Pampered pooches can cost the earth to keep

THEY say it's a dogs life, but keeping a pooch pampered and in tip-top condition is an expensive business.

Indeed, it emerged this week that food, vet bills, grooming, kennels and insurance over the lifetime of the average doggy in the window will cost you a whopping £31,000. Beware, because the posher the pedigree pooch, or the larger the hound, the steeper the bill.

It might be fine for hotel heiress Paris Hilton to own a Chihuahua, but if you fancy the company of one of these toy pedigrees, you should be aware that you'll have to pay for the privilege.

Chihuahuas are top of the canine cost league, with a survey quoting an estimated lifetime tally of £88,691 for each dog.

A close second is the greyhound which, over its average 13-year lifespan, comes with a bill of £82,797, or £6369 a year.

The survey, conducted by insurance firm esure, questioned 3000 dog owners in the UK.

Mike Pickard, head of pet insurance at esure, said: "Today's household pets are treated more like members of the family and this attitude is reflected in the amount owners spend.

"Despite this, many pets remain uninsured. Vets' fees can be very expensive and owners should bear that in mind.

"Ultimately, their pet's health is more important than the latest dog accessories or expensive treats."

The annual cost of a Chihuahua, with a life expectancy of 13 years, is £6801, while a Labrador costs just £2388 a year.

For the 20 per cent of people who own more than one dog, these costs will be even higher.

The research found that vets' fees are the biggest expense, followed by food and kennels, and it emerged that 39 per cent of owners had no idea how much their pet was costing them.

Kenny Sharpe, of the Lothian Animal Welfare Centre at Balerno, says there is a range of reasons that some canines cost more than others.

Larger dogs would incur higher bills because they eat more and routine veterinary procedures are higher because the animal requires more anaesthetic.

Much sought-after pedigrees can have higher insurance costs, especially with organised gangs targeting certain breeds of dog and stealing to order.

"You have to face the cost of paying for a dog before you decide to give one a home, and you are responsible for it throughout its life. That deserves serious consideration," said Kenny.

Of course, while you can cut corners in terms of unnecessary treats – it remains to be seen how much better off Rachel Hunter's pets are for living in a £25,000 dog house – there are some costs that are absolutely necessary.

The Scottish SPCA advises that all animals are vaccinated and microchipped in case they get lost. The charity also recommends insurance because vet bills can become astronomical, and it's you who will foot the bill.

The fancier the breed, the higher the grooming costs and many owners now also pay for homeopathy treatments and supplements – measures to ensure pets lead long and healthy lives.

Luckily Britain's most popular dog, the Labrador, comes with a

humble lifetime price tag of £30,291.

Arwyn Ellis, secretary of the Labrador Retriever Club, who owns ten of the animals herself, says: "Labradors like to eat a lot but the trick is not to overindulge them.

"But I don't think Labrador owners are big on pointless accessories. Of the 48,000 registered last year, I can't remember seeing one of them walking around in a diamond collar."

CAT AND MOUSE AFFAIR

A CAT chasing a mouse in Tirana's main power station caused a 72-hour blackout across parts of the Albanian capital.

"A cat and a mouse ran into the high-voltage cables," a company spokeswoman said, "We took pictures because we've never had anything like this."

• MORE than 40 US animal shelters are using the Feline-ality programme, a personality test designed to match cats with prospective owners.

• THE fossilised bone of a tropical parrot which lived alongside our primate ancestors 55 million years ago has been dug up in Denmark.

The bird's 6cm funny bone was found in an opencast mine by parrot expert Dr David Waterhouse.

• HUNGARIAN Vizsla Romi, below, licks his lips as he fixes his gaze on a slab of cake at a table in the Oxo Tower in London. Nearly a thousand animal lovers across the country have signed up to support pet welfare charity The Blue Cross by holding tea parties to raise funds.

• HOLLYWOOD actress Glenn Close was recently spotted with Bill and Jake, her two "Montana terrier mutts", during a stop at the offices of a dog accessory company.

Fetchdog started in October with Glenn's husband, David Shaw, as lead investor. It's a dog-friendly workplace where a Jack Russell terrier, a poodle and a golden retriever, among others, roam the corridors and greet visitors.

Close is the public face of the business that sells high-end beds, bowls and other dog products.