Older adults value pets deeply, but costs are rising

Older adults are saying more clearly than ever that pets give their lives meaning, but they’re also feeling the financial squeeze more acutely. The latest University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 83% of pet parents ages 50 to 80 say their pets give them a sense of purpose, up from 73% in 2018, while 31% say pet care now strains their budget, nearly double the 18% reported seven years ago. The share of adults without pets who cite cost as a reason also climbed, from 21% to 33%. (ihpi.umich.edu)

The new findings build on a long-running conversation around pets and healthy aging. Pet ownership among older adults has remained fairly steady, with 57% of adults ages 50 and older reporting they currently have at least one pet, versus 55% in 2018. Dogs remain the most common companion, reported by 70% of current older pet parents, followed by cats at 50%. But some perceived benefits have softened over time: compared with 2018, fewer older adults now say pets help them cope with physical or mental symptoms, reduce stress, or keep them physically active. (ihpi.umich.edu)

Methodologically, the poll appears solid and current. It was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation in September 2025, using online and phone responses from 2,698 adults ages 50 to 95. For direct comparisons with 2018, the researchers limited analysis to respondents ages 50 to 80. The poll also identified groups more likely to report budget strain, including women, people in fair or poor physical or mental health, adults with disabilities that limit daily activity, and those with household incomes under $60,000. (ihpi.umich.edu)

University of Michigan researchers framed the issue as both a wellness story and an access story. Preeti Malani, MD, said the two polls show that animals can play an important role in healthy aging, but that some people who may benefit most are also the most likely to face cost-related challenges. Poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MPH, MS, said healthcare providers should ask about patients’ relationships with pets, noting that pets can support activity, social connection, and emotional wellbeing, while also creating practical concerns around hospitalization, caregiving, and grief after pet loss. (ihpi.umich.edu)

Outside the poll, the affordability picture looks even broader. A PetSmart Charities-Gallup study released in April 2025 found that 52% of U.S. pet parents had skipped or declined needed veterinary care, and that 71% of those who did so cited affordability or concerns that the recommended care wasn’t worth the cost. The same release said 73% of pet parents who declined care due to cost reported they were not offered a more affordable treatment option, and fewer than one in four recalled ever being offered a payment plan. (gallup.com)

Veterinarians, meanwhile, report their own strain. In the January 20, 2026, veterinarian-focused follow-up to that Gallup work, 94% of veterinarians said client finances sometimes or often limit recommended care. The study also found a disconnect between what clinics believe they’re offering and what pet parents perceive: 81% of veterinarians said they often or always recommend an alternative treatment plan when care is declined due to cost, but prior pet parent data suggested many clients don’t experience those options as being clearly presented. Nearly half of veterinarians said their education did not prepare them at all for financial conversations, and 74% said euthanasia for financial reasons is among the hardest parts of the job. (gallup.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is less a story about sentiment than about care delivery. Older pet parents may be especially motivated to preserve the human-animal bond, yet more vulnerable to cost shocks because of fixed incomes, disability, or competing healthcare expenses. That makes transparent estimates, early conversations about budget, and spectrum-of-care planning more important, not less. It also reinforces the value of preventive care framing: AAHA highlighted late in 2025 that pet parents continue to underestimate lifetime care costs, with unexpected expenses causing financial concern for nearly half of pet parents in 2025, up from one-third in 2022. (aaha.org)

What to watch: The next phase is likely to center on whether practices can close the communication gap around affordability, especially through proactive financial screening, clearer treatment tiers, and better use of payment or community-care options. As more data emerge on older adults, access to care, and cost-related treatment delays, practices serving large senior-client populations may need to treat affordability as a clinical workflow issue, not just a billing issue. (gallup.com)