1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: Hi, it's West Kasova. We're taking a break this week 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: Hey Vicky, you have two sons and two dogs, so 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: here's a question which of them is more expensive. 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,080 Speaker 2: The dog's food is crazy expensive, but the boys are growing, 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 2: so I feed them sometimes too. 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: From Bloomberg News and iHeartRadio, it's the Big Take. I'm 8 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: West Kasova today. How much are you spending on your pet? 9 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: When the conversation turns to pets, and at some point 10 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,639 Speaker 1: it just always does. After the phones come out and 11 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: the photos are pat around my. 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 2: Animals and send them to you all. 13 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 3: Oh my god, how cute. 14 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: It's only a matter of time before it's all about 15 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,119 Speaker 1: how much the care and upkeep of dogs and cats costs. 16 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: That's exactly what happened when the Big Take crew was 17 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: putting together this episode. 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 4: My cat's son, Sylvie, costs a lot. When it comes 19 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 4: to diet. He's on a prescription diet because he is 20 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 4: allergic to everything, and that food went up fourteen dollars 21 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 4: over the last ten months or so, so it used 22 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 4: to be seventy seven now it's ninety one dollars. 23 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: Ninety one dollars Catherine for food. 24 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 4: Yep, and that might sound bad already, but something to 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 4: know about Sylvie is that he of course hates his 26 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 4: prescription food. So I spent about twenty dollars a month 27 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 4: extra buying things to sort of doctor up the bowl, 28 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 4: like treats, beef toppings. We're trying a new beef broth 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 4: this week. 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 3: Funnily, I know Catherine, my cat too has a broth obsession. 31 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 3: So Wednesday is my cat. She's a Persian cat. She 32 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 3: has the classic grumpy flat face. Basically, I have to 33 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 3: give her this thing called lysing. It's like an immune support. 34 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 3: So what I do is I take a little scoop 35 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 3: of liceing and I mix it into the broth. And 36 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 3: the broths are not cheap. It's a liquid and it 37 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 3: has solids. She doesn't eat the solids, and I know 38 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 3: that's what keeps the cost up. 39 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 5: Wow, I lucked out. I have a three legged rescue 40 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 5: dog named Igy. She's a little angel. She's not picky 41 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 5: at all food wise. She'll eat whatever you put in 42 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,119 Speaker 5: front of her. But that has also gotten us into 43 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 5: trouble because somehow, three legged or not, she managed to 44 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 5: get up on the counter while we were gone one 45 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 5: day and I had just bought a bag of currants 46 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 5: to try on my oatmeal. I was excited. I was like, 47 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 5: dried food on the oatmeal. 48 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 3: Loo, let me go. 49 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 5: And we come back home from dinner, my partner and 50 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 5: I and lo and behold there are currents spread across 51 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 5: the couch. She ate the whole bag. It's roughly a cup. 52 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 5: First we're like, oh haha, how quirky. 53 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: Then we call. 54 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 5: There's apparently a pet poison hotline, so right there, seventy 55 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 5: five right off the bat. So you get on the 56 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 5: phone and the person goes, okay, there are two options here. 57 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 5: One totally harmless, totally fine, option two. Three of them 58 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 5: will poison her. So then we had to go to 59 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 5: the emergency Vet, which, up front, I think I had 60 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 5: to put something like twenty five hundred dollars on my 61 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 5: card for them to even do anything. Luckily ended up 62 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 5: only being thirteen hundred, so a bargain. 63 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I will say, I've also had my poor pop 64 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: astro who ate something. We still don't know what it was, 65 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 2: but yeah, trip to the emergency Vet and you know, 66 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 2: stomach X rays and everything out the gate. It was 67 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 2: a good fifteen hundred at least, and I did have 68 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 2: pet insurance so that covered some of it, but that 69 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: pet insurance does not cover the three hundred dollars a 70 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 2: year bill just to get a wellness check. When I 71 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 2: adopted my dog Astro, it was required by the adoption 72 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 2: agency that I get pet insurance for him. So it 73 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: started off thirty five bucks a month, but then he 74 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 2: had that whole issue where he ate something we weren't 75 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 2: sure what it was. After that, the monthly premium went 76 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 2: way up and it's almost double, So it's great if 77 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: you don't need it. 78 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: Okay, what's the strangest pet expense you've come across. 