Good Company

Pet Owners Are Delaying Vet Care on Cost in the UK, US and Canada

Three surveys in one GlobalPETS report show missed boosters in Britain, emergency anxiety in the United States, and a communication gap in Canada between the options vets say they offer and the options owners remember hearing.

By Good Company Editorial Desk

Jollyes logo in white on a red background, with the tagline The Pet People

The News

Cost is no longer a background worry in pet care. It is now the reason appointments do not happen.

GlobalPETS reported on October 16 that UK owners are delaying or skipping treatment, US households report heightened financial insecurity about care, and Canadian research highlights a gap between veterinary training and practice. The report pulls together surveys from Jollyes, the ASPCA, and Gallup.

In the UK, as many as 3 in 10 pet owners have delayed or skipped veterinary care amid rising costs, according to a survey by pet retailer Jollyes of 2,000 respondents in January 2026, reported by GlobalPETS. The figure rose to 46 percent for pet parents living in London.

The care being missed is not exotic. Annual booster vaccinations were the most frequently missed service, with 50 percent of respondents reporting they had skipped or delayed them in the past 12 months. Puppy and kitten vaccinations followed at 28 percent, and microchipping at 26 percent.

In the US, a survey by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), conducted by YouGov among 1,536 pet owners, found that 58 percent of American pet parents are concerned about rising veterinary costs, while half are worried about the everyday costs of pet food and care, GlobalPETS reported.

In Canada, Gallup found that most vets know the Spectrum of Care approach, which encourages tailoring treatment to a pet's medical needs, the client's circumstances, and the capabilities of the vet team. Yet nearly half said their education prepared them only a little, or not at all, to apply it in practice.

Why It Matters

Delayed preventive care compounds. A missed booster is not just one lost visit. It is a pet that drops out of a regular care rhythm, and a higher chance that the next visit is an urgent, expensive one the owner is even less able to afford.

The UK data show the pressure reaching into legal compliance. Cat microchipping has been mandatory in the UK since June 2024, and 31 percent of owners say the cost of microchipping has limited their ability to meet the requirement, GlobalPETS reported. Only 33 percent said their cats were already microchipped.

The household tradeoffs are visible, too. In the UK, 23 percent of respondents said they or their family had given up something they wanted to cover vet expenses. The share rose to 33 percent in London and reached 46 percent in Northern Ireland.

The sharpest finding is not about price. It is about communication. Among US pet owners who declined care due to cost, 73 percent said their vet did not offer a lower cost alternative. In the same Gallup work, 81 percent of vets said they often or always recommend alternative treatment plans. Both groups cannot be describing the same conversation in the same way, and that gap is where visits, trust, and revenue are being lost.

The Numbers

  • 3 in 10 UK pet owners have delayed or skipped veterinary care amid rising costs, rising to 46 percent in London (Jollyes survey of 2,000 respondents, January 2026, reported by GlobalPETS).
  • 50 percent had skipped or delayed annual booster vaccinations in the past 12 months, followed by puppy and kitten vaccinations at 28 percent and microchipping at 26 percent.
  • 92 percent of UK respondents support requiring clinics to clearly display prices for key treatments, in practice and online, and 63 percent believe vet groups should offer standardized pricing nationwide.
  • 58 percent of US pet parents are concerned about rising veterinary costs, and half worry about everyday pet food and care costs (ASPCA survey conducted by YouGov among 1,536 pet owners, reported by GlobalPETS).
  • About 60 percent of US respondents are not confident they can afford a medical emergency for their pet. The ASPCA estimates that leaves 100.4 million companion animals at risk of not receiving emergency care.
  • 97 percent of US vets said cost is the main reason owners sometimes, often, or always decline recommended care (Gallup survey of 933 US vets, September to October 2025, reported by GlobalPETS).
  • 7 in 10 US vets said their practice offers third party pay over time options, yet only 2 in 10 said those options are always offered in practice.
  • In Canada, 93 percent of vets are familiar with Spectrum of Care, but 49 percent said their education prepared them only a little (31 percent) or not at all (18 percent) to apply it (Gallup survey of 369 Canadian vets, September 2025, reported by GlobalPETS).
  • US dog and cat food producer prices were at a record level in August 2026, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics index at 304.254, up 32.1 percent from January 2020, according to PetfoodIndustry analysis. Cat food prices have risen 39.3 percent since 2019, compared with 32.3 percent for dog food, according to John Gibbons of Pet Business Professor, reported by PetfoodIndustry.

What It Means For You

If you run a clinic, treat the estimate as part of the product. Owners in the UK, at 92 percent, are asking for prices displayed clearly in practice and online. Publish the price of boosters, microchipping, and other routine work where owners can find it before they call. A price an owner finds early is a visit that still happens. A price an owner fears is a visit that gets postponed.

Offer the alternative in the first plan, not after a refusal. The Gallup gap is the actionable finding: 73 percent of owners who declined on cost said no cheaper option was offered, while 81 percent of vets said they offer one. Close that gap in the room. Present tiered options up front, name what each level includes, and say the prices out loud.

Bring financing forward, too. Payment options exist in most US practices in the Gallup data, but they are discussed mainly when a client raises money worries or asks for pay over time. That is too late for the owner who stays silent and simply does not book. Put the payment option on the estimate and on the reminder, as a normal part of care rather than a rescue offer.

If you sell food, preventive products, or wellness plans, sell the routine. Half of US owners worry about everyday costs. A plan with a clear monthly cost keeps a pet on a schedule that retailers and clinics both depend on.

What To Watch

Watch whether UK pricing transparency moves from survey demand to practice. With 92 percent of owners supporting displayed prices and 63 percent backing standardized national pricing, clinics that publish prices first can turn pressure into a marketing advantage.

Watch the preventive care numbers. If booster and microchipping delays persist, expect practices and retailers to push harder on bundled preventive plans and reminders, and expect the UK cat microchipping compliance question to get louder.

Watch Canada's training gap. Only 21 percent of Canadian vets in the Gallup survey said they try to understand financial concerns before making recommendations. If schools and employers close that gap, Spectrum of Care becomes a real operating model. If not, it stays a concept most vets know and few were trained to use.

Sources

  • GlobalPETS, "Data: Cost pressures drive veterinary care delays across UK, US and Canada," October 16, 2026: https://globalpetindustry.com/news/data-cost-pressures-drive-veterinary-care-delays-across-uk-us-and-canada/
  • PetfoodIndustry, "Dog, cat food producer prices hit record in August," October 1, 2026: https://www.petfoodindustry.com/pet-food-market/news/15836482/dog-cat-food-producer-prices-hit-record-in-august
  • PetfoodIndustry, "COVID may have permanently reset pet food producer prices," October 2, 2026: https://www.petfoodindustry.com/business-strategy/article/15836502/covid-may-have-permanently-reset-pet-food-producer-prices