Owning a dog in Finland

r32 · Post by **r32** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:58 pm

I was thinking about buying a dog from another EU country and bring it to Finland and I was wondering what are the costs of veterinarians? I know they are expensive but just give me some numbers please

Thanks in advance!

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Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 11:44 pm

http://www.google.fi/#hl=en&source=hp&q ... i+hinnasto

dave071061 · Post by **dave071061** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:01 am

Ballpark figures:

100 Euros for vacinations
50 Euros for Microschip
20 Euros for a pet passport
Unlimited costs for ongoing treatments

r32 · Post by **r32** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:54 am

dave071061 wrote:Ballpark figures:

100 Euros for vacinations
50 Euros for Microschip
20 Euros for a pet passport
Unlimited costs for ongoing treatments

The first 3 are done in the country where I buy the dog, so this leaves me with the unlimited costs for ongoing treatments

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 12:01 pm

Some towns collect dog tax. Lahti isn't among them.

dave071061 · Post by **dave071061** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 5:21 pm

r32 wrote:
The first 3 are done in the country where I buy the dog, so this leaves me with the unlimited costs for ongoing treatments

Depending on which EU country you are importing from Rabies injection frequency varies from country to country.
Also if you then plan to use the pet passport to travel to the UK you have a different set of requirements.

Unlimited other costs, Get insurance!

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:26 pm

We have a kind of health/accident insurance for our dog which we is provided by the same company that supplies our house insurance. I have no idea what the fee is (I think we pay once / year) - if I can find the bill I'll post on here.

Brent · Post by **Brent** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:02 am

Good to know: http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/animals_a ... nd_export/

r32 · Post by **r32** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:06 pm

Thanks for the link!

By the way, the insurance costs something like 60-70 euros/year...

Canuck77 · Post by **Canuck77** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:23 pm

I cam from Canada and I had to do a lot of documentation for my dog and 2 cats beforehand.

If you plan to buy, by all means.. but.. would you consider adopting?
Many pets need a home, and as an animal rescuer, I would advice for you to adopt and
give a chance to a pet in need.

If you must buy a dog , make sure they have proper documentation before
bringing them to Finland. However, when I came into the Helsinki airport,
and I got my pets from the luggage area (they went cargo, 2 cats together,
and the dog by himself), no one ever asked me for their documents.
I found it rather odd. They made such a big fuss in Canada and NYC (since I
flew via FinnAir NY-Helsinki) that I have all these papers that cost me so much,
but I would never leave my furrykids behind, they are senior pets and rescued pets.

r32 · Post by **r32** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:09 pm

Anybody owning a labrador here? I would like to get some info about the dog from owners...

Canuck77 · Post by **Canuck77** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 11:58 pm

By 'adopting' I meant that there is a shelter in Turku, and some pups and dogs - as well as cats and kittens - need homes.
I know it is hard to do what it takes for a rescued dog or cat, patience is very important.

I was only suggesting that he could look into some of the local shelters here in Finland or where he is located,
and perhaps give the chance to a pet that would love to have their forever home.

From different people that I have met whilst doing animal rescue, they've had fortunate results and the pets
they have adopted - some from Turkey, some from Greece, and Spain - have been wonderful. It also
has some to do with the temperament of the dog. Of course, if you've lived your whole life on the streets
and or have been abandoned and mistreated, I would expect any animal to be hostile and not quite trusting.
It takes time, patience, and a lot of love. Pets do come around.

coach99 · Post by **coach99** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:18 pm

