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The following was copied from our class notes in Veterinary Technology: Animal Management. I found it to be well worth sharing!
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AVERAGE PROFIT/LOSS ON A LITTER
The following is based on an article which appeared in the American Kennel Club Gazette. The information was compiled by Linda Johnson, Box 129, N. Clarendon, VT. Ms Johnson is currently working toward making the survey results known over a wide geographic area and welcomes inquiries. The survey was compiled using the data from 35 breedings including a litter from each of the following: 1 Alaskan Malamute, 1 Border Terrier, 1 Borzoi, 1 Boston Terrier, 1 Doberman Pinscher, 1 English Springer Spaniel, 1 German Shorthaired Pointer, 1 Great Dane, 1 Kuvasz, 1 Labrador Retriever, 1 Lhasa Apso, 1 Mastiff, 1 Samoyed, 1 Siberian Husky, 1 Viszla, 2 Dachshunds, 2 Golden Retrievers, 3 German Shepherd dogs, 3 Newfoundlands, and 4 Poodles (1 miniature, 3 standards.)
The Average Number of Pups:
born in each litter ......................................................... 7
dying before 8 weeks ................................................. 2
sold per litter ............................................................... 4
given away or kept by owners..................................... 1
The Percentage of Breeders:
who had at least one pup returned to them................. 31%
who had legal complications with buyers ................... 8%
whose bitch or pups encountered medicalproblems endangering animal(s) lives ..... 63%
whose bitch will not be bred again ............................. 49%
The Average Expenses Incurred to Breed the Bitch and Raise Pups Until They Were Sold:
original cost of the bitch .............................................. $462.29
cost of the male .......................................................... $772.57
veterinary expenses ................................................... $430.09
extra food for pregnant / nursing bitches .................. $73.44
food for pups .............................................................. $175.65
equipment for delivery and housing pups ................ $282.13
salaries lost because of absence from work ............ $247.20
ads and other costs to sell pups ............................... $177.31
Total expense to raise one litter .............. -$2620.68
The Average Number of Hours Spent with Bitch and Pups Until They Were Sold ....................... 345
Multiplied by a Minimum Wage of $5.00 ..................................... -$1725
Average Income on Sale of Litter ............................................... +$1345.71
TOTAL (Net) Profit/Loss Per Litter .............................................. -$2999.97
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Yes, thats NOT a typo - after adding in all the money one makes selling the puppies, the average loss is $3000....in other words, it costs $3000 to breed each litter.
This is dogs, but the idea of it can be applied to other animals as well. What it comes down to is that people who go into breeding thinking they'll make money are wrong - you can't do the right thing by the animals and make money by breeding them!
