Older adults rely on pets more, even as costs bite harder

Pets are giving older adults more purpose, but they're also becoming harder to afford. That's the central takeaway from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, released in February 2026, which found that 83% of pet parents ages 50 to 80 say their pets give them a sense of purpose, up from 73% in 2018. At the same time, 31% said having a pet strains their budget, compared with 18% seven years earlier, and one-third of older adults without pets cited cost as a reason they don't have one. (medschool.umich.edu)

The new report updates a 2018 look at pets and healthy aging, and it arrives at a moment when both people and animals are aging into more complex care needs. The 2025 survey expanded the overall sample to adults ages 50 to 95, though the trend comparison with 2018 used the 50-to-80 group only. Pet ownership itself was essentially stable, 57% in the newer poll versus 55% in 2018, but several perceived benefits weakened over time even as purpose increased. Fewer older pet parents in 2025 said pets helped them cope with physical or emotional symptoms, stay physically active, or reduce stress than in 2018. (medschool.umich.edu)

The topline numbers help explain the contradiction. Pets still appear deeply embedded in older adults' daily lives: 70% of current pet parents over 50 said pets connect them with others, 63% said pets reduce stress, and 44% said pets help them stay physically active. But cost pressures are more visible now. Among older adults without pets, the share citing cost rose to 33% from 21% in 2018, while lack of time and feeling not healthy enough to care for a pet also increased. The Michigan team noted that these shifts may reflect broader financial pressures, changing household circumstances, and the increasing demands of caring for older pets and older people at the same time. (medschool.umich.edu)

University of Michigan experts framed the issue as both a healthy-aging story and a care-planning story. Preeti Malani, MD, said the two polls show that animals can play a key role in older adults' lives, while also highlighting that some of the people who could benefit most may face the greatest cost-related barriers. Poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MPH, MS, said healthcare professionals should ask patients about pets and even document that relationship, noting that pet care responsibilities can affect physical activity, hospitalization planning, and grief after pet loss. (medschool.umich.edu)

Outside the poll, the veterinary sector is seeing the same affordability strain from the clinic side. In the PetSmart Charities-Gallup State of Pet Care study released in January 2026, 94% of veterinarians said clients' financial considerations sometimes or often limit their ability to provide recommended care. The same survey found a communication gap: 81% of veterinarians said they often or always recommend an alternative treatment plan when care is declined due to cost, but earlier pet parent data found 73% of those who declined care for affordability reasons said they were not offered a more financially accessible option. Nearly half of veterinarians also said their education did not prepare them at all for these conversations. (petsmartcharities.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, older clients may increasingly present with a dual reality: a very strong attachment to their animals and less room in the household budget for preventive, chronic, or urgent care. That makes communication, not just medicine, central to good outcomes. AAHA's 2024 Community Care Guidelines explicitly identify financial barriers as the most cited reason pet caregivers can't access care, and describe the resulting moral distress for veterinary professionals practicing in an out-of-pocket payment system. The guidelines also push practices to think beyond a single "gold standard" recommendation and toward family-centered, spectrum-of-care approaches that account for income, logistics, language, and other barriers. (jaaha.kglmeridian.com)

That has practical implications for geriatric and companion animal practice. Older pet parents may need more proactive discussions about expected costs, phased diagnostics, chronic disease management plans, caregiver support during hospitalization, and community referrals for lower-cost services or temporary pet care. The Michigan poll's own implications section points to fostering, pet-sitting, or spending time with others' pets as alternatives for older adults who want the benefits of animal companionship without the full long-term cost and care burden. (ihpi.umich.edu)

What to watch: The next step isn't likely to be a single policy change, but a continued shift in practice models, including wider use of spectrum-of-care frameworks, more formal training for cost-of-care conversations, and stronger links between private practice, shelters, nonprofits, and social service networks serving older adults. If affordability continues to rise as a barrier, veterinary teams may be asked to play a bigger role in helping older pet parents keep pets at home safely and sustainably. (petsmartcharities.org)