How Much Does it Cost to Clone a Dog?

Published on November 5, 2025 | Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness: November 2025
Written by Alec Pow - Economic & Pricing Investigator | Reviewed by Priya Patel, DVM

Educational content; not medical advice. Prices are typical estimates and may exclude insurance benefits; confirm with a licensed clinician and your insurer.

Dog cloning moved from sci-fi headline to consumer service. This guide covers standard package pricing, real invoices people have paid, the line items labs charge for, and less expensive alternatives that still honor a pet’s memory.

After Tom Brady’s reveal and Colossal’s ViaGen deal, pet cloning is back in the spotlight. We break down the $50,000 package, real invoices, timelines, and cheaper ways to honor a pet.

TL;DR

• As of November 2025, the posted U.S. price to clone a dog is $50,000 (two equal payments) on the official ViaGen price page.
• Typical add-ons most owners face include genetic preservation $1,600 + $150/yr, biopsy & shipping $200–$600, and first-year vet & training $450–$1,200, per provider guidance to veterinarians.
• Real-world invoices have reached ~$100,000 in high-touch cases; one widely reported U.K. example was covered by CBS News.
• Large-cohort evidence indicates comparable health and longevity among delivered clones; see the Scientific Reports analysis of 1,000 cloned dogs.
• Cheaper ways to honor a pet include adoption $50–$500, illustrated by San Diego Humane Society fee ranges, responsible purebred purchase $1,000–$5,000; and DNA banking $1,200–$1,600 + $120–$150/yr.

Why now: Between Nov. 4–5, 2025, pet cloning re-hit the mainstream when Tom Brady’s family said their current dog is a clone, news that landed the same day Colossal announced it had acquired ViaGen; see the Guardian report alongside the Business Wire acquisition notice. That moment reaffirmed today’s anchor price, $50,000, and put fresh attention on real costs, success rates, and ethical trade-offs.

Cloning delivers a genetic twin, not a personality duplicate. Professional groups urge owners to set expectations and consider ethics before paying.

Veterinary organizations emphasize that a clone is a genetic twin, not a temperament copy, and they flag welfare trade-offs. The American Animal Hospital Association describes strong interest in DNA banking at around $1,600 plus ~$150 per year for storage in its 2025 overview; see the AAHA Trends explainer. The ASPCA goes further and urges a moratorium on selling cloned pets; read the policy statement calling for a moratorium.

How Much Does it Cost to Clone a Dog?

The market shorthand is simple, then it gets complex. A realistic headline figure for a dog clone is $50,000–$150,000+. The lower end reflects a single-puppy package from a mainstream provider; rare, high-touch arrangements with multiple surrogates, concierge logistics, and expanded screening can push totals well above the base. In practice, most U.S. clients using a posted price land close to $50,000. Today, ViaGen lists dogs at $50,000, cats at $50,000, and horses at $85,000, with state sales tax sometimes added (price page in TL;DR).

Timing at a glance: Gestation averages about 62–64 days from ovulation and puppies typically go home around 8–12 weeks, per the MSD Veterinary Manual on gestation and AKC guidance on go-home age.

Think of fees in three buckets. Bucket one, the provider package, covers laboratory work to produce viable embryos, implantation, surrogate care, whelping, and delivery of a healthy clone. Bucket two, prerequisites and incidentals, includes genetic preservation at $1,600, annual storage around $150, the veterinary biopsy, and overnight shipping of samples. Bucket three, owner-side costs, includes travel to receive the puppy, new-puppy care, and optional advanced screening.

When a quote rises far above the standard package, it’s often because the client requested expedited lab work, multiple simultaneous surrogates, extensive health screens, international logistics, or concierge coordination, as outlined in veterinary trade coverage.

Internationally, South Korean outlets historically quoted higher figures and still report ranges around ₩80–₩100 million (roughly $61,000–$76,000 in 2024), while U.K. intermediaries collect tissue locally and route lab work to U.S. partners at the same $50,000 lab price for dogs; see the Korea Herald for local ranges and a U.K. intermediary service overview.

Provider & Price Snapshot (Nov 2025)

Real-Life Cost Examples

Case 1, celebrity U.S. client. Barbra Streisand disclosed in 2018 that she cloned her Coton de Tulear for about $50,000, producing two surviving puppies, an illustrative “posted-fee” outcome reported by TIME. Case 2, U.K. family using a Korean lab. In 2015, a British couple paid about $100,000 to Sooam Biotech for two cloned boxer puppies after their pet died, showing how geography and provider can elevate totals, as covered by ABC News. Case 3, high-profile announcement in 2025. Tom Brady’s family said their pit bull mix was cloned, aligning with the current U.S. baseline and coinciding with a major industry acquisition (see the lede for sources).

Reality check: Owners still pay normal “new puppy” bills, vaccines, wellness visits, training, and many choose preservation only (banking now, deciding later) according to the AAHA explainer linked above.

Cost Breakdown

Line item one: genetic material collection & storage. Most providers recommend genetic preservation at $1,600, with ongoing storage around $150/yr. Expect a separate biopsy fee from your veterinarian and overnight shipping; ViaGen’s preservation cost and terms are summarized on its cost FAQ. Line item two: lab & surrogate work.

The dog cloning package, commonly $50,000 in the U.S., covers cell culture, SCNT, embryo creation, surrogate implantation, prenatal care, whelping, and delivery of a healthy clone. Some providers reference a money-back guarantee if a healthy puppy is not delivered (see provider pages linked above). Line item three: optional upgrades. Expedited processing adds rush surcharges, additional surrogate placements add capacity costs, expanded health screening increases veterinary bills, and international transport adds export docs and shipping.

