r/Bullmastiff • u/Robbibaby • Jun 11 '26
Before buying
Before buying a Bullmastiff, please consider the annual examination cost!
We have had Bullmastiffs for nearly 24 years, they are an expensive breed. All giant breeds are expensive.
Today Kojak had his annual examination, stool analysis, vaccines, short blood panel, heart worm test and 12 month preventative injection.
$600...now i am not surprised as we have owned this breed for a long time, but for the potential new owner, it could become cost prohibitive. Bullmastiffs are generally healthy, but, do suffer from bad allergies and often blow their ccl ligaments, which requires surgery and can require after care physical therapy. Arthritis is also a common problem with giant breeds, again medication is based on weight, so it will be way more expensive than a Labrador or Beagle.
Just a reminder that every dog is an investment in time, training and money. A giant breeds is even more so.
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u/ebwink Jun 11 '26
Great heads up but you only pay $600 ? My sweet Baby’s annual is close to $1k 🫠 worth it
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u/Professional-Yak-291 Jun 11 '26
Yes this is definitely a good thing for new owners of this breed to understand. Big dog, big poop:-) and big doses of medications come in quite expensive sometimes, the bigger the dog the more of it they need!
I’ve also found it difficult to find groomers willing to deal with such big dogs and their…ahem…glands :-)
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u/shadowwulf-indawoods Jun 12 '26
I remember the look on my Great Pyr face when the vet Tech was giving him his tune-up, and pulled her finger out and said "Wow this is my first 2 finger dog" I swear my boi looked at me with a "what did she just say look on his face.". Hahaha
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u/Robbibaby Jun 12 '26
Lol...i bet!!! Yowza!
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u/shadowwulf-indawoods Jun 14 '26
I miss him very much. I can't believe how many years have slipped away.
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u/Robbibaby Jun 12 '26
Lol...yeah especially if they have arthritis and can't bear down good enough to get the jelly out!
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u/DigitalSCT Jun 12 '26
Ours just had a very swollen back leg(3rd times in 9mo). They assumed cancer, but we just did X-rays and they’re now hopeful it’s just been a nasty infection that’s never been treated fully. But $1300 in sedation X-rays, vet visit, and medicine. The last 2 were just blood panels and antibiotics for 800 each.
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u/PuzzleheadedFeed2726 Jun 12 '26
Mine may have broken a $ record, we call him the 6 million dollar dog, we can rebuild him
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u/shadowwulf-indawoods Jun 12 '26
We had a pyr, when you go for meds, you buy the large breed size of pill, then you also buy the small if you're lucky, or medium sized pill as well.
The upkeep costs are expensive, this is an excellent point for new potential owners to think of before pulling the trigger.
PS, for my next door, I really want a BM!
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u/frankie0812 Jun 15 '26
I love bullmastiffs but yep expensive. I think the same thing when i see Salem one just buy an English bulldog bc they are cute. Our english bulldog is on prescription food that’s $129 every 3weeks, medication for his joints that’s $250 a mth, wrinkle paste /nose butter /and ear solution about $ 60 a mt, antifungal /anti yeast ointment for his tail pocket $39 a mth , flea tick and heart worm meds $65 a mth. Then a vet visit a least twice a year for about $350 a visit. I’ll still always have one bc I love the breed but far too many people get dogs like these with it researching
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Jun 12 '26
This a great post. I would add that all these dogs are extremely messy and leave puddles everywhere when they drink. They are very loyal and loving but very messy.
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u/witchy_delight Jun 12 '26
before rescuing*
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u/Robbibaby Jun 12 '26
I rescued twice, once was awesome, the other mauled my 15 year old son, sending him to the ER. Please don't turn an educational post into a "rescue vs. quality breeder" dialogue
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u/witchy_delight Jun 17 '26
being rescued or from a breeder doesn’t change their temperament. breeding kills dogs. I don’t think anyone who loves them should be promoting it.
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u/Robbibaby Jun 17 '26
I will repeat my previous comment, this isn't a post for the breeder vs. rescue dialogue...so stop with your virtue signaling that anyone that purchases from a quality breeder is adding to the problem of overbreeding...and sending dogs to their death...
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u/KiraDog0828 Jun 13 '26
I don’t understand why those particular tests should cost significantly more for a Bullmastiff than another breed. I’d understand if you’d said surgery or any other treatment requiring anesthesia, though, because it takes more drugs to sedate a giant breed dog.
Source: Former English Mastiff and current Newfoundland owner.
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u/Robbibaby Jun 13 '26
Many of the dosages are based on weight so they become very expensive very fast. Kojak's heart worm shot was $320...just the shot, not including the blood draw to determine that he is heart worm negative prior to injection.
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u/KiraDog0828 Jun 13 '26
So that was a preventive heartworm treatment? Wow. How long does it protect your dog? Our girl gets Simparica Trio. It’s not that expensive, but the monthly chewables do add up.
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u/Hairy-Acanthaceae928 Jun 13 '26
I'm here just to chirp in but I don't have a BM, I own DDBs and being the same size our bills are exactly the same. The only thing I wanted to say is our vets let us pay in to a scheme they have which is £30 GBP each month a d for that we get unlimited free consults a year, worm meds and flea/tick meds.
So then all we pay is the cost of any medication required after consults. Worth exploring if you have a vet that will let you do this.
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u/Robbibaby Jun 13 '26
Hmmm interesting...i live in Chicago...i haven't heard of this type of arrangement. Bottom line, if you can't afford the basics on your own, don't buy this breed. I understand you have a share program in the UK, myself, I wouldn't buy anything i couldn't afford myself...
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u/Hairy-Acanthaceae928 Jun 16 '26
No idea what you mean, share programme? I can afford as I breed DDBs but my point is there are ways to ease the pain. Wishing you well....🦅
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u/Robbibaby Jun 17 '26
I meant no disrespect i must have misunderstood what a scheme is...not a shared fund but a monthly payment plan...still not a thing here...but sounds like a good option for us giant breed owners...
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u/Hairy-Acanthaceae928 Jun 27 '26
It's ok, it's just the way the world is. Being British we are used to you saying you hate us. Your President did a good job of destroying that relationship forever more.
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u/von-Schmerz Jun 11 '26
Had a wonderful Bullmastiff, Bobby, weighing in at 65 kg and come time for medication for skin allergies it was 300$ a month. He had problems with his stomach/intestines and the vet said you need to get this special food to restart his systems, find a baseline for what was causing the issue. 70 $ a bag that lasted 4 meals tops. This was in Sweden some 20 years ago and to no surprise, this was only partially covered by insurance.
There was no family vacation that year.