R32, I have currently have chocolate Lab, Chester is his name. He is 2 1/2 yrs old. I had to leave him the states with family as im only here a short time. What questions do you have. They are the dumbest smart dog you will ever meet. When i say dumb i dont mean that, they are just like little kids, they are very smart but as a breed they dont mature until they are about 4-5 yrs old, and so what that means is for about 2-3 years maybe more or less, you will have an incredible physical specimen demanding your attention for great periods of time. These are working dogs, they are mans best friend, they need to be around people....ALOT. They cannot be left home, they cannot not be trained. Labradors need to be given a job to do, whether its fetching the ball for an hr every few hours, or going on long walks every hour. They love to be with people, kids, animals. Labs are the amazing animals, if treated with respect and dignity. They need your attention, like a newborn child, and if given you will get more then you can imagine in return. As for Genetics, Pick a good breeeder, look at other litters, a good breeder will have documents for the lineage/history of the dog which would inform you of hip dysplasia and eye problems. The main reason those problems exist aside from inbreeding is to do obesity, the dogs can put on lots of weight which is not healthy for there bones/joints/ minds. This breed, is sporting breed, a professional athlete if you will, and if not treated as such they can become neurotic, aggressive, depressed, destructive etc. As with all dogs they need your attention, Alot of it. If this is your first dog, i say get a one from the pound, if this is your first lab, get a retired bitch from the breeder. If you want to have your hands full for two years, then by all means get a puppy. But get a puppy knowing you cant leave him alone all day, you cant stuff him in a kennel or closet. You cant ignore him, or walk him at your convenience. The dog is your family. as such should be treated properly, if you think for a second you cannot meet theses requirements then i strongly suggest reconsidering getting a dog. If you think you can, i would say find a good breeeder, hang out with litters, with bitches, studs, groups of them. Look for videos of well trained dogs, ask to meet older dogs from the breeders past. Temperment is the biggest thing, all dogs even in the same breed have different energy levels/ temperments. AHH i miss my dog, and its only been a week. Its terrible, my life revolved around our routines, our walks, our workouts etc.

Muddy Zuk · Post by **Muddy Zuk** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:56 pm

I have 2 dogs here, one i brought form home as was the offspring of my dog at home, twas all very simple despite Evira's best efforts to complicate it. make sure all vaccs are done in country of origin etc and passport and chip up to date. if you bring in before 12 weeks old you dont need as much paperwork. UK origin is harder than most others. There are many agencies to deal with it all for you. I looked at all the avenues 2 years ago and using an agency cost a minimal amount more but saved a whole heap of stress

collecting the pup from the HEL airport was amzingly easy. I brought my dog and her sister both 12weeks old. My flight was delayed so the dogs had to wait an extra hour for me.
WHen i arrived the office was calling me to ask when i was coming for the puppies.I frantically apologised and said i would be over asap, the lady said its fine we have them here in the office as it seemed too cold to leave them in the control area

after all the fuss of they have to stay in controlled areas etc it all went out the window come collection time. arrived showed my passport and they dfidnt care about the tons of other documents i was armed with

first time ever in this country, i oncve had to bring my own red tape to a meeting!!

my second dog (2year old collie mix) is adopted/rescued dog from Russia, vippurinkoirat, excellent service and good screening service from them, i used to work in a rehoming centre in the UK and was impressed with their service. she was of course wary of people in the beginning but i instructed everyone to ignore her when they came to our house or met her soon enough her natural inquisitive nature took over now we have the perfect party dog/pub dog, sits quietly doesnt bother a mouse. however not always the case with a rescue animal you pays your money you ttakes your chances, all in all i have to say that the majority of cases are positive though.
the older the dog the more work it may take to correct any issues, but puppies are puppies in general and mongrels are always more fun.

all in the rescue dog cost me 250e to make her mine, to bring my pups from home was past the 1k mark though.

my advice would be to take a dog from a shelter unless you are really planning to compete, but of course you can always enter agility etc with a non breed dog as long as you have up to date vet papers.

emimi · Post by **emimi** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:43 pm

Vet costs in Finland are quite similar to those in the UK or most West European countries. Not very cheap but on the other hand, most clinics are quite well equipped.

Pet insurances usually have the animal's purchase price as the max yearly coverage sum - so an insurance is totally worth it if you have a pure breed dog that cost 1000 euro, but total waste of money if your dog is a mutt or from a shelter. And no racism here: my own dog is the most wonderful mutt in the universe

Other cost are possible dog tax (in Helsinki 50 euros per year), twice a year dewormer and flea and tick prevention treatments in the summer time. Nothing too bad, unless you choose to have a Great Dane that eats 15kg dog food a week.

Finnish dog walking culture is a bit stiff (always on leash, not too much sniffing passer-by dogs) but then there are nice dog parks and generally people have a positive attitude to dogs. As long as you pick your dog's poo.

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