Realistic U.S. Total

• Preservation $1,600 + one-year storage $150
• Vet biopsy & overnight shipping $400 (mid-range)
• Cloning package $50,000
• New-puppy wellness & vaccines $500 (one-time costs consistent with AKC cost references)
• Owner travel to pickup $1,000
• Early training class $300

Estimated total: $53,950 (before any state/local sales tax).

Scenario Math You Can Reuse

Science lens: Whole-genome comparisons show clones are extremely close to their donors genetically, with mutation rates on par with monozygotic twins; see the Scientific Reports genome study.

Delivery, Timing & Logistics

• Timeline basics. Expect ~62–64 days of gestation and 8–12 weeks before go-home age, supported by the MSD Vet Manual gestation table and AKC guidance on go-home timing.
• International customers. Plan for export permits and airline rules; start with the U.S. State Department’s page on international pet travel.
• Insurance reality check. Many policies exclude cloned pets or cloning procedures; review Figo’s policy pages and Prudent Pet exclusions as examples.

Post-Mortem & Emergency

If you plan to bank cells post-mortem, speed and handling matter. Keep tissue cool (not frozen), label clearly, and ship for next-day delivery following the lab’s checklist in Emergency Biopsy Instructions.

Factors Influencing the Cost

Breed complexity & sample quality. Some breeds and older animals are harder to culture, prompting more lab work or additional surrogate cycles. Research has even demonstrated viable donor cells from urine, with a ~25% pregnancy rate and ~3% cloning efficiency in one trial; see the PLOS One study of urine-derived cells.

Company, location & logistics. U.S. providers with published fees anchor near $50,000, while foreign labs or bespoke intermediaries may quote more due to local price levels or added services (Korea and U.K. notes linked earlier). External trends. Celebrity stories can stoke demand; industry consolidation may expand capacity and marketing even if the base package remains anchored at $50,000 (sources linked in the lede).

Unique Data: “Cost per Pet-Year” (Perspective Only)

If a medium-sized dog typically lives 10–13 years, then a $50,000 clone equates to roughly $3,800–$5,000 per year of anticipated companionship (excluding routine ownership costs), using AKC lifespan guidance. This is a framing tool.

What Science Says About Health & Longevity

• Peer-reviewed follow-ups: Researchers who created the first cloned dog have reported healthy “re-clones” and lifespans near breed medians; see the Scientific Reports paper on Snuppy and his reclones.
• Historical case note: Seoul National University reported that Snuppy lived to age 10; see the university’s news release.
• Regulatory context: For livestock, the U.S. FDA concluded in 2008 that food from certain clones and their progeny is as safe as conventional, while companion-animal cloning falls under general welfare and consumer laws; consult the FDA cloning overview.

Alternative Products or Services

Not everyone wants or can fund a full clone, so owners look at options that preserve genetics or honor a pet’s life without the same financial weight.

Tip: If you’re uncertain about cloning, preserving cells now keeps the option open later for a fraction of the total spend.

Ways to Spend Less

• Time preservation early. Banking while a pet is healthy avoids emergency costs and buys time to decide (provider guidance linked in the TL;DR).
• Use published-price providers. Sticking to the posted $50,000 package helps avoid bespoke premiums (see the price page in the TL;DR).
• Skip rush & extras unless necessary. Expedited lab work, extra surrogates, and concierge transport add cost quickly.
• Compare preservation banks. Up-front and annual storage vary; the third-party option is cited in the table above.

Answers to Common Questions

Is the clone guaranteed to be healthy and live as long as my original dog?

Providers typically promise delivery of a healthy puppy (often with refund terms) rather than a lifespan guarantee; the best evidence so far shows comparable health/longevity for healthy-born clones; see the 1,000-clone analysis cited in the TL;DR.

Can I clone a dog that has already passed away?

Sometimes. Success hinges on how quickly tissue is collected and handled. One well-documented U.K. case produced two puppies roughly 12 days after death via a Korean lab, as reported by ABC News. For packing/shipping steps, use the lab’s emergency instructions.

What is the price outside the United States?

Recent Korean reporting in 2024 cited ₩80–₩100M (~$61k–$76k), while Chinese providers were commonly covered around $50,000 (see the Korea Herald and Independent links above).

Are there ethical or professional positions I should read?

Yes. The AAHA summarizes welfare considerations and alternatives like adoption, and the ASPCA urges a moratorium pending stronger oversight (both linked near the top).

Will pet insurance cover a cloned dog?

Policies vary, but many exclude cloning procedures and may exclude cloned pets as a class. Check the exclusions section before you buy or bank cells.

Bonus: Science & Efficiency

• Low per-embryo efficiency: Commercial labs internalize many embryo transfers and surrogate attempts to deliver a single healthy puppy, part of why consumer pricing is fixed per delivered pup; this dynamic is discussed in industry reporting on cloning success rates.
• Noninvasive donor cells (research): Urine-derived cells have produced live pups in a peer-reviewed trial, interesting for future banking options; review the PLOS One trial.
• Historical milestones: “Re-cloned” puppies and lifespan outcomes around breed medians are documented in the Snuppy follow-up study.

Why this matters for buyers: You pay a fixed package fee for a delivered healthy puppy, labs absorb the hidden complexity, retries, and surrogate management behind the scenes.

Currency note: KRW ranges cited from 2024 local reporting are shown with contemporaneous USD equivalents; actual costs vary with exchange rates and provider terms.