79 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 3: My best friend has an exotic short hair cat named 80 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 3: Pistachio Muffin, and he, much like my beloved persian Wednesday, 81 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 3: has a flat face. One vet said that he had 82 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 3: never seen nostrils on a cat so small, and those 83 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 3: small nostrils led to breathing issues, respiratory issues, and it 84 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 3: was just a bad time for little Pistachio. So the 85 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 3: vet suggested, you can get the nostrils widened. There are 86 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 3: surgeons that will do this a cat nose job, a 87 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,359 Speaker 3: cat knows job. Of course, the only surgeon was on 88 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 3: the upper east side, and for this nostril widening surgery 89 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 3: it was twelve hundred dollars. 90 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: So, given how much all of your dogs and cats 91 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: are draining your bank accounts, do you have any regrets? 92 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: Would you give them up? Would you not get them 93 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: if you knew what you were in for? 94 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 5: Never? 95 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 2: They bring me so much joy it's worth every cent. 96 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 3: I used to think that the amount of money people 97 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 3: spent on their pets was absurd until I adopted Wednesday, 98 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 3: and now I will gladly go into massive debt to 99 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 3: keep her happy and healthy. 100 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 5: Before adopting I GI, my partner and I sat down 101 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 5: and had a budgeting conversation and we kind of thought 102 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 5: we had an idea of what it would be and 103 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 5: what our backup plan was should the worst happen. And 104 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 5: then the Currents happened and we were like, oh, now 105 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 5: we get it, but no, wouldn't give her up, would 106 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 5: keep her in a heartbeat. I will just never buy 107 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 5: Currents again. 108 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 4: I die for so hands down. 109 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 1: Reporters Knako Katan and Brendan Case wondered, if each of 110 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: us is spending so much on our pet, how much 111 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,919 Speaker 1: are we all spending? They set out to put a 112 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: number on what they call the global pet economy. 113 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 6: So the worldwide pet economy right now is well north 114 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,119 Speaker 6: of three hundred billion dollars, and the next seven years 115 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 6: are going to be a big story about growth. Bloomberg 116 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 6: Intelligence is predicting that number is going to get up 117 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 6: to about half a trillion dollars, very close to five 118 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 6: hundred billion dollars. And you've got the US that is 119 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 6: accounting for not quite half, but almost half of the total. 120 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 6: But you've also got growth in Europe, and you've got 121 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 6: the fastest growth in the rest of the world, particularly 122 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 6: emerging markets. And so you've got a global trend with 123 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 6: certainly more pets because of the pandemic, and especially in 124 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 6: the US, there is an uptick in the population. And 125 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 6: for each pet, you've got rising average spending because of 126 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 6: this new collection of services, healthcare and premium products that 127 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 6: pet owners can buy. 128 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 4: Now. 129 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: I remember when I was a kid. Of course people 130 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: had pets, but they weren't taking them to the doctor 131 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: for MRIs and doing a lot of these really intensive 132 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: medical treatments, buying them fancy gourmet food. When did all 133 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: this start to become a really big thing. 134 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 7: It's been growing rapidly for a long time. It was 135 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 7: recession proof during two thousand and seven, eight and nine. 136 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 7: It was continuing to grow through that. But then I 137 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 7: think maybe in the last ten or thirteen years is 138 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 7: when the drug companies that we interviewed started to notice 139 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 7: this is huge. We have this great anecdote from Zoetis, 140 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 7: which is the largest pet healthcare company, saying that their 141 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 7: animal livestock portion of their pet business used to be 142 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 7: sixty four percent and the rest was pets. In the 143 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 7: past ten years, that has completely flipped to the exact opposite. 144 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 1: And why is that? Why are people now just spending 145 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: more on their pets than they did before. 