What Vet Care Costs Now vs. When You Adopted
From October 2011 to October 2026, U.S. veterinary-service prices rose 99%, compared with 63% for average hourly earnings of private-sector employees before taxes. At those national average earnings, equivalent veterinary care took about 22% more work hours.
Facing a bill you can’t cover? Find assistance, payment plans and lower-cost care, or start a free fundraiser page. If your pet needs urgent care, contact your veterinary team now and explain the cost barrier. Help My Pet helps families find assistance programs and lower-cost care and creates free fundraiser pages; we don’t pay bills or guarantee funding.
Pick the year you got your pet. See how much more a vet visit costs today, how that compares with prices overall and with pay, and what an old bill would cost now.
Try it with your pet
Years 2006 to 2025 are supported; earlier or later years aren’t available.
The old-bill figure is an illustration based on national vet price changes, not a prediction of what your own vet charges. Individual clinics, treatments and cities vary.
Every adoption year, October to October
Change from October of each year to October 2026. Except 2025: October 2025 CPI data were not collected (federal government shutdown), so that row compares September 2025 with September 2026. “More hours of work” is how many more work hours equivalent veterinary care represents at national average hourly earnings before taxes.
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare all columns.
| Adopted | Vet care | Pet services, including vet care | All prices | Pet food | Average hourly pay (all private-sector workers) | More hours of work for equivalent vet care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +159% | +141% | +67% | +67% | +85% | +40% |
| 2007 | +142% | +126% | +62% | +60% | +81% | +34% |
| 2008 | +126% | +112% | +56% | +40% | +75% | +30% |
| 2009 | +117% | +105% | +56% | +36% | +70% | +28% |
| 2010 | +107% | +96% | +54% | +36% | +67% | +24% |
| 2011 | +99% | +88% | +49% | +32% | +63% | +22% |
| 2012 | +94% | +83% | +46% | +28% | +61% | +20% |
| 2013 | +89% | +79% | +45% | +26% | +58% | +20% |
| 2014 | +83% | +74% | +42% | +27% | +55% | +18% |
| 2015 | +75% | +67% | +42% | +29% | +51% | +16% |
| 2016 | +70% | +62% | +40% | +29% | +46% | +16% |
| 2017 | +66% | +59% | +37% | +30% | +42% | +17% |
| 2018 | +62% | +54% | +33% | +29% | +39% | +16% |
| 2019 | +55% | +49% | +31% | +25% | +35% | +15% |
| 2020 | +49% | +43% | +30% | +27% | +29% | +16% |
| 2021 | +44% | +38% | +22% | +24% | +22% | +18% |
| 2022 | +30% | +25% | +13% | +8% | +15% | +13% |
| 2023 | +20% | +16% | +10% | +2% | +11% | +9% |
| 2024 | +12% | +10% | +7% | +3% | +7% | +5% |
| 2025 (Sep–Sep) | +5% | +3% | +4% | +2% | +3% | +1% |
What these numbers do and don’t show
- They measure changes in prices and affordability. They do not measure clinic profits or establish why prices increased.
- Being able to afford a pet when you bring them home does not guarantee that every future bill will remain affordable. Struggling with today’s bill does not mean you never could afford your pet.
- “Hourly pay” is the average for employees across the private sector, not veterinary staff pay. National averages can’t show what one household, clinic, city or treatment looks like, and the calculator leaves out travel and missed work.
- The aim is to help families and veterinary teams find workable ways to get pets care. The cost of care does not measure the love you gave your pet.
What surveys say about affordability
- In a PetSmart Charities–Gallup survey of 2,498 U.S. adults with dogs or cats, conducted November 13, 2024–January 9, 2025, 66% said they could pay $1,000 or less for lifesaving treatment.
- In a separate survey of 933 practicing U.S. companion-animal veterinarians, conducted September 9–October 5, 2025, 94% said clients’ financial circumstances sometimes or often prevented them from providing recommended treatment. The vets were reached through an opt-in professional panel and referrals, so this is not a random, nationally representative sample.
- Among surveyed owners who skipped veterinary care in the past year, about seven in 10 cited cost as a reason (Gallup, vet survey link above).
Where the numbers come from
- Vet care: Consumer Price Index, veterinarian services (CUUR0000SS62054), U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted.
- Pet services, including vet care: CPI, pet services including veterinary care (CUUR0000SERB02). It covers vet visits plus grooming, boarding and similar services, so it is broader than vet care alone.
- Pet food: CPI, pet food and treats (CUUR0000SS61031). All prices: CPI, all items (CUUR0000SA0).
- Pay: average hourly earnings of all private-sector employees, before taxes (CEU0500000003).
- Method: every comparison uses the same calendar month in both years, so seasonal swings don’t distort it. Price increase = 100 × (ending index ÷ starting index − 1). Equivalent bill = earlier bill × ending vet index ÷ starting vet index. More work hours = 100 × ((vet index ratio ÷ hourly earnings ratio) − 1). Displayed percentages are rounded to whole numbers; calculations use the underlying values.
- Raw data: download every monthly value as a CSV file. BLS supplied the observations; Help My Pet built the comparison.
For hosts and journalists
“From October 2011 to October 2026, U.S. veterinary-service prices rose 99%, compared with 63% for average hourly earnings of private-sector employees before taxes.” Source: Help My Pet calculations using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (series CUUR0000SS62054 and CEU0500000003), calculated 2026-11-12. https://helpmypet.us/pet-care-costs/
For clinics, shelters and rescues: get wording and a handout to share with families. Families can also find grants, assistance and payment plans, start a free fundraiser page, or save on everyday pet care.
Common questions
How much have vet prices gone up?
From October 2011 to October 2026, U.S. veterinary-service prices rose 99%, compared with 63% for average hourly earnings of private-sector employees before taxes. At those national average earnings, equivalent veterinary care took about 22% more work hours.
Where do these numbers come from?
Help My Pet calculations using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data: the Consumer Price Index for veterinarian services, pet services, pet food and all items, plus average hourly earnings of all private-sector employees before taxes. Each comparison uses the same calendar month in both years, and the page lists the series codes and formulas.
Is this what my vet will charge?
No. These are national averages, so an individual clinic, city or treatment can differ. The figures measure price changes and affordability, not clinic profits.