Posted on 11/02/2011 12:34:34 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Despite the anemic state of affairs in the U.S., there's at least one industry un-phased by the economic picture: the pet business. It's absolutely booming.
From 1994 to 2010, the American Pet Products Association reports the industry jumped a whopping $31.53 billion dollars.
People will spend about $50.84 billion dollars on their pets in 2011 alone, estimates the association, up from $48.3 billion in 2010.
Granted, more people own animals than they used to back in 1994. Today, Americans care for about 377.41 million household pets, meaning there are 27 million more pets than humans in the U.S.
But the major animal spending hike, besides the fact there's more Sparkys out there, has to do with something we can all relate to: medical care.
Vets and medical supplies for animals have just gotten more expensive. Within the last year alone, people spent $1 billion more on vet care, and another half-billion on medicine, bringing the grand total to $25.51 billion.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Wow, you have an amazing website. I used to do a lot of housesitting and pet-sitting when I was in grad school. My fantasy is to also work for Galt :0) and go back to something like that, instead of slaving 12-18 hours a day to support the welfare state (on vacation now, THANK goodness).
Guilty as charged.
But happy to do so.
Well, the first time my beloved kitteh got sick, the vett saw me coming, I spent a fortune and even took the samples to the lab. The result, she got better on her own.
A friend gave me this advice:
If they are not physically injured such as a broken bone or bite or something, wait over night. Then if they don’t eat or are lethargic, then take em in. Cats are like a temperamental sports car so if they don’t eat, once, it’s not that big of a deal. Dogs, on the other hand, never refuse to eat so I’d be a little more worried.
Finally, if you have a vet you trust not to fleece you, take em in either way.
Oh yeah, California has implemented a scam though. You used to just give your dog heartworm medicine testing em the first time you give it and then assume it’s working afterwards, now, I think it’s every 6 months or year, you have to have them tested before they’ll sell you the meds.
Thank you. ;-) I spent 8 weeks learning to do it myself about this time last year. It has been a struggle this first year out of the gate, but I am finally turning the corner. The mentors in the profession told me to expect 3-5 years to turn a profit. Well...”we” did it in less than one.
That is soooo great!!!! Based on your website, I would completely hire you and we have 9 cats :0) (In AZ)
I can tell that you really care, and that’s how I was when I pet-sat, and am with my own beasties :0)
It amazes me that people who are not financially secure or independent choose to support an animal.
Good deal; good vet; good kitteh.
120,000,000 households (my estimate based households and average number of members from 2000 and 2008) at $1/week would be $6.24B.
I did that business with the kids when they were little. It got too big so I sold it.
People sort of chuckle at me when I tell them what I do...but it does Ok for now in a recession/depression. It took me 4 years to finally get the courage to take the jump. I am very happy I did.
Oh, wait...they're cats. Actually they are demanding overlords. But they're so darn cute!
You chuckle back at the snobs - all the way to the bank. :) When I sold that business it was earning me about $60k per year and that was nearly twenty years ago.
Heart worms are a product of banning DDT.
That’s added 100 bucks each to the cost of vet care for my animals.
Not mine, the guy is a saint.
Diet is a big part of why the animals are constantly at the vet’s. High amounts of dry processed “food” (and I use that term loosely) that is anything but biologically appropriate for their species causes a whole host of problems that are increasing by the year. I, for one, am grateful, though, that vet care has increased in quality to the extent that it has (although I wish more conventional vets knew what holistic vets know!)
We unabashedly consider our dogs family. As for the cockeyed theory about people who don’t have children being the one with pets, most people have both. Nuff said.
Very well said. Never fails that each time there’s an animal thread some here feel compelled to bring in the “poor children” issue. Unbelievable.
Our pets are family members so I’m not surprised at the amount of money spent on them.
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