Pet care spending seems recession-proof, new survey finds

Pet spending appears to be recession-proof, according to a new survey by CouponCabin.com, which found that three-in-four US pet owners (75 percent) said the state of the economy does not affect the amount of money they spend on their pets.
The survey, conducted online April 19-23, also found that more than one-quarter (26 percent) of US pet owners said they would be willing to put their pets' healthcare needs before their own. More than one-third (34 percent) of pet owners said they spend less on their friends than they do on their pets, while thirty-two percent spend less on their family than they do on their pets and 22 percent spend less on themselves than they do on their pets.
However, nearly eight out of 10 (78 percent) of US adults said they agree that some people spend too much on their pets. When asked which purchases they considered to be too expensive to spend on a pet, 77 percent of respondents said getting a professional massage for a pet, 73 percent said paying for beauty and grooming treatments beyond what is typical, and 71 percent said extravagant pet hotels or boarding. Additionally, 48 percent of respondents said regularly buying gourmet petfood was too expensive, 44 percent said medicating pets for psychological needs, 40 percent said paying for expensive experimental health treatments, and 33 percent said buying too many toys. 
“Pets play a huge role in our society and are often treated like members of the family,” said Jackie Warrick, president and chief savings officer at CouponCabin.com. “Many people keep their pet spending within reason, but sometimes it can get out of control. It’s important to keep an eye on how much you’re spending on your animal companions and not get carried away with extravagant or unnecessary pet purchases.”