
- Plan boarding, daycare and dog-walking needs before they become last-minute purchases.
- Keep a dedicated dog-cost buffer for irregular expenses.
Cutting necessary food, preventive care or veterinary treatment is not a budgeting strategy. The aim is to make the real cost visible early enough that you can plan for it.
What about the first year?
The first year is different because it can include acquisition costs, initial equipment and puppy-specific healthcare and training on top of the normal ongoing budget.
If that is the stage you are planning for, read Puppy First-Year Cost Guide. It keeps those one-off and first-year costs separate from the ongoing monthly cost covered on this page.
If you want to work out the numbers for your own puppy, use the Puppy First-Year Cost Calculator to estimate your setup, recurring and first-year costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of a dog per month in the UK?
There is no single reliable figure for every household. As a minimum benchmark, PDSA currently estimates £69 a month for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog. Its calculation uses 2024 online prices and excludes several potentially significant costs, so your real monthly spending may be higher.
How much does it cost to keep a dog in the UK?
Your cost depends on the dog and your lifestyle. Budget for food, routine healthcare, parasite prevention, insurance if used, toys and supplies, then add any grooming, walking, daycare, training, boarding and contingency costs that apply to you.
How much does a dog cost per year?
PDSA’s minimum monthly estimates are equivalent to £828 a year for a small dog, £996 for a medium dog and £1,392 for a large dog. Those are minimum ongoing-care benchmarks, not complete annual budgets.
How much does dog food cost per month?
It depends on your dog’s feeding amount and the food you choose. The most accurate approach is to calculate the cost from the pack price, pack size and your dog’s daily portion rather than relying on a generic average.
How much should I budget for a dog?
Build your budget from your expected regular costs, then add monthly reserves for predictable annual expenses and unexpected costs. If you are getting a puppy, keep first-year setup and acquisition costs separate from the ongoing monthly budget.
Does a puppy cost more than an adult dog?
The first year can be more expensive because you may have acquisition costs, initial equipment, vaccinations, training and other setup expenses. Adult dogs still have ongoing food, healthcare, insurance and lifestyle costs, so the monthly commitment continues after puppyhood.
What dog costs are easy to forget?
Commonly overlooked costs include replacement equipment, grooming, dog walking, daycare, boarding, training, special diets, insurance excesses and unexpected veterinary treatment.
The bottom line
For a useful minimum reference point, PDSA currently publishes ongoing estimates of £69 per month for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog.
But the number that matters is your number.
Add the essentials your dog will need, the services your lifestyle requires, irregular annual expenses and a plan for the unexpected. That gives you a much more useful answer than trying to make your household fit a national average.
About these figures
Dog costs change over time and vary substantially between animals and households.
The PDSA figures used on this page are its currently published minimum dog-cost estimates. PDSA states that the costs were last calculated in 2024 using online product prices. The annual equivalents shown by First Dog are simple calculations of monthly estimate × 12.
The insurance figure is based on MoneySuperMarket’s published August 2026 quote data and should be treated as a market reference point, not a quote for an individual dog.
Last factual review: September 2026.