How Much Does a Papillon Cost? 2024 Price Guide

If you’ve been dreaming of becoming the proud owner of the tiny but mighty Papillon, it makes sense to first find out how much owning one of these little dogs is going to cost. Besides the initial cost of your puppy, there are all sorts of additional expenses that you’ll need to consider.

Dogs might be adorable but they’re not cheap! Making sure your budget can accommodate their needs before you buy a new puppy is the best way to make sure you can keep up with those new bills. We rounded up an estimate of the costs of dog ownership, so you can be prepared. But what we can’t estimate is the amount of sheer love and joy that becoming a dog owner will give you—that’s priceless!

 

Papillon Price: One-Time Costs

If you’ve never owned a dog before, there’s a significant number of expenses involved with buying everything that your new puppy needs, before they even arrive home! If you have owned a dog before, one way to keep costs down is to reuse some of the old gear that you have already.

That said, some experienced dog owners will want to treat their new pup to new supplies, or your previous dog may have been larger than the tiny Papillon. The biggest one-time cost, though, is likely to be your new pup!

Free Papillons

A free Papillon puppy may seem like a bargain, but the truth is that they’re likely to be anything but. Think carefully before you accept a free puppy. Most of these won’t be purebred Papillons and won’t come with any paperwork from a breed registration. It’s unlikely that they or their parents will have had any health checks either.

Papillon Adoption

Adopting a puppy or older dog from a shelter is a great way to give a home to a dog in need. Adopting from an official shelter is unlikely to be free, though. They need to cover the costs associated with each dog, so any adoption fee usually includes vaccinations, initial home checks, and other veterinary services like spaying or neutering. You may find Papillons in shelters, as their temperament and feisty personality can sometimes lead to them being surrendered.

Getting an older dog from a shelter includes one of the most generous gifts that you can offer: a comfortable and loving home for the rest of their life. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a Papillon puppy in a shelter, though, so if you’ve got your heart set on a puppy, you’ll most likely need to find a breeder.

Papillon Breeders

Papillons are popular, so you should have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to finding a breeder. Make sure to ask any breeder if it’s possible to visit their facilities to meet both parent dogs and the puppies. This can help give you a clue to the personalities of any puppies and allow you to check that the dogs are kept in suitable, clean facilities.

Be aware that puppy mills and unscrupulous backyard breeders may not allow you to visit their facilities, so if a breeder tries to put you off or suggest that you collect your new puppy at a meeting point, consider that a red flag and do more research before committing any money.

Always ask breeders to provide evidence of health tests that they’ve had carried out on the parent dogs and the puppies. They should also be happy to provide you with references from previous customers.

Papillon Cost: Initial Setup and Supplies

The initial costs of setting up your home for your new dog will vary depending on how much you need to buy and the price points of the new products. If you need to buy everything and want to splash out on top-of-the-range goods, your initial setup costs will be at the higher end of our estimate.

If you have equipment that you can reuse and plan to shop around for the best price when it comes to everything else, you can save a significant amount of money. Here’s what we recommend to start.

 

List of Papillon Care Supplies and Costs

How Much Does a Papillon Cost Per Month?

Once you’ve bought everything that you need for your new Papillon, your remaining costs will be on a rolling monthly basis. This can vary and depends on things like the cost of vet care in your area, whether your pup needs any medication, and the brands of dog food that you decide to use.

Papillon Health Care Costs

One thing that can dramatically increase this part of your budget is emergency vet care. If your pup gets sick or has an accident, then you’ll have to cover those unexpected bills. Taking out pet insurance while your puppy is still small is a great idea because the premiums will be lower than for an adult dog with pre-existing medical conditions. You could also consider setting up a savings account and putting money aside to cover vet bills.

Papillon Food Costs

As a small breed, the Papillon doesn’t need a huge amount of food each month. The good news here is that there are plenty of options to suit all budgets. Whether you decide to go for a budget or premium brand, always look for real meat as one of the first ingredients. It’s recommended to feed a puppy formula for the first year and then speak to your vet about transitioning to an adult formula.

Papillon Grooming Costs

The long coat of the Papillon needs regular grooming to keep it in good condition. You may decide to do this at home or book your puppy at the groomer for a regular appointment. Small breeds like the Papillon can also be prone to dental issues, so clean your dog’s teeth as often as possible and ask your vet to check their condition at any regular appointments. Keep an eye on your dog’s ears too, as this breed can be prone to ear infections.

Papillon Medications and Vet Visits

The Papillon is a relatively healthy breed, so your puppy may never develop any ongoing health conditions. If they do, your monthly bill will go up as a result.

Pet Insurance Costs

You may not decide to take out pet insurance, but it can offer peace of mind when your dog needs emergency veterinary attention. It’s always a good idea to look at a few different policies, and you may find that it works out better value than you thought.

Environment Maintenance Costs

Maintaining your dog’s environment is fairly cheap, and all you’ll need are poop bags and a poop scoop to keep everything looking clean and tidy.

Papillon Entertainment Costs

Here, you can stick to a budget or let your imagination run wild! What your dog really craves is your attention, so that should always come first. After that, you can indulge them by buying toys, treats, and whatever else your little dog loves.

Subscribing to a monthly box is a great way to offer your dog various toys and treats. These can cost as little as $20 per month, and you can choose from boxes with just toys, just treats, or a mixture of both.

Total Monthly Cost of Owning a Papillon

The total monthly cost of owning a Papillon will depend on if you decide to stick to a budget or have a more generous monthly allowance and plan on buying premium brands and non-essential items.

Veterinary bills are most likely to increase your monthly costs. You can plan for these if you know your dog needs regular medication, but if you have to deal with an emergency vet visit, you’ll need to think about how to cover those unexpected bills.

Additional Costs to Factor In

You may also need to factor in a few additional costs, depending on your circumstances and lifestyle.

Owning a Papillon On a Budget

It’s totally possible to own a Papillon on a budget. Rather than spend money on non-essential items like fancy outfits and expensive food bowls, concentrate on choosing high-quality dog food as your first priority.

Saving Money on Papillon Care

Consider what you need as essential items, like a dog bed and food bowls, and things that you can do without, like a crate or the latest season’s harness. Friends may be happy to pass on items that they no longer use if they upgrade, so let them know that you’re on the lookout for second-hand items for your puppy.

Signing up for a subscription for dog food can save money in the long run too. What your dog will want most is quality time with you, though, and they’ll choose that over almost anything else!

Conclusion: Papillon Price

After you’ve bought all the one-off items that you need for your new Papillon and initial vet bills, your monthly costs can be as little as $50 to cover food bills and any ongoing medication, like flea treatments.

If your dog needs emergency vet treatment, that will increase your costs dramatically, so it’s always worth thinking about how you’ll cover those. Your main priority for monthly costs should be a high-quality dog food and any monthly medications that your dog needs. Apart from that, time spent with your dog will be more valuable to them than anything else.

Related Reads:

• How Much Does an English Bulldog Cost? (Price Guide)
• How Much Does an Australian Shepherd Cost? (Price Guide)

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Featured Image Credit: Fayzulin Serg, Shutterstock