How much does your dog cost you per year (on average)?

[fitz19d]

Figured this is best place for an update on Charlie.

So in the month that I've had him he had constant seeming constipation. Pain/struggle to poop, often with no results. Tried home remedies off here and elsewhere. Working on training and going really well at home when it's calm, does decent on leash already. But all bets are off if there are horses/cats/squirrels. Hit or miss on dogs (Certain breeds seem to excite him.)

Started to have a few accidents and poo turned green took him to CSU vet. Still don't know why green, got him all his shots. But got the bad news and may have been why he was abandoned rather than his semi hyper uncontrollableness. He has a perianal fistula. Supposedly common for GSD. Lifelong and they are saying a old surgery option isn't much of one these days. (Surprised since from school I'd known about similar kind for humans where they can go in and basically tear up the lining of the fistula/fissue and cause it to heal up/over.

So step 1 is $75/30lb bag of IAMS special hypoallergenic dog food (Sweet tater and fish) Surprised you need a prescription for food, need to research cheaper ways of getting it. I am really hoping this gets his problems to be manageable because the 2nd option is a combination of the food and pills that cost another $200 something a month. Not something that's going to be that tenable especially with how young he is. Go figure one of best mannered/attitude/quick training dogs I've had has such a fun issue.

But on a more fun note:

[sniper7]

Sorry to hear about his issues. Hopefully the dog food will help him out and you can avoid the pills