Siberian Husky Prices in 2024: Purchase Cost, Vet Bills, and More!

This strong, intelligent, beautiful dog with amazing blue eyes and a fluffy double coat meant to withstand the cold of Siberia is the favorite pet of many. If you’d love to bring a Siberian husky into your family, you should first know how much it costs. According to the American Kennel Club, it costs a bit over $23,400 to take care of any dog from puppyhood till the end of life. Larger dogs, such as huskies, cost more. Expenses cover the adoption/purchase of your dog and maintaining its health and happiness throughout its 12 to 15-year lifespan. Here are some of these Siberian husky prices.

First: Are You a Siberian Husky Person?

The first thing you’ll need to know is if you’re up to caring for a Siberian husky. Though these dogs are sweet-natured and even goofy, they are very high-energy pets. They are among the most common dogs that are “sent back,” and there are entire shelters devoted to rejected huskies. These dogs not only need exercise but also work. Remember, they were bred to pull sleds in Russia. If they don’t have something to do to dispel that energy, Siberian huskies become hard to handle and even destructive. Whether they get along with small children and other dogs in the household is also iffy. The husky’s coat is also not hypoallergenic and sheds. This is something to keep in mind if you or a family member are allergic to dog dander.

The Cost of Buying or Adopting Your Siberian Husky

Several things determine the price of your husky. They include the breeder, the dog’s parentage and lineage, and its sex. Whether you’re buying the husky to show, to work or just be a member of the family also determines the price.

Generally, the price for a Siberian husky ranges from $750 to as much as $6,000. Not only this, breeders tabulate the cost of your dog even before it’s born. They can spend many thousands of dollars to produce a healthy husky puppy. Among the things a reputable breeder has to pay for include:

• Stud fees
• Care of the mother, before, during and after her pregnancy
• Cost of whelping
• Care of puppies until they are old enough to be sold

The most expensive item on this list is the care of the mother, which can run to $3,000 a year. When she becomes pregnant, trips to the vet cost from $90 to $200. The cost of supplies to help her successfully give birth can be as much as $1,000.

What is Your Dog For?

A Siberian husky bought as a family pet has the lowest cost if you’re buying from a breeder, and you’ll pay between $600 and $1,300 for one. A more expensive dog is a dog you buy to work. For a husky, that means pulling a sled as part of a pack or accompanying humans on treks, especially in snowy climates. Other types of work include skijoring and bikejoring. In skijoring, the dog pulls a person on skis. In bikejoring, the dog either runs beside a bike it’s tethered to or pulls the bike along.

A husky that is bought for show purposes costs as much as $2,500. These dogs have sterling bloodlines and feature in events such as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. They also cost more to raise because they can’t be neutered or spayed as long as they’re being shown. Dogs that aren’t neutered have more health problems than dogs that are neutered. These problems include reproductive cancers.

Other Things That Contribute to Cost

Even the color of the dog’s coat determines its cost. Silver puppies tend to cost more than others because people, for some reason, prefer huskies with silver coats. Some breeders charge more for dogs with different colored eyes, though some consider this unethical. Puppies cost more than adult dogs. Male huskies cost more to buy, especially if they are bought to work. Female huskies cost more to raise. Spaying a female usually costs more than neutering a male, for instance. On the other hand, a female dog costs less to insure. This is because they recover from illnesses better than males and are less likely to get into fights. However, the biggest thing that affects the price of your husky is the breeder’s reputation. If the breeder has an impeccable reputation, expect to pay a premium price for one of their dogs.

Adopting From a Shelter

Adopting a husky from a shelter costs much less than buying directly from a breeder. These dogs cost between $200 and $400. There are even some places where you can buy a husky for $50. As with a breeder, you should make sure that the shelter is reputable before you adopt one of its dogs. You should also learn as much as you can about the dog’s background and temperament before you take it home.

Once Your Husky is Home

Of course, the cost of your husky doesn’t stop when you finally bring it home from the breeder, the pet store, or the shelter. Things you’ll need to help your new family member lead its best life are:

Dog Bowls

Some people use old beat-up aluminum pans to feed and water their dogs, but you won’t want that. Better bowls are made of everything from ceramic to plastic to stainless steel. They can be automatic feed, slow feed, or even travel-sized. There are even puppy-weaning bowls.

Types of Beds

Back in the day, a dog who was allowed inside the house just curled up by the fire when it was time to sleep. Now there are many types of beds to choose from at many price points. They range from beds that are just right for new puppies to orthopedic beds for senior citizens who have become a bit arthritic. As there are travel dog bowls, there are also travel beds. They even have beds that cool down when the dog lies on them. This is important for a husky who lives in a warm climate.

Endless Kinds of Toys

When it comes to Siberian husky prices, the sky seems to be the limit when it comes to dog toys. Even though chew toys are a must for puppies, even an old dog loves its toys and may even have a favorite. Some toys squeak – they sound cute but they actually mimic the sound of struggling prey. If that makes you squeamish, there are toys that don’t squeak. There are rope toys and Kong toys, toys that survive being gnawed on, and toys that have heartbeats and heat packs that remind a new puppy of its absent siblings. A really simple toy is a blanket brought from the breeder that still has the smell of the puppy’s brothers and sisters. Some toys are edible, such as bully sticks.

