LOS ANGELES — Vet visits cost pet owners an average of $505 dollars last year, according to a new AP/ poll, with those whose pets faced serious illness spending more than $1,000 on average.
Eight in 10 pet owners took their animal companion to a veterinarian in the past 12 months. And cost was an obstacle for a third of those who did not visit the vet. But most pet owners believed their veterinarian was not suggesting unnecessary treatments, and the bulk of pet owners faced costs below the average.
Sixty percent of those who did take a pet to the vet spent $300 or less on their animal’s care.
About one in six pet owners said their pet faced a serious illness during the year, and those pet owners spent an average of $1,092 on vet care.
Thomas Klamm, 76, of Boone, Iowa, said he and his wife, Beverly, spent $3,000 on their two Chihuahuas, sisters Kati and Keli, and he would have spent more if necessary, even though his annual income is under $50,000.
Among those who did not take their pets to the vet last year, 52 percent said they only take their pets to the vet “when they’re really sick,” and a third said they couldn’t afford it at all.
Luis Calderon, 56, of El Monte, Calif., couldn’t afford to take Buddy, his 3-year-old German shepherd, to the vet last year. Buddy was given to Calderon when the dog was 6 months old. “We have become best friends,” the handyman said.
He hates the idea of putting limits on Buddy’s health. “But we have to survive. At this point, my mortgage is No. 1,” Calderon said.
