An Italian Greyhound costs at least $500 and as much as $2,000. The price depends on the location and reputation of the breeder, among other factors like physical appearance, age, and heritage.
Since Italian Greyhounds have grown in popularity in recent years, they will most likely be expensive. Usually, a puppy under the age of 6 months will fall on the more expensive side of the price scale – costing $1,000 and up.
Italian Greyhounds aged a year and older will probably be less than $1,000. For example, a healthy, AKC-certified, and pedigreed three-year-old Italian Greyhound costs as little as $500.
The price includes all of its current vaccinations. If you are willing and have the resources to provide proper care for a rescue, adopting can cost as little as $300 from a shelter.
Other Upfront Expenses
- Primary Accessories
Primary accessories are the things that your pet needs from the start. Some of these may be included when buying a dog depending on the breeder. Aside from the Italian Greyhound price, primary accessories are also included in the initial expenses. These are food and water bowls, leash, and collar.
A typical feeding bowl costs between $2.50 and $32. There are also some customized bowls with extra features that cost more than $100.
Leash and collar are necessary for your Italian Greyhound. It is very energetic and fond of running around. It is almost impossible to effectively walk it outdoors without a leash.
You can buy high-quality leashes and collars from the Dog IDs. It sells waterproof and smell-resistant collars for as low as $13. It also offers a wide selection of leashes for around $10 to $90.
- Shelter
Your pet needs a shelter both for staying at home and for traveling. You need a crate and bedding that will make your pet comfortable. Be sure to get one at just the right size.
The Italian Greyhound is a small breed and needs only an intermediate-sized crate (32” x 21” x 25”). You can buy one starting at $90. You can add some accessories such as accessory kits and pet pads for additional costs.
But if you are considering dog kennels, you can buy one ranging from $20 to over $300.
A small-sized (20” x 30”) bedding is enough for your pet. Petco sells beddings for as low as $5. It also sells specialized luxury beddings if you want to spend a large amount of money. These beddings can cost as much as $367.
What are the Recurring Expenses?
- Food
The Italian Greyhound may be small but it needs to eat a lot. It requires at least 700 calories per day to compensate for its activeness.
The recommended dog foods for it are the grain-free dry dog food made from deboned turkey, chicken, salmon, and sweet potato. These typically cost $60 to $70 per 25-lb. bag.
- Extra Accessories
Aside from the essential accessories, your pet will also enjoy having extra accessories such as dog toys. Critter dog toys which cost $5.
Some interactive dog toys can also be stuffed with treats and can cost $7 to $10.
The Italian Greyhound also likes exercising and squeaky toys. The squeeze ball dog toys have these two features; making them the perfect toys for your pet.
They make squeaky sounds and are great for fetching. You can buy one for around $3 to $5 depending on size.
- Medical Expenses
Your pet needs as much medical attention as it can get. The top medical priorities for any pet are vaccinations, spay/neuter, and dental care.
Basic vaccinations range between $20 and $70 while boosters cost $15 to $40.
For example, VetCo offers vaccination packages priced at $70 or $90 depending on the inclusions. The packages include basics such as Distemper/Parvo Combo, Bordetella, etc.
Spaying/neutering your pet has a lot of benefits. It helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors which consequently reduces the risk of cancer. There is also the chance of making your pet behave more.
Spaying typically costs around $100 to $200 and $50 to $100 for neutering.
You also have to look out for your pet’s dental and gum health which are Italian Greyhound’s biggest health problems. A lot of diseases and infections can be prevented easily by giving your dog good dental hygiene. Having good dental hygiene also makes your pet more comfortable.
The Helping Hands Affordable Veterinary Surgery & Dental Care offers affordable dental care for your pet. Its pet dental care package costs $260 and includes cleaning and teeth extraction if needed (based on professional evaluation).
Italian Greyhounds can also be prone to conditions such as epilepsy and leg and tail fractures, for which treatment can cost about a few hundred dollars a year.
They are also susceptible to patellar luxation, and in severe cases, can require surgery when it progressed to Cranial Cruciate Ligament tear which costs around $500 to $4,000 per knee, depending on the dog’s size and the surgical technique to be used.
Italian Greyhounds are especially prone to injuries because of their fragile bodies, so this might mean making a few extra emergency vet visits which can definitely add up.
Unfortunately, because of their thin bodies, Italian Greyhounds are susceptible to hypothermia – meaning, they have a very low body temperature and they tend to get cold quite frequently. Because of this, they will need to wear sweaters and jackets throughout the year, including the warmer months.
- Clothing
As mentioned above, for the winter they will need a coat to keep them well insulated. A winter jacket for an Italian Greyhound can cost at least $20 and more depending on the brand and quality.
There are clothing brands such as K9 Apparel, that make clothes designed specifically for the Italian Greyhound body which is distinctly thin with a deep chest. They sell winter coats and raincoats for $81 each, and accessories, including a tummy warmer that costs $37, and a hood that costs $27.
Iggy Plus, on the other hand, is a similar brand that has a wide variety of colors, fabrics, and styles. It sells rompers, sleeves, and vests in the $50 to $80 range, as well as accessories costing $18 to $52.
Although these specially-designed clothes for Italian Greyhounds can be pricey, they could be very helpful for your dog’s health and comfort.
In addition, clothes for Italian Greyhounds are very common on Etsy and sold from a variety of sellers. They range from as little as $15 and as much as $258.
