4 pet parents break down the vet care their pets need — and the price

• Veterinary care is expensive, and many pet owners spend $100 or more a month at the vet.
• Below, four pet owners break down some of their most memorable vet costs.
• If they didn't work in vet tech, says one dog owner, they wouldn't be able to afford their pets.

Going to the doctor is expensive — and so is taking your pet to the vet.

According to Department of Labor data cited by Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, the price of veterinary care has increased approximately 43% in the past five years.

Healthy Paws Pet Insurance and Money.com surveyed over 1,500 pet owners and found that nearly a third (29%) estimate they spend at least $100 a month on veterinary care. If they're having trouble affording the bills, 38% of respondents say they'd set up a payment plan with the vet, and the same percentage say they would put it on a credit card.

Below, four pet owners break down some of their most memorable vet costs.

'Where are you supposed to go on Christmas to get help for your cat?'

Hannah Meinecke adopted her cat, Maple, from a cat café just before Christmas 2025; her boyfriend had two cats already, Winnie and Steve, but she wanted one that was her own. "I spent an hour in there trying to pick out a cat," she says. "In the very last 10 minutes we were in there, she came up to me out of nowhere and rolled over, and her tongue was sticking out the entire time."

She paid the adoption fee, which included the cost of spaying Maple and getting her vaccinations. Just before it was time to go, though, she got some worrying news from an employee. "She picked her up and she was like, 'You know what? She might be starting to have a respiratory infection. Do you want me to keep her in quarantine here for a couple of days?'"

The cat café was close to capacity, so Meinecke opted to take her home. By Christmas Day, Maple was breathing poorly. "Where are you supposed to go on Christmas to get help for your cat?" Meinecke says. She couldn't find a place, but was finally able to see a vet on December 30. Over the next three months, Meinecke spent around $450 on tests and treatments for Maple.

Acclimating Maple to two other cats has been a long process, exacerbated by vet bills. That includes a possible dental surgery for Steve, which could cost around $900 to $1,900 if Meinecke and her boyfriend go through with it. "I feel like I'm always at the vet these days," she says.

'If we didn't work in vet med, we probably wouldn't be able to afford the pets we have.'

Harley Petsel has been a vet tech for over a decade. "I used to be very like, 'Yes, you need to follow all these schedules,'" they say about speaking with clients. "'You need to come in, you need to do this, you need to do that.' But as you know, the economy is what it is."

Petsel is no stranger to making complex decisions about exactly how much they could spend on their pets — or the ways they would spend more if they could. "I know as a vet tech, I should be taking them at least annually to get blood work and to get annual checkups done," they say. "But it's not really financially feasible for me to do so, even working in the field."

Their Rottweiler Noel had a CCL tear, similar to an ACL tear in humans. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) is a surgery that is highly effective at healing dogs who would otherwise have to go through extraordinary pain, but it's also thousands of dollars. "I took out a credit card just for her," Petsel says. "I think I'm still paying it off, to be honest with you."

Noel passed in 2020, but they now have two cats: Kittenish Gambino and Nacho Cheese Dorito. Thankfully, the cats don't have any major medical issues, but Petsel still has to make choices about what they can afford. "My coworkers and I talk about it all the time," they say. "If we didn't work in vet med, we probably wouldn't be able to afford the pets we have."

'Buying a horse is like buying a car, and somehow the maintenance is more expensive.'

Eric Reiter and Megan Snyder have several pets: a dog named Oliver, a cat named Nimbus, and Ramah, a 15-year-old Arabian horse. Oliver started out as a foster; in 2021, their local Humane Society reached out and said they had found a bag of puppies on the side of the road. "He's 4½ now, and generally in good health," Snyder says.

That being said, the two were relieved to get Oliver into their regular vet as a next-day appointment for a recent infection. "That probably would have been $600, $700 at the emergency vet, but it was $250 there," Reiter says.

Nimbus was a regular at the vet after developing urinary problems in 2020, which required surgery. "We've gone to the vet a lot for him," Snyder says, "but he's still a really good boy."

The two are grateful for how affordable their regular vet has been for Nimbus. "Our vet is really good," says Snyder. "The only time that we've had the surprise big bills is if we've had to take him to the emergency vet, and usually we know that's gonna be an arm and a leg. You have to pay $100 to even walk out the door."

Reiter's job makes managing surprise costs easier. "Recently, my job started offering a lifestyle spending account that they put in $75 every month," he says. "And one of the things you can use that for is pet care."

Unsurprisingly, Arabian horse Ramah is by far their most expensive animal. "Buying a horse is like buying a car, and somehow the maintenance is more expensive," Reiter says. Ramah was recently diagnosed with sarcoids, benign skin tumors that are common in horses, and he gets shockwave therapy once a month.

"As far as expenses go, for me, the animals are pretty much my biggest expense," Snyder says, "and most of that is the horse."

Created by the Commerce Team in partnership with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.

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