Why pet owners are struggling to afford veterinary care

One day in 2024, Justin Laudadio found his cat, Chicken, writhing on the floor of his home in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, apparently in the midst of a seizure. Laudadio put Chicken in a carrier and raced to a veterinary hospital, preemptively grieving the whole way. The veterinarians were able to stabilize Chicken, a brown tabby who was about 12 years old and diabetic, during a three-day hospital stay. Though he was diagnosed with acromegaly, a hormonal disorder caused by a benign pituitary gland tumor, it never became entirely clear what caused the seizure. But one thing was very clear: Chicken’s care was going to be costly. Even before extra testing that would add thousands of dollars, the bill was $9,500. It was an eye-watering figure, but Laudadio and his wife, Airy, agreed to cover it before they even knew whether Chicken would make it. “You do what you have to do,” Justin said. Veterinary care in the United States has grown much more advanced in recent years; Chicken, for example, has his own cardiologist. It’s also become much more expensive, partly because of the costs of more sophisticated medicine. At the same time, vet bills have climbed as the industry has become incre…

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