A recent survey conducted by Lab 42 sheds some light on how much money folks spend on their pets throughout the year.
The results show that most people (35%) spend $500 – $1000 on their pets each year. 27% spend between $1000 and $2500, while the top spenders, which comprise only 1% of the population spend over $10,000 per year on their pets. Wow!
So where does the money go?
56% of the money goes to food and treats
No surprise here. Food isn’t cheap and it seems to be constantly going up in price. At least if you’re not buying the corn filled, carcinogenic preservative injected kind; you know, the stuff with the BHAs and BHTs inside. A 35lb bad of Nutro Natural Choice (and this is lower end quality food here) at Petco will cost you about $50. Now if you have a couple good size dogs, that bag won’t last very long so you can see how food is number 1 on the list.
21% goes to the vet and other health related items
The average vet bill costs somewhere between $80 – $120. Dog owners should get their pets tested annually for heartworms as well as a regular exam for anything else. The cost of vaccinations are part of this cost as well. Obviously $80 – $120 is for a perfectly healthy pet. Factor in illness and over the counter supplements and medications and you can see how the average yearly vet/health costs go right up.
5% goes to clothing
Clothing for pets has become a rising trend for pet owners. I actually have a neighbor that dresses her poodle in new threads everyday; no kidding. One day you’ll see Roxy, her poodle, in a hooded sweatshirt and the next day she’ll be rocking a plaid tee shirt. Pets in the United States and in many other parts of the world have become a part of the family, so it makes sense to see pet clothing as a part of this list.
4% goes to accessories
Pet accessories make up a lot of things like what pets wear like collars, leashes, and jewelry and products like carriers and beds. It’s hard to leave the pet store with just food because there’s always something eye catching that you just got to bring home. I can see how accessories is 4th on the list.
14% other
How to save on pet costs
You might think that reducing your food costs by moving down to low grade grocery store food will help but think again. Most foods found in groceries contain high amounts of corn and wheat fillers as their first ingredients as well as harmful preservatives like BHAs and BHTs, which have been found to cause cancer. Like on human food containers, the label should be read from top to bottom. The ingredients are sorted by what the food contains most to what the food contains least of. So if corn or wheat is at the top of the list, then that is what the food contains most. Look for food that shows chicken, beef, or lamb as the first ingredient without the word “meal” next to it. The reason why good quality food is so important is because it contributes to good health and lower vet bills. If we were to see in our survey results that most people spent very little on food, we would also see that vet/health costs as number 1 on our list, so it seems that most people are on the right track by spending most of their pet fund on good, quality foods.
Clothing and accessories are left up to you. If you want to save money here buy less of the stuff your pet doesn’t need. For the things that your pets do need, then like food, cheaper is not always better. Spending a few extra dollars on a product that you know will last longer makes more sense. A good example of this is Kong dog toys. If you have a dog with a very strong bite like my dog does, then Kong toys are the way to go. They do cost a bit more than the others but Kong toys are known to last years with the strongest biters compared to their fragile toy counterparts.
