(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) August 3, 2012 " The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will release early results from a long-awaited study of pet ownership and veterinary spending during its Annual Convention Aug. 3-7 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.
The 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, which isn’t expected to be released until this fall, is a study of pet ownership trends and veterinary expenditures conducted by the AVMA every five years.
“Our U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is one of the most anticipated sources of information about trends in pet ownership and veterinary care,” said AVMA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron DeHaven. “There is really no other source of information in the industry that is as respected and complete. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau cites the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook in their publications.”
Allison Shepherd, AVMA senior manager of market research, and Dr. Karen E. Felsted, of Felsted Veterinary Consultants Inc., will conduct a continuing education session offering early findings from the sourcebook at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5.
Results of the survey indicate a slight decline in household pet ownership over the past five years, down 2.4 percent from 2006 to 2011. This trend includes household ownership of dogs and cats, which were down 1.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Horse and bird ownership also declined, as household horse ownership dropped 16.7 percent and household bird ownership declined 20.5 percent from 2006 to 2011.
The 2012 sourcebook will also show that dogs are still the most popular pet in America, as 36.5 percent of all households in the United States own a dog, compared to 30.4 percent owning cats. But cats are still the most common pet, with the total U.S. population hovering right around 74.1 million, compared to 70 million dogs. Cat owners are more likely to own multiple cats " 2.1 per household " compared to dog owners, who average 1.6 dogs per household.
The study also revealed trends in veterinary spending. Of the two most popular pets in America, dog owners were revealed to be more dedicated to providing their beloved pets with appropriate veterinary care. In fact, total veterinary visits for dogs in 2011 increased to 130.4 million, a 9.2 percent increase from 2006. Veterinary visits for cats were down 4.4 percent from 2006 to 2011, when there were 60.5 million visits.
The amount of money dog owners spent on veterinary care for their pets increased to $19.1 billion in 2011, up 18.6 percent from 2006. Veterinary expenditures for cats remained comparatively flat, rising only 4.2 percent from 2006 to 2011 to $7.4 billion.
These statistics and much more information will be unveiled and discussed during the August 5 event at the AVMA Convention in San Diego. The AVMA conducted the research for the sourcebook in the spring of 2012, surveying over 50,000 households to collect data on pet ownership, veterinary visits and spending.
To attend the educational session, please contact Michael San Filippo at 847-732-6194 or email him at MSanFilippo@avma.org. For more information, please visit www.avma.org, or www.avmaconvention.org.
The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 82,500 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities and dedicated to the art and science of veterinary medicine.