Stats from the Veterinary Industry Tracker powered by Vetsource and AVMA

April 13-19, 2025

More than half of U.S. pet owners have skipped or declined veterinary care for their pets, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by PetSmart Charities and Gallup.

The study found that, among those who declined care, 70% said it was because they couldn’t afford the care or that the care was not worth the cost.

Other takeaways from the study of 2,498 U.S. dog and cat owners include:

• Pet owners making less than $60,000 were most likely to avoid veterinary care because they couldn’t afford it.
• Higher earners were more likely to decline services they felt weren’t worth the cost.
• 30% of pet owners making at least $90,000 said they have skipped veterinary care because they couldn’t afford it.
• 73% of pet owners who declined care because of the cost said their veterinarian didn’t offer a more affordable treatment option.
• Only 23% of pet owners recalled ever being offered a payment plan by their veterinary practice.

The first in a series of studies, this research will serve as a baseline to monitor change among pet owners. Researchers plan to seek perspectives from veterinary professionals early next year.

 

Check out the Veterinary Industry Tracker for daily stats.

 

 

+0.1% Revenue YoY (Last Week)

-4.8% Visits YoY (Last Week)

 

Veterinary industry year-over-year revenue was flat last week at 0.1%, down from 1.5% the week prior. Visits fell from -2.8% to -4.8%.

 

-9.0% Heartworm YoY

-11.1% Flea/Tick YoY

 

 

+1.6% Services YoY

-4.8% Products YoY

 

Year-over-year parasiticide purchases plummeted last week, with heartworm at -9.0% and flea/tick at -11.1%, declines from -5.2% and -6.8% respectively the previous week. While year-over-year service revenue remained in the positive, it fell from 2.8% to 1.6%. Product revenue also dropped, coming in at -4.8% year over year compared to -2.6% the week prior.

 

 

+2.4% Revenue YoY (Last 12 Months)

-2.7% Visits YoY (Last 12 Months)

 

The rolling 14-day trendline showed gradual improvements in revenue and visits since late February.

 

 

5,859 Practices

2.2M Revenue per Practice (Last 12 Months)

10.2K Visits per Practice (Last 12 Months)

 

Colorado and Massachusetts enjoyed the highest year-over-year revenue growth last week at 6.0% and 5.3% respectively. Oregon was the only state to experience year-over-year growth in visits at 0.1%, but Colorado trailed closely behind at -0.1%.

*Numbers are subject to change based on data availability and PIMS adjustments.

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