How much does it cost to own a Bernese Mountain Dog in Colombia each month?

Because of its size. The Bernese Mountain Dog — Bernés de la Montaña or Boyero de Berna in Spanish — is a giant dog: 36–50 kg (79–110 lb) as an adult. And with a dog, almost nothing has a fixed price; almost everything is multiplied by weight.

We are not going to make up a figure. The prices of food and veterinary services change from one city to another and from one month to the next, and we found no public source that publishes the cost of keeping a Bernese specifically in Colombia.

What there is is a general reference: the business press puts the yearly cost of having a dog or a cat in Colombia at between COP 2,400,000 and COP 5,000,000. We read that figure in the search engine’s summary, not on the page itself, and it is for an average pet. A Bernese is not an average pet: expect to be at the top of that range, or above it.

With four inquiries you can make today in your own city:

1. Food. Choose a dry food for large or giant breeds and look on the bag for the daily ration for an adult of 40–50 kg (88–110 lb). Multiply it by 30 and you will know how many kilos the dog eats a month; multiply that by the bag’s price per kilo. It is, by far, the biggest line.
2. Parasite treatments. Ask at your veterinary clinic for the price of the format for dogs over 40 kg (88 lb), both internal and external, and how often it is given. Spread the cost by month. In the hot lowlands (tierra caliente), tick control is more frequent.
3. Routine veterinary care. The annual checkup, booster vaccines and, from a certain age, screening. Add up the year and divide by twelve.
4. Coat care. If you bathe and brush the dog at home, the cost is your time. If you take it to a groomer, ask for the giant-size rate.

To the total, add an emergency fund. In this breed it is not optional.

Because the Bernese is a breed with known health problems, and in a 45 kg (99 lb) dog any treatment is expensive: surgery, anesthesia, hospitalization and even X-rays.

• Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. These are the most frequent. That is why the ACCC (Asociación Club Canino Colombiano, Colombia’s FCI member kennel club) requires X-rays of breeding dogs, and why we publish those of ours.
• Gastric torsion (bloat), an emergency typical of large, deep-chested dogs.
• Histiocytosis and other tumors, with a higher incidence than in other breeds.
• Degenerative myelopathy, which affects mobility in old age.

Choosing a puppy whose parents have X-rays and genetic tests does not remove the risk, but it lowers it. It is the soundest investment you can make, and it is covered in the Bernese price guide.

• The first year. A giant-breed puppy grows very fast: it goes through several beds, collars and harnesses, and eats like an adult before it is one.
• The car. A Bernese does not travel in an aircraft cabin, and does not fit in just any vehicle.
• The house. Non-slip floors — for its joints — and a cool place to lie down.
• The climate. In a temperate climate, ventilation or air conditioning during the hot hours is an expense too. In the hot lowlands we don’t recommend the breed: we explain why in the Bernese climate guide.
• Who looks after the dog when you travel. Boarding for a 45 kg (99 lb) dog does not cost what it does for a 5 kg (11 lb) one.

For the right family, yes: it is a patient, calm, home-loving dog, and exceptional with children. But “the right family” includes being able to pay for it throughout its life without the dog ever noticing.

That is why the breed page, in its “not for you if…” list, says: *you can’t take on the expense of a large dog*. If, after doing the math, the number does not work for you, it is better to know now. And if it does, write to us and we will talk about the rest: space and climate.