What spiking US veterinary prices reveal about inflation

Dr. Alexandra Kintz Konegger, of K. Vet Animal Care, operates on a male boxer while being assisted by Dr. Benjamin Kinnamon (left) at her veterinary clinic in Greensburg, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Most pets hate visiting the vet. Now it's becoming a lot more unpleasant for their owners, too. America's worst bout of inflation in four decades has swollen the cost of your dog or cat's visit to the animal doctor. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Most pets hate visiting the vet. Now it’s becoming a lot more unpleasant for their owners, too.

America’s worst bout of inflation in four decades has swollen the cost of your dog or cat’s visit to the animal doctor. Prices for vet services have jumped 10% in the past year, government data shows — the biggest such spike on records dating back two decades.

The surging cost of veterinary services illustrates how high inflation has spread well beyond physical goods, such as cars, that became scarce as the economy accelerated out of the pandemic recession, to numerous services of which pet care is one example. The trend has stoked fears that inflation is growing more entrenched and that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to keep raising interest rates at an ever-higher risk of causing a recession.