Getting a cat or dog? Here’s how much pet ownership costs in Canada
Even as overall inflation has eased in recent months, it is getting more expensive to own a pet in Canada.
New data published Tuesday by Rover.com showed that the cost of having a cat or dog has surged compared with last year.
The increase can be attributed to the price of pet food and supplies, which rose by 2.1 per cent year-over-year in February, according to the latest inflation data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday.
“There are definitely inflationary pressures that are facing pet parents in Canada these days, driven by the rising cost of pet food (and) veterinary care,” said Rebecca Greenstein, chief veterinarian of Kleinberg Veterinary Hospital in Ontario.
Supply chain difficulties and an increased demand for premium pet foods have made feeding pets more expensive in Canada, Greenstein, who is also the veterinary medical advisor for Rover.com, told Global News in an interview.
On top of that, Canadian pet owners are also grappling with soaring veterinary bills due to staffing shortages and an increase in medicine prices, she said.
“Owning a pet is a significant financial undertaking, and a lot of people will underestimate that, particularly the cost of emergency care.”
In 2024, the average dog parent is expected to spend somewhere between $956 to $4,020 per year on their dog, according to Rover.com’s analysis.
The monthly costs on basic essentials like food, flea and tick prevention, poop bags and annual check-ups add up to between $80 and $335 — a 55 per cent jump from last year.
And that does not even include the initial costs of bringing home a new dog, such as neutering, buying a collar, leash, bed and grooming items, which could amount to roughly $2,465 to $4,770 in the first year. Those upfront costs
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