The cover story of this week's edition of Business Week is entitled "The Pet Economy," and the teaser copy reads:"Americans now spend $41 billion a year on their pets — more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world.
"That’s double the amount shelled out on pets a decade ago, with annual spending expected to hit $52 billion in the next two years, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company based in Rockville, Md. That puts the yearly cost of buying, feeding, and caring for pets in excess of what Americans spend on the movies ($10.8 billion), playing video games ($11.6 billion), and listening to recorded music ($10.6 billion) combined.
"That means hotels instead of kennels, braces to fix crooked teeth, and frilly canine ball gowns. Pet owners are becoming increasingly demanding consumers who won’t put up with substandard products, unstimulating environments, or shoddy service for their animals.
"But the escalating volume and cost of services, especially in the realm of animal medicine, raises ethical issues about how far all this loving should go."
The high cost of veterinary care is something I have written about before. For a few posts on that topic (and a few others about canine costs in general), see:
- The Price of Putting on the Dog
- Veterinary Care Reaches Human Care Cost
- Vet Pricing Has Nothing To Do With Care
- Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Dogs
- Attempted Veterinary Extortion
- Murder by Can Opener: How Pet Owners Kill Dogs
- Get Over It: Bagged Food is Fine for Fido
- Do Food Secrets "They" Don't Want You to Know
For some good common-sense tips on how to keep veterinary care costs down, see the Terrierman.com web site for information on:
- Health Care in the Field
- Antibiotics for Less
- Veterinary Care Without the Bite
- Flea and Tick Remedies and Their Cost
- Common Dog Diseases
- Vaccines for Less
- Microchipping, Tattoos and Slide Tags
Remember: The money you save may be your own!
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