Pet Wombat

What a pet costs in a year

Pick a breed and read the bill: a year of food by the calorie, plus the routine costs, with every source beside its line.

A wombat looking over the top edge of the page

A year with a Labrador Retriever

£1,263a year, before illness

Dog or cat

Starting weight 30 kg: middle of PDSA's range. Assumption Weigh yours and type it in.

Read about it

Everything under Food

1,436 kcal a day, 150 kg a year

£669

Assumption

Dry food: 3,500 kcal/kg, an assumption from four published labels, 3,500 to 4,050 kcal/kg. Price: £4.47/kg, the median of the first 48 dry dog foods on zooplus.co.uk, read 2 November 2026 from Portugal. Page order, not a market average. Type the figures off your own bag.

Calories: Merck Veterinary Manual, 70 x kg^0.75 x 1.6. Animals vary by 30% or more, so treat it as a starting point.

Read about it

Everything under Food

From the catalog

Calories: Merck Veterinary Manual, 70 x kg^0.75 x 1.6. Animals vary by 30% or more, so treat it as a starting point.

From the catalog

Treats

Battersea: £120 to £360 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle.

Battersea: £120 to £360 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle.

Flea and worm treatment, boosters, a yearly check. Illness is on top.

Battersea: £26 a month, £312 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. Fleas, worming, vaccinations and a yearly check.

Battersea: £26 a month, £312 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. Fleas, worming, vaccinations and a yearly check.

Blank until you type your own quote. Yours will differ from any average.

Blank on the bill. For scale: Which? reported £11.68 a month from Go Compare quotes, January to May 2025. Battersea says £20 to £60. Quotes vary by breed and postcode.

Blank on the bill. For scale: Which? reported £11.68 a month from Go Compare quotes, January to May 2025. Battersea says £20 to £60. Quotes vary by breed and postcode.

Battersea: £3.50 a month, £42 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'.

Battersea: £3.50 a month, £42 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'.

Professional grooming

not added

Battersea: £240 to £600 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle. Off by default, since short coats may not need it.

Battersea: £240 to £600 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle. Off by default, since short coats may not need it.

Pet sitting or kennels

not added

Battersea: £390 to £1,200 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle. Off by default.

Battersea: £390 to £1,200 a year, page updated 13 October 2026, table costed 'at the time of writing'. We use the middle. Off by default.

not added

PDSA, calculated 2024: £560 for a large dog, excluding the dog itself and the microchip. The size split at 10 and 25 kg is our assumption.

PDSA, calculated 2024: £560 for a large dog, excluding the dog itself and the microchip. The size split at 10 and 25 kg is our assumption.

Total a year

Before any illness. About £105 a month.

£1,263

To compare: Battersea says about £1,800 to £2,000 a year, page updated 13 October 2026. PDSA's minimum, calculated 2024, is £69 to £116 a month, with food and insurance included.

To compare: Battersea says about £1,800 to £2,000 a year, page updated 13 October 2026. PDSA's minimum, calculated 2024, is £69 to £116 a month, with food and insurance included.

What this assumes. Adult animal, kept at a steady weight. Puppies, kittens, pregnancy and illness aren't covered: ask your vet. Food prices are medians from one store's listing page, not a market average. Every assumption and source

Filed under the bill

Drawing for the article: What a pet insurance quote depends on

What a pet insurance quote depends on

A Bernese Mountain Dog averaged more than three times a Chihuahua's premium in quotes Which? reported in July 2025. Breed is one lever among several, and I'd look hard at the limit before the headline price.

Explainer, 3 November 2026

Wet vs dry cat food: the yearly sum

A 4 kg neutered cat needs about 238 kcal a day whichever way you feed it, but a pouch holds far fewer calories per kilo than kibble. On these two labels I'd expect wet to cost about seven times as much.

Comparison, 3 November 2026

Who adds this up

I'm Pavel Ryzhikh. I read labels, price pages and charity figures, and I do the sums. I haven't fed these foods to a panel of dogs, and when I quote a test, I name who ran it.

Prices are read on UK store pages, from outside the UK, so each one says where and when. What I couldn't read says Not verified and has no figure. How the numbers get here