The Best Leashes

As there are different types of dog bowls, there are different types of leashes. They include leashes made of nylon and leashes made of leather. You might invest in a recall training or a long leash, a retractable leash, or a harness. Indeed, harnesses are best when walking a husky, as you’ll read in the next paragraph.

Siberian Husky Prices Include Collars

As with other items, all collars are not alike, and you’ll get what you pay for. Expect cheap collars to loosen over time, sometimes to the point where the dog can back out of them. They can even break at the point where it’s attached to the leash. Flat collars chafe the skin and mat the fur of some dogs, and some vets claim that leashes should not be attached to husky collars but to harnesses. This is because huskies instinctively pull, and this puts pressure on the neck if the leash is attached to a collar. According to experts, the best collar for a husky is one made of rolled leather, with the ID tag attached.

Cute, Funny and Needful Tags

There are lots of cute and funny ID tags out there, but all of them need to have the dog’s name, and the address and phone number of its family. ID tags can be made of different metals, and thus have different costs. Many people opt for inexpensive stainless steel, while others may spring for solid gold or even platinum.

Overall, Siberian husky prices when it comes to buying this basic stuff come to about $500. Of course, it can cost much more than this, especially if you opt for things such as platinum dog tags.

The Cost of Feeding Your Dog

Much is made of dog food, and people can spend a fortune on it. A big, active dog like a husky needs lots of high-quality provender to stay healthy. This means animal protein derived from beef, poultry, and cold water fatty fish such as salmon. The food should be free of additives such as corn, wheat, or ash but be full of vitamins, minerals, carbs, and water. Don’t forget the treats, for they reward the dog for being a good boy or girl and help it bond with its parent. A healthy diet with treats is a big part of Siberian husky prices. Food should cost between $250 to $700 per year, though of course, you can go much higher.

The Cost of Grooming

Another thing to consider when thinking about Siberian husky prices is if you can set aside time to groom the dog. The cost to actually keep that beautiful, thick, double coat in good shape isn’t that much. Even if you take the dog to a professional groomer, it’s only about $50 to $330 a year. Still, you have to do a bit of grooming in between trips to the dog beauty parlor. This means buying tools such as shedding brushes, dog shampoo, dog toothbrushes and toothpaste, and nail clippers. The good news is that huskies are naturally tidy about their persons and self-groom. Huskies do need some intensive brushing when they start to shed their coat, but this only happens twice a year. They shouldn’t even be bathed too frequently, for bathing can strip away oils from their fur and lead to skin irritation.

Siberian Husky Prices: Trips to the Vet

The first year that your pet is with you is when you’ll spend the most when it comes to Siberian husky prices. You’ll need to pay for the first wellness visit, necessary shots, neutering or spaying when the puppy is old enough, and insertion of a microchip. All this usually runs between $500 and $600, and then medical costs decrease. But there’s the yearly medical exam for young adults, the twice-yearly medical exam for seniors, more shots and anti-parasite treatments, and dental care.

Huskies are robust dogs, especially if they come from a responsible breeder or shelter. Yet, they are at risk for problems such as:

Hip Dysplasia

This is when the ball and socket of the dog’s hip don’t grow at the same rate. This leads to a loose joint and eventual arthritis.

Ectopy

This is when the heart beats irregularly or skips a beat. It can be harmless, but in dogs, it’s often a sign of heart disease.

Hypothyroidism

This is when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone or can’t properly use the thyroid hormone it has.

Corneal Dystrophy

This is a catch-all term for eye diseases that affect the cornea. Found over the front of the eye, the cornea is supposed to be clear, but corneal dystrophy causes it to cloud over. If not treated, the dog can go blind.

Cataracts

Cataracts happen when the lens of the eye clouds over. This also leads to blindness. Cataracts in dogs are often inherited.

Zinc Deficiency

Zinc deficiency in Siberian huskies can also be inherited. In this disorder, the dog’s gut doesn’t absorb zinc. This leads to uncomfortable skin symptoms as well as loss of appetite and depression.

Uveoderatologic Syndrome

This disorder affects the dog’s eyes, skin, fur, and nervous system. Among the symptoms are retinal detachment, prematurely white fur, vitiligo, or uneven skin tone.

Depending on the treatment for these ailments, the cost varies from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. This is why vets recommend pet insurance, which can be as little as $10 a month.

Miscellaneous Costs

Then there are those Siberian husky prices that you don’t think of until it sort of occurs to you. This can be the cost of traveling with a pet, hiring trainers and walkers, and putting your pet in daycare when you need to. Traveling with a pet can cost as much as $500, a dog trainer can cost between $30 and $120 dollars, and a dog walker can set you back between $10 and $50 every time they take your husky for a walk. If you put your dog in daycare, that can cost between $240 and $550 a month.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Noom HH/Shutterstock.com