2026年3月23日 / 美国东部时间下午12:45 / CBS新闻
照顾宠物的成本正在飙升。美国家庭人寿保险公司(MetLife Pet Insurance)的一项研究显示，五分之一的宠物主人背负着至少2000美元的宠物相关债务。
对于珍妮·华沙(Jeanne Warsaw)来说，她有两只名为伊德里斯(Idris)和埃尔巴(Elba)的猫，以前50美元的常规兽医诊疗费用现在翻了一番。
“如果你养的宠物——比如埃尔巴——从小就出现问题，她有癫痫发作症状，还有一些皮肤问题，我可以说，我们收养她的第一个月就花了近1000美元，”她说。
华沙表示，除了给猫的医疗保健费用，食物成本也上涨了。
“食物价格上涨了，因为现在有太多种类的更健康选择，”她说，“如果你的猫有肾病、甲状腺疾病或糖尿病，还有很多特定的饮食选择。”
Rover公司的数据显示，过去一年，宠物饲养成本上涨了10%——一只猫的终身护理费用估计为3.2万美元，一只狗则为3.5万美元。
“芝加哥爪子”(Paws Chicago)是一家非营利动物福利组织，在美国运营着最大的无安乐死动物收容所和兽医诊所之一。该组织联合创始人葆拉·法塞亚斯(Paula Fasseas)担心，养宠物成本的增加正迫使更多宠物主人放弃他们负担不起的动物。
“动物护理机构的放弃率每年上升20%，”她说。
今年到目前为止，芝加哥爪子组织的宠物放弃率已经增加了28%。
法塞亚斯将医疗成本归咎于养宠物价格的上涨。
“整个商业模式已经改变，现在是大公司收购这些兽医诊所，价格也完全不同了，”她说。
削减成本的建议
但也有办法减少与宠物相关的开支。
法塞亚斯建议，经济困难的宠物主人可以在网上寻找资源。
“至于疫苗接种，确保只做必要的——你不必每次都做所有项目，”她说，“所以，我们总是为有需要的人提供物资。”
她还表示，许多社区诊所，包括芝加哥爪子组织，提供免费或低成本的绝育或去势服务。
“当你从收容所收养宠物时，你会得到所有的医疗护理、疫苗接种，并且宠物已经绝育或去势，”法塞亚斯说，“这样你马上就节省了数千美元。”
预防性护理，包括洗牙、年度检查和疫苗接种，可以帮助避免以后更昂贵的治疗。另一个选择是宠物保险。不过，宠物保险可能很昂贵，而且通常有漏洞，一般不涵盖预先存在的疾病。
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-cost-to-care-for-your-pet-is-skyrocketing-here-are-ways-to-cut-down-on-expenses/
The cost of owning a pet has skyrocketed. Here are some tips to trim rising expenses
March 23, 2026 / 12:45 PM EDT / CBS News
The cost of caring for your pet is skyrocketing. One in five pet owners carries at least $2,000 in pet-related debt, according to a study from MetLife Pet Insurance.
For Jeanne Warsaw, who has two cats named Idris and Elba, a regular vet visit that used to cost $50 is now double that.
“If you do get one that does — at an early age develop issues like Elba has — which she has seizures, so she’s epileptic, and she has some skin conditions, I would say that the first month that we adopted her we did spend close to $1,000,” she said.
Warsaw said that, in addition to health care for her cats, food costs have increased.
“Food has gone up because today there’s so many varieties of more healthy options,” she said. “There’s a lot of specific diet options too if your cat has kidney disease, thyroid, diabetes.”
According to the company Rover, pet ownership costs over the past year have increased by up to 10% — with an estimated $32,000 for the lifetime care of a cat and $35,000 for a dog.
Paula Fasseas, the co-founder of Paws Chicago — a nonprofit animal welfare group that operates one of the largest no-kill animal shelters and veterinary clinics in the United States — worries the increased cost of having a pet is forcing more pet owners to surrender animals they can’t afford.
“Ownership relinquishment at animal care and control has been going up 20% every year,” she said.
So far this year, Paws Chicago has seen a 28% increase in pet relinquishments.
Fasseas attributes medical costs to the rising price of being a pet owner.
“The whole business model has changed and now it’s big corporations buying these vet clinics out and it’s just different pricing,” she said.
Tips for cutting down on costs
But there are ways to cut down on pet-related expenses.
Fasseas suggests that pet owners who are struggling financially look online for resources.
“As far as vaccinations, make sure you’re just doing the mandatory ones — you don’t always have to do everything,” she said. “So, we always have supplies available for people that need help.”
She also said that for spaying or neutering, many community clinics, including Paws Chicago, will do it for free or at a low cost.
“When you adopt from a shelter, you’re getting all the medical, the vaccinations, it’s spayed and neutered,” Fasseas said. “Right there you’ve saved thousands of dollars.”
Preventative care, including dental cleanings, annual checkups and vaccines, can help avoid more costly procedures down the road. Another option to consider is pet insurance. However, it can be expensive and often comes with loopholes. Pre-existing conditions are generally not covered.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-cost-to-care-for-your-pet-is-skyrocketing-here-are-ways-to-cut-down-on-expenses/
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