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Food
Medon (L), Royal Canin (C) and ProPlan are among the best-selling dog food brands in China. Food is the most important expense in raising pets. Dog food prices vary from several yuan per 500-g to 20 yuan per 500-g according to brands, many dog-owners choose to buy dog food online because the prices are usually lower than those sold in supermarkets and pet shops.
Snacks
Aside from tailor-made food, dog cookies and snacks are also popular. Some of the snacks are imported from US and Japan and can be costly, a 220-g sweet is priced at 110 yuan and a small toy bone is 160 yuan.
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License
Pet dogs raised in cities must be registered and get a license, the costs vary in different places. Currently, Shanghai dog owners pay anywhere from 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan annually for their dogs' licenses and vaccination, depending on where the dogs are raised. The closer dog owners live to the city's center, the more they have to pay to keep a pet. [Full Story]
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Clothing
Dressing pets up is becoming a fashion among pet-owners. Some think it is only to satisfy the owners’ fancy ideas, but some vets said pet clothes also have practical function. Nowadays pet are more vulnerable to cold weathers as they live in warm homes most of the time, owners are advised to dress them up when taking them outside. [Full Story]
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Treatment and medication
Treating ill pets can be more costly than treating human beings as pets can not describe their conditions with language and vets have to rely on equipments to diagnosis. As the pet medication industry is still in developing stage, many pet owners prefer to choose the most expensive medication, especially imported ones, to ensure their pets can get the best treatment.
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Luxury designs for pets
To match their notable owners, pets are now being dressed with big brand-name clothing, belonging to such labels as Gucci, Prada and LV.
Of course, such big brand pet clothes fetch high prices. For example, a Gucci gown for a cat is sold for over 4,000 yuan.
In a fashion shop specializing in luxury dog ornaments in Milan, Italy, the least expensive goods are priced at 30,000 euros.
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Pet flight takes off
An airline catering exclusively to furry passengers took to the skies in July 2009, with a promise to make air travel everything a domestic animal could want.
The first Pet Airways flight departed July 14 from Teterboro, a small airport outside New York, en route to Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, said founder Alysa Binder.
Flights, which cost $149 each way, will be on a modified Beechcraft 1900 supplied under the terms of a contract with Suburban Air.
The plane usually fits 19 passengers. There is room for 50 cats and dogs.
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