Animal Magnetism

American Demographics, May 1, 2002 by Rebecca Gardyn

Healthy and Happy

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that veterinary services will be one of the fastest growing industries of this decade, expected to increase 44 percent by 2010, compared with overall employment growth of 16 percent. According to the BLS's Occupational Outlook Handbook, this growth is partially attributable to the consumer demands of aging Boomers with larger-than-average disposable incomes. In addition, according to the report: "Pet owners are becoming more aware of the availability of advanced care and may increasingly take advantage of nontraditional veterinary services, such as preventive dental care. [They also] may more willingly pay for intensive care than in the past."

Veterinary care is also becoming more tailored to individual pet needs. While pet dermatologists, cardiologists and ortho-surgeons have been around for some time, the number of vets certified in specialty areas has increased to keep up with consumer demand, says Dr. Gail Golab, a veterinarian and assistant director of communications at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) in Schaumburg, Ill. The number of vets certified in specialty programs has more than doubled in the past 15 years, up from 3,000 in 1986 to more than 6,500 in 2001, reports the AVMA.

One of the fastest growing specialties within vet care is animal behavior, says Golab. Poor pet behavior, which includes everything from disobedience to aggression toward humans or other animals, is the top reason people give up their pets, she says. But as pet owners increasingly see their animals as family members, many express a desire to "work it out" with their pets. While some call these specialists "animal psychologists," Golab cringes at the title. She says "psychologist" implies a level of understanding beyond what vets currently have, and prefers the term "behaviorist." Whatever the nomenclature, the demand is the same: "As pet owners become more aware of human depression, ADD and other human mental issues and ways to treat them, they increasingly expect similar treatments and diagnostics for their pets," Golab says.

And though it used to be that a terminally ill pet would usually be put to sleep, many of today's pet parents refuse to give up easily. Kerry Tucker, a 28-year-old who lives in New York City and works for a market research company, spent $2,000 last year to cure the blocked urinary tract of one of her two cats. "I would spend as much as I had to save my pets," says Tucker, who also owns two dogs. "I've already borrowed money and not paid my rent for them."

According to a 2001 survey of 1,225 pet owners by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), 24 percent say they would spend more than $1,000 to save their pet's life, and 35 percent claim they would spend "any amount." Twenty-one percent would travel more than 1,000 miles to obtain specialty health care for their pet.

At Your Service

Pets are on the go more than ever: 68 percent traveled with their owners in 2001, compared with 58 percent in 1995, according to the AAHA. And almost a third (29 percent) of pet owners stay in a hotel or motel with their pet, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). "As they become more a part of the family, people would rather take their pets with them when they travel than leave them in a kennel," says Cathy Keefe of the TIA. "The industry is making it much easier for them to do that." In fact, in 2001, 41 percent of hotels and motels allowed pets, up from 31 percent in 1998, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.