The Brunt of a Bad Economy: How America’s Dogs and Cats are Paying the Price

With skyrocketing veterinary and pet food costs, it looks like dogs and cats across America are going to be waiting a lot longer to find their forever homes.

Commentary

It was 2017 and I was caring for my elderly mother full-time in my home. We had recently lost my dad to Alzheimer’s and money was tight—the worst time for our beloved dog to get sick.

In the years before, when life was happier, we had adopted two cocker spaniel puppies. The first heartbreak came when one of them died of mammary cancer at just 6 years old. I had run up significant debt desperately trying to save her.

Pet owners know the drill—it starts off with blood tests and an aspiration, then the bad news, then a trip to a surgeon who decides if it’s worth operating. Not unlike human diagnostics, there’s a chest X-ray to see if it’s metastasized before the surgery; then post-surgery waiting to see if the surgeon “got good margins.” Then you take your beloved pet home and hope for the best. We were blessed to have Cassie for another year.

It was hard losing her, but we still had Katey, a black and white particolored American cocker who would be part of our family for nearly 15 years, until she became ill in 2017. I chose not to go through all the diagnostic testing; after all, the doctor was treating her for repeat UTIs and began giving her $150 antibiotic shots. Eventually, she started having nausea, losing weight, and falling down, and when we saw that look of suffering in her eyes, we knew it was time to let her go. I took her to the vet—she was strangely excited to go on a car trip she couldn’t even appreciate. Next to losing my parents, it remains one of the worst days of my life. And I had to pay for that too. There’s something weirdly traumatic about paying someone to kill your dog or cat.

Our lives were emptier, and I personally vowed never to get another pet of any kind, not even a goldfish. Although the choice was largely an emotional one, I can’t deny a healthy consideration of the financial aspects.

I estimated that through the years I had spent quite a few thousand dollars at the local veterinary office, an office that eventually became one of the area’s largest pet hospitals. I truly felt my name should have been engraved on the cornerstone of that building if only for the monetary contributions.

But going through these circumstances gives one a heart for what other pet owners go through. I saw many people who didn’t have enough money to treat critically ill or injured pets, that might have been saved, resorting to euthanasia out of necessity.

I’ve also been sensitive to news stories where pet rescue organizations tell the media about “abandoned or neglected” pets, and I cringe as I watch how quick people are to condemn neighbors or strangers who couldn’t navigate the hard times or had no one to turn to.

We like to brag that we rescued an “abused animal”—but ignore the reality that it might have been a beloved animal with an owner whose financial situation or life circumstances spiraled out of control, clouding his or her reasoning as he or she tried to keep an animal they could no longer care for. When hearing these stories, judgmental people often express concern for the animals, but rarely for the struggling owners who are stereotyped and maligned in the media. In truth, we should all be thinking, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

In 2024, pet ownership is only getting more dire. Lending Tree just released its 2024 Pet Debt Report finding that 85 percent of pet owners say inflation is making pet ownership too expensive, and 37 percent have accumulated debt trying to care for their pet.

The study breaks it down into percentages showing how many have considered “going petless” (23 percent), and the amount who have already surrendered a pet (12 percent). Surprisingly, Gen Z-ers have been disproportionately affected, with a quarter of them already having given up their pets.

Even the surrendering process can be hard to navigate—some places charge a “surrender fee” and require you to complete an “Owner Surrender Application.” Places such as the Humane Society of Silicone Valley may require in-person evaluations before “approving them for intake,” and have “surrender wait lists” that can be suddenly closed. In short, the surrendering process itself can scare people away.

Meanwhile, a Vermont writer addressed a different aspect of surrendering a pet: Shame. In his article, “Going Public About the Private Shame of Surrendering a Pet,” Ken Picard addresses the many reasons an owner might need to surrender a pet and the shame that can accompany it. Oftentimes the reasons are unpredictable, such as a pet’s behavioral problems around a new baby. Then there are circumstances people are powerless over, such as an owner’s loss of employment, confinement to a hospital, or rehab treatment.

However, Picard points to a positive development: Some areas of the country have created “relinquishment-prevention programs” designed to help owners keep their pets instead of surrendering them to a shelter. These programs address the most common difficulties pet owners might be going through such as financial difficulties, behavioral issues, and housing problems. Financial assistance might even be available to help owners with veterinary expenses or food.

In my area, there used to be a private organization that would pay for veterinary surgeries and medical treatments in approved cases. Sadly, that charity is now defunct. It’s hard for people to realize that when the economy suffers, philanthropic organizations dry up as well.

And, of course, last year there was the gut-wrenching story of Lilo the dog who was found wandering the streets with a note on her collar. The note explained that Lilo was loved but that her “mom” had become homeless with two children. Lilo, a German shepherd-Great Pyrenees mix, had been brought to a shelter in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When the staff saw the note, which also included a plea not to change the dog’s name or abuse her, they decided to do something about it.

The shelter found Lilo’s owner, briefly reunited her with her dog, and vowed to help all of them find a home. Unfortunately, as of this past July, a permanent home for the family had still not been found due to housing limitations, red tape, and the “stigma of homelessness,” according to local news reports.

Lilo’s story is one among thousands.

In the meantime, struggling pet owners should inquire at their local veterinary clinics about funding assistance for medical care (some vets take line-of-credit financing for instance). Additionally, financially strapped owners should inquire at their local independent rescue charity, SPCA, Humane Society, or even local churches about pet food pantries or other help that might be available. A great place to start includes websites such as pethelpfinder.org and cofundmypet.com that has a list of pet food pantries by state.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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