Mudi cost of ownership

A Mudi — 18–29 lb, herding group, ranked No. 125 of 202 by 2025 AKC registrations — costs a typical owner in Texas about $3,041 a year, or $1,735 to $3,641 depending on food, grooming and insurance. That makes it the most expensive of the 46 small breeds we track — 18% over the group average and well ahead of the Tibetan Spaniel.

Veterinary and preventive care is the largest line at 27%: 1 exam, core vaccines, heartworm test, dental every 2 yrs, 12 months of parasite prevention. Texas service prices run at 97% of the US average, and at 23.5 lb the monthly parasite chews sit in a middle price band. Food is 18% (826 kcal a day, about 15 lb of kibble a month).

At No. 125 of 202 registrations it is an uncommon breed: expect a waiting list and some travel to reach a breeder, though that changes the purchase price, not the running costs modelled here. The AKC rates its energy at the top of the scale, so the calorie factor is 2× resting energy — a working-dog appetite in a small body. No breed-level survival study covers it, so the 13.53-year figure is the US life expectancy for small dogs; the AKC quotes 12–14 years.

A curly, non-shedding coat is the classic hidden cost: it does not drop hair, so it must be clipped about every six weeks or it mats to the skin. At Texas prices that is 8 salon visits × $62, $482 a year — 16% of everything this dog costs.

First-year total: $3,992. Beyond the running costs that includes spay or neuter ($457 at Texas prices) and the puppy vaccine series with its extra visits. The gear list for a small dog comes to $158: a small crate, bed, bowls, walking kit and a carrier.

A Mudi typically lives 13.53 years (the US life-expectancy figure for its size group), so the lifetime figure of $42,549 is driven by the long tail: 6 senior years at about $3,123 each rather than $3,041.