What's A Fair Price?
So what IS a fair price for a puppy. A lot goes into the consideration of how we price puppies. Here is just a small part of it:
Breakdown of expenses: Pre breeding check up $165 Brucellosis test $85 Progesterone testing $430 Travel to stud plus hotel and meals over Christmas 4 days $980 Stud fee $2500 Total so far: $4160
She’s not pregnant yet…
Ultrasound $165 yay! Puppies! Progesterone testing $430 (she didn’t maintain a litter so we have to continue to monitor progesterone)
20 new towels (they wear out) $64 10 used washable incontinence pads $48 40 fleece $100 Underlayment for pen/whelping area - tarp $9 Indoor outdoor carpet $22 Thankfully my whelping box will hold up for another litter or two but I need x-pens $180 Forgot to add the Folic Acid above $8 Non waxed dental floss $2 Nitrile gloves $12 Garbage bags $6 Tums $12 Fenugreek $8 (Thankfully I don’t need to buy most of the whelping supplies because I already have them but shoot.. Need a new thermometer $8 and infant simethicone $7 Whelper helper $200 gas and $100 a day plus food and wine 14 days is $1400 (she’s an RN… that doesn’t even cover the cost of her missing work) X-ray $165
Total so far: $6576
Puppies come! Yay! 5 puppies
Post whelp check up and pitocin shot $110 Dewclaws $7/toe not all have rear toes- $112 Puppy struggling to breathe- Vet, dex given and amoxicillin $148 (whelper helper spends hours with the puppy in a trendelenburg position doing gentle coupage) Dam’s temp goes up- Vet check, shot of penicillin and amoxicillin to take home $172
Puppy makes it, dam makes it but we’re battling mastitis.
Total so far: $7,218
Puppy food- I start pups on ground chuck and then move to chicken wings $320 Kibble $200 Increased food for the dam $168
Puppy vet check and first vaccinations $240 Microchips $220 Litter registration $35
Incidental expenses: Puppy toys $72 Laundry (my old farm house doesn’t have a washer/dryer) a 40 lb machine is $7 and the dryer is $3.50 for 35 min - towels and incontinence pads do not dry in 35 min. Thankfully the laundromat’s machines take credit cards and I can track exactly what I spend there. Remember, the pen is changed daily because clean puppies are easier to housetrain) $484 Laundry soap $48 Dryer sheets $28 Electricity and propane $112 Mileage to and from Vet, Laundry, grocery store (I live 28 miles from civilization)- 1114 miles x 54.5 ~ $700 Litterbox pellets $13
Puppy registration $100 Accountant $210
Total: $10,158
Puppy sales: $2500 each for 2 pets $2000 each for 2 show pups with breeding strings. 1 show pup goes to the co-owner no $. We’re going to trade in a litter back and possible puppy futures.
Total Income: $9000
Total loss: $1,158
The whelper helper brought home $1400 and lost another $1900 from not being able to work. I work from home so lost nothing more than the $1,158
