After a hard day's work, just seeing photos of beloved pets—whether dogs or cats—gives life the strength to carry on. Nowadays, with the trend of Pet Humanization, pets are treated like family members and are fully spoiled with food, toys, and supplies.
But the expenses of pet ownership go beyond these. Veterinary costs increase as pets age. On average, dogs and cats live 10 to 15 years. Roughly calculated, many owners may spend tens or hundreds of thousands of baht on their pets, comparable to a house down payment. Therefore, before deciding to raise one or several pets, comprehensive financial planning is essential.
Raising dogs or cats involves multiple monthly expenses. The main ones include:
- Food and treats averaging 1,000 to 3,000 baht per month.
- Supplies such as beds, collars, leashes, and others averaging 20 to 2,000 baht per purchase.
- Pet care services including boarding, grooming, vaccinations, etc., averaging 150 to 3,000 baht per visit.
These are examples of pet care costs that may vary depending on circumstances. For instance, dry food and supplements depend on breed and age. If a pet falls ill, special diets might be needed. To illustrate, data from Kasikorn Research Center shows average annual costs for large dog breeds around 28,000 baht, while small breeds average about 24,000 baht per year.
Regarding veterinary care, it is something no owner wishes for, but if it happens, costs can be very high. Examples from TTB include:
- Cat treatment for common infections starting around 500 to 1,500 baht per visit.
- Dog treatment for severe diarrhea costing about 1,000 to 3,000 baht per visit.
- Cat X-rays priced around 800 to 1,500 baht each.
- Cat ultrasound costing approximately 1,500 to 2,500 baht per session.
- Dog tumor surgery may cost between 15,000 and 30,000 baht per illness.
- Treatment for a dog's broken leg can reach 20,000 to 50,000 baht per injury. Seeing expenses comparable to raising a child, dog and cat owners may need to plan carefully regarding financial preparation.
Monthly expenses of a few thousand baht may seem manageable, but emergencies, illnesses, or injuries requiring treatment costing hundreds of thousands of baht can be unbearable without proper preparation. Therefore, simple financial planning involves two parts:
1. Emergency fund for beloved pets Before adopting, calculate expected expenses for 3 to 6 months. For example, if monthly care costs 3,000 baht, prepare 9,000 to 18,000 baht as an emergency fund for unexpected events. Even if the owner loses income, the pet must not go hungry.
2. Illness without financial pain Veterinary bills for serious illness, accidents, or surgery can range from 10,000 to 200,000 baht. Preparing a lump sum in advance, depending on local clinic or hospital fees, can help ease the financial burden.
Alternatively, some choose pet insurance, which may have conditions such as requiring vaccinations, age limits, and coverage limits. Owners can select plans according to needs but should carefully review coverage and exclusions.
Young pets may rarely fall ill, but as they age, physical and behavioral changes occur, such as needing diapers or increased care expenses. Thus, besides financial readiness, understanding the pet is crucial for caring for both body and mind throughout their life.
Sources: TTB Analytics,Kasikorn Research Center,Dhipaya Insurance,Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research.
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