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How Can The Veterinary Industry Help With The Rising Cost Of Care?

Forbes July 12, 2025

Lifestyle

How Can The Veterinary Industry Help With The Rising Cost Of Care?

Wendy’s family rarely misses a daily walk to the beach to watch the sunset with their two precious dogs. But this military family does, at times, skip a trip to the veterinarian’s office. The rising cost of care means those appointments have to wait until their finances can catch up. And it’s heartbreaking because their sweet dogs bring so much joy to their lives—especially when her husband has been stationed away from the family.

Today, the majority of Americans (62%) have at least one pet, and Wendy’s experience plays out across the nation in families with a broad spectrum of income levels. As the national conversation around rising human healthcare costs continues, a parallel urgent issue is unfolding in veterinary care, with essential services increasingly out of reach for millions of pet families.

This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a full-blown pet healthcare crisis. And it’s forcing loving pet parents to make devastating choices between financial stability and the well-being of their pets.

 
Rising Costs

Veterinary care is out of reach for many. According to a study our organization conducted with Gallup, 52% of pet parents have skipped or declined care, and 71% of those said they could not afford it or didn’t think the recommended care was worth the cost. A Vetsource white paper shows a similar sentiment, with a downward trend in vet visits from 2023-2024 and an increase in days between visits.

And this is not just among low-income demographics. Two-thirds of pet parents from households with incomes of $90,000 or more also cited financial considerations as the reason for declining veterinary care (33% specifically pointed to their ability to afford care).

The tough reality here is that skipping care for our pets can have severe consequences. Nearly one in three pet parents (30%) said they know a friend or family member whose pet passed away because they couldn’t afford the necessary treatment.

The bottom line is this isn’t fair to pets or their parents, and collectively, we need to do better.

 
How Can The Veterinary Industry Help?

Few pet owners say their veterinarian offers alternatives that better fit their budget. When faced with a high veterinary bill or cost estimate, many pet parents look for more affordable options from their veterinarians, like lower-cost treatments or payment plans, but still come up short. A staggering 73% of pet parents who declined care due to cost said they were not offered a more affordable option, and fewer than one in four pet parents (23%) say they’ve been offered a payment plan while discussing options for their pet’s care.

Moving the needle on access to affordable pet care requires a united front. Using traditional care delivery models, our team estimates that the cost to ensure adequate care is provided to all pets currently going without is more than $20 billion annually. The challenges facing the veterinary care ecosystem are vast and varied, and no single organization or sector can solve them independently. To really move the needle and drive sustainable change, we need concerted efforts from:

• Veterinary Practices: Assume every client has financial considerations, and always discuss a range of options and price points for care. Offer pet parents financially friendly payment plan options for which qualifying is easier, with low-to-no interest rates that can be paid over time.

• Veterinary Schools: Ensure vet students are trained in client/family-centered care and are comfortable practicing a spectrum of care—tailoring care to individual family needs, including financial considerations versus applying a one-size-fits-all “gold standard” approach.

• Veterinary Industry Leaders: Continue to explore nontraditional models that increase efficiency, which lowers operational costs and allows for more affordable care options.

• Nonprofit Animal Welfare Leaders: Look for models to grow affordable veterinary care in communities.

• Pet Parents: Have a candid dialogue with your provider about costs, and ask for payment plan options.

My team engaged in this first-of-its-kind research to quantify the needs of pet parents, offering them a collective voice that can be heard. Our hope is to ignite an urgency so that together—between business and philanthropy, pet-serving nonprofits and local communities—we can be sure that families like Wendy’s receive access to the affordable and trusted veterinary care their pets need to thrive.

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