The American Beagler Forum

I have always had aprox. 4 to 5 beagles at my house for the last 35 years. With today’s prices, I don't know how "big" kennels do it. With food, shots, wormer, flea & tick, training collars, dog pens, dog carriers, leashes, collars, vet bills, etc... There has to be some short cuts, I would love to hear some.

Also, there may be people thinking about getting into beagling or getting "bigger" into beagling that would like to know what to expect {cost} on a monthly and yearly basis. I know some kennels are bigger than others so the numbers will be different, but lets talk averages.

{ If it is too painful to talk about it, I understand. }

i got this from other beaglers, cost cutting

1) for fleas and ticks i use bayer tree and schrub spray, $ 19 and will last a long time
2) just started using equimax wormer ,takes care of all worms ,even tapeworms 13 bucks, will last awhile 1 tube 1320 lbs of animal
3) feed just enough to keep your dogs healthy , no wasted food

just a few things i have learned !

There are so many expenses, I applaud the kennel that actually profits. If you’re not getting into it for the love of it, don’t do it. I would say maybe around 5% of beaglers make enough money to cover their expenses, the rest of us are in love with an expensive hobby / addiction called beagling. Being serious, there are a few that do very well but you have to watch, listen and learn from others that have been around the block. There are a few “old school / old timers” that can reveal a lot of wisdom.

A couple of things that may help:

1) VET BILLS – I go to the vet only when I absolutely have to. Anything that you can do yourself, do just that and have an experienced beagler handy to help you out. There are many “home remedies” that will cover almost everything. I know this sounds simple but it will save you a lot. Unless you are real lucky, most vets treat the symptom without giving you the solution, its called job security.

2) Everything you buy, do it in bulk. Gather as many hunting buddies as you can together and buy all your dog food, shots, wormer, collars, leashes and anything else you can think of, do it all together in bulk, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.

To answer the other part of your question:
Food: $1,500.00 yr
Shots: $350.00 yr
Wormer: $150.00 yr
Other: $1,500.00 yr
Listening To Them Run: PRICLESS

I got torqued off at my vet's office help a few weeks ago. I knew what kind of worm my dog had and I wanted the medicine to treat it. They wouldn't sell me the medicine without having me bring in a stool sample first so they could verify what I was saying was true and so they could CHARGE ME 18 BUCKS TO RUN THE TEST!!! Then they wanted to charge me double the price for the medicine over what the farm supply store charges.

That same day I had a 40% off coupon for Borders bookstore so I spent a few bucks on the Merck Veterinary Manual and the book saved me the price of the book the first day.

From the Manual I found that roundworms are taken care of by Heart Guard heart worm medicine so I didn't need to treat my dog again with another medicine for roundworms like my vet's office told me to do.

By calling the one manufacturer of both medicines I found that Panacur paste ($14 at the vet) is exactly the same as Safe Guard paste ($6.99 at the farm supply store) so now I use Safe Guard instead when my dogs have tapeworms.

Educate yourself and check with the farm supply store for medicines and you can save a few bucks here and there. But still, when in doubt I call the vet.

I'm not going to risk the health of my dogs but when it's spelled out in black and white in the Manual I'm going to use it first.

Anyway, that's how I save a few bucks on my dogs.

I estimate $10 to $15 per month per dog.

I keep 6 running hounds through Rabbit season have a litter maybe every 2 years so I'd say an average of 500 a year includeing running which I don't drive more than 4 miles to run most of the time less than a mile. I do all my own vet work except when I can't handle the problem. I order shots and sell the extra that pays for shots My feed is sold 100ft from where I live so I don't use gas to go after it. I dip with Creolin every 2 weeks for ticks and fleas use cutter the rest of the time. Its not been bad because I don't trial much anymore. Biggest pain is the kennels I like to keep them clean,bleach,lime ect.