Vet bills have soared in Canada. Is pet insurance worth the cost?

Most Canadians have not purchased pet insurance, which vets and providers say can help mitigate the 'astronomical' costs, especially in the case of emergencies.

With the cost of living through the roof, Canadian pet owners are also grappling with soaring veterinary bills that can sometimes put them in a “life-and-death situation.”

Most people in Canada don’t have pet insurance. Pet insurance can help mitigate “astronomical” costs, especially in the case of emergencies, said Rebecca Greenstein, chief veterinarian and practice owner of Kleinberg Veterinary Hospital in Ontario.

“The cost of veterinary care has gone up tremendously post-pandemic for a variety of factors,” Greenstein told Global News in an interview.

While inflation is one of the reasons, serious veterinary staffing shortages, medication shortages and a “pandemic puppy boom” that has increased demand are also adding to the costs, said Greenstein, who is also the veterinary medical advisor for Rover.com.

Trevor Lawson, president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and a vet in Milford, N.S., said over the last couple of years the cost of care has gone up 60 per cent annually, which is “beyond our normal expectation for inflation,” he said.

This is “really putting a crunch on pet owners,” Greenstein said, particularly those whose furry friends are in need of emergency care because those aren’t elective services that can be put off.

“If your dog breaks his or her leg, you don’t have a choice. You have to face the cost of treatment. And sometimes it can mean a literal life-and-death situation.”

On top of elevated grocery bills, it is also getting more expensive to feed pets in Canada.