28 July 2023 | See disclaimer
Find out the common costs related to owning a pet, and how to keep them healthy in Budget Direct’s latest survey on pet ownership in Australia.
Quick Stats
- Over 60% of Australian respondents don’t have pet insurance because it’s too expensive.
- Nearly 25% of Australian participants have paid up to $5,000 for their pet’s highest vet bill to date.
- Over 70% of Australians surveyed own a pet dog.
Costs of Acquiring a Dog
| Pre-March 2020 | March-December 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Cost | $930 | $1,433 | $1,506 | $1,793 |
Acquisition Methods
| Pure Breed | Mixed Breed | Designer Breed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breeder | 51.00% | 23.00% | 41.00% |
| From friends, neighbours or family | 14.00% | 26.00% | 12.00% |
| Rescue Shelter | 11.00% | 27.00% | 13.00% |
Trends in Dog Breed Popularity
Purebred dog ownership peaked in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic while designer breeds continued to increase in popularity from 2016-22. [1]
Costs of Acquiring a Cat
| Pre-March 2020 | March-December 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Cost | $394 | $289 | $530 | $804 |
Acquisition Methods
| Adopted Stray | 10.00% |
|---|---|
| From friends, neighbours or family | 25.00% |
| Breeder | 14.00% |
| Rescue Shelter | 28.00% |
According to Animal Medicines Australia (AMA), many cat owners struggled to name specific breeds and used terms like ‘domestic short hair’, ‘moggy’, and ‘tabby’ to identify their cats instead. [1]
Costs of Common Dog Conditions
| Condition | Average Cost of Treatment |
|---|---|
| Ear Infection | $315 |
| Diarrhoea | $416 |
| Skin Allergies | $520 |
| Vomiting | $565 |
| Mass Skin Lesion (including a cyst, wart or abscess) | $698 |
| Dental Disease | $706 |
| Tick Paralysis | $2,402 |
Costs of Common Cat Conditions
| Condition | Average Cost of Treatment |
|---|---|
| Ear Infection | $347 |
| Diarrhoea | $376 |
| Skin Allergies | $451 |
| Bite Injury | $562 |
| Vomiting | $636 |
| Dental | $815 |
| Tick Paralysis | $1,859 |
| Snake Bite | $2,200 |
| Broken Rear Leg | $3,805 |
Pet Costs Survey Results^
What pet do you have?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Over 70% of Australians surveyed own a pet dog.
Nearly 80% of 18-27 year old respondents own a pet dog. And more than 55% of 48-57 year olds surveyed own a pet cat.
Of the South Australians surveyed, nearly 75% own a pet dog and more than 50% own a pet cat.
How did you acquire your oldest or only pet?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Nearly 44% of Australians surveyed got their pet from a breeder. Compared to Budget Direct’s previous survey on Pet Costs, the number of pet owners who acquired their pet via a breeder increased by just over 6% since 2021.
More than a quarter of respondents aged 68-77 were given their pets as a gift.
More than 43% of South Australian respondents got their pets from an animal shelter.
Currently, how old is your oldest or only pet (in years)?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Over 25% of Australians surveyed owned a pet that was 4-6 years old. This trend is consistent with our results from 2021. [3]
More than 30% of 18-27 year olds surveyed owned a pet that was 1-3 years old, while more than 20% of respondents aged 48-57 owned a pet that was 12+ years old.
Close to 30% of Western Australian respondents owned a pet that was 4-6 years old.
What do you spend the most money on for your oldest or only pet?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Almost 70% of Australians surveyed spent most of their money on pet food for their pet or oldest pet. This result has increased by nearly 10% since our last survey on pet costs in 2021. [3]
Nearly 10% of female respondents spent most of their money on their pet’s medications (including for fleas or ticks).
Nearly a quarter of respondents aged 68-77 spend most of their money on medications for their pets.
Of the Western Australians surveyed 80% spent most of their money on pet food for their pet.
What has been your highest vet bill to date (before any pet insurance reimbursement)?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Before receiving reimbursement from their pet insurer, the highest vet bill that more than a third of Australian respondents paid was up to $500.
This was closely followed by nearly a third of Australian respondents who paid up to $1,000 and a quarter who paid up to $5,000. These findings are consistent with the results of our previous survey from 2021. [3]
More than 4% of female respondents paid up to $10,000 for their highest vet bill.
More than 5% of 28-37 year olds surveyed paid up to $10,000 for their highest vet bill.
How much were you able to claim on your pet insurance for this vet bill?*
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
*Only respondents who mentioned they previously had a vet bill were asked this question.
More than 60% of Australian respondents don’t have pet insurance.
Of those respondents who did have pet insurance nearly 10% weren’t able to claim anything on pet insurance for their pet’s vet bill.
Nearly 20% of 18-27 year olds surveyed claimed up to 20% of their bill on pet insurance.
Of the Western Australians surveyed, nearly 12% were able to claim up to 80% of their vet bill on pet insurance.
What’s the main reason you don’t have pet insurance?*
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
*Only respondents who mentioned they didn’t have pet insurance were asked this question.
Over 60% of Australian respondents don’t have pet insurance because it’s too expensive. This trend has continued from our findings in 2021. [3]
Over 70% of 18-27 year old respondents don’t have pet insurance because it’s too expensive while more than 30% of 68-77 year old respondents were willing to take the risk associated with not having pet insurance.
Would you be prepared to spend $10,000 to keep your oldest or only pet alive if they became sick?
Australia
Gender
Age
State
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Over 50% of Australian respondents would not be prepared to spend $10,000 to keep a pet alive if their pet became sick.
Of the female respondents surveyed, 50.43% are prepared to pay $10,000 to keep their pets alive if they become unwell.
More than 60% of 18-27 year olds surveyed would be prepared to pay $10,000 to keep their pet alive if they became sick.
Key Takeaways
With no public health systems in place for pets, owners can choose between paying vet bills and fees out of pocket or looking to recover costs from their private pet insurance policy. Pet insurance is one way that dog and cat owners can manage the cost of treating their pets at unexpected vet visits due to an illness or accident.
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