An article on abcnews.go.com revealed some interesting pet ownership statistics. According a 2011 survey of 222,244 U.S. households Vermont is the state with the most pet owners. As it turns out, Washington D.C. has the lowest percentage of pets.
The survey results, released by the American Veterinary Medical Association, captured data surrounding highest and lowest numbers of pet owners by state, in addition to spending trends of pet owners.
Pet owners were shown to spend the most on their dogs. With an estimated total veterinary spend of $28 billion in 2011, dog expenses totaled 68.1% of all veterinary dollars spent, cats 26.3%, birds 0.5%, horses 2.9%, and specialty and exotic pets at 2.1%.
Of the veterinary money spent on dogs, most of the money went toward physical exams and medications, while about 1% was spent on alternative treatments such as acupuncture.
The amount of money spent on veterinary care for horses was up about 4% from 2006, averaging $373.
See the infographic below for more information on the state of pet ownership.
Written by Karen