146 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 7: You just see pets becoming part of the household. They're 147 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 7: treated as one of the family more and more. Then 148 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 7: you have the pandemic where there was just a huge 149 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 7: uptick in pet adoptions, and then add sort of the 150 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 7: lifestyle of the youngest generations Gen Z and millennials that 151 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 7: are also kind of contributing to more spending, and they 152 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 7: admit they're spending more on their pets than ever before, 153 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 7: just you know, before maybe starting families. 154 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 6: That's a really big part of the story. You know, 155 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 6: you get gen z, you get millennials, and statistically they're 156 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 6: starting families a little later, and if you look at 157 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 6: the surveys, they're the ones who are out there saying 158 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 6: much more than other generations that you know, yes, pets 159 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 6: are very much part of the family. They buy into 160 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 6: the whole sort of trend towards humanization, and they are 161 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 6: willing to spend pretty heavily on their cats and dogs 162 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 6: and other pets. 163 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 1: Brandon, you mentioned earlier that in the US especially, there 164 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: was this uptick in people getting pets during the pandemic. 165 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: How big an increase was it. 166 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 6: The increase in pet ownership was one of the big 167 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 6: stories in the early stages of the pandemic. And what 168 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,840 Speaker 6: you end up with three years down the line is 169 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 6: that Morgan Stanley estimates that there are about five million 170 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 6: more pets in the US as of the middle of 171 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,079 Speaker 6: last year compared with twenty nineteen. That's an increase of 172 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 6: about four percent. So you've got a rising population of 173 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 6: companion animals. But it's not just that, it's also rising 174 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,080 Speaker 6: spending on each pet. So to give you an idea 175 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:53,679 Speaker 6: of the numbers, the Labor Department calculates that household pets 176 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 6: spending went up about thirteen percent as of twenty twenty 177 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 6: one from two twenty nineteen. That thirteen percent increase is 178 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 6: not quite twice the average rate of inflation during that period, 179 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 6: but it's close. And so if you drill down into 180 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 6: dollar terms, what you see is that according to Bloomberg Intelligence, 181 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 6: it costs about fifteen hundred dollars to own a dog 182 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 6: that's per year in the US, and it costs close 183 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 6: to one thousand dollars to own a cat. 184 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 7: So those numbers, maybe, on average they're right, but everyone 185 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 7: we spoke with for this article, and everyone I know, 186 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 7: spends more than that. So for example, we spoke with 187 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 7: one woman, Susan Genteel. She's a public school teacher who 188 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:41,839 Speaker 7: spent about eight thousand dollars or more on her dog, Elvis, 189 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 7: because sadly, he had a heart condition. She was spending 190 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 7: on echo cardiograms, she was spending on hyperbaric chambers. You know, 191 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 7: she's spending a lot of money to keep her dog healthy. 192 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 7: This is another part of what's really taking pet ownership 193 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 7: into the next level, you know, the next boom, which 194 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 7: is the cost of health care, the cost of vet services, 195 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 7: the fact that a lot of the medicine innovation that 196 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 7: you're seeing in the human health sector are transferring into 197 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 7: the animal health sector more. 198 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: With Brendan and Naka when we come back. Knaka, before 199 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: the break, you were talking about how more and more 200 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: expensive medical procedures for pets are becoming the norm. Now, 201 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: what are some of these procedures that people are having 202 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: done on their animals that they just didn't do in 203 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: past years. 204 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:45,079 Speaker 7: I mentioned echo cardiograms. There are also a ton of 205 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 7: innovative medicines that have just been approved for these sort 206 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 7: of big pharma companies. They sort of have their roots 207 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 7: in big pharma, and then some of them spun off 208 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 7: and became just focused on pets. So you could be 209 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 7: treated for osteoarthritis using monoclonal antibodies, which was used, for example, 210 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 7: to fight COVID. And then there are top line diabetes 211 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 7: drugs that you can find now used for pets. And 212 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 7: in the case that we spoke with a woman whose 213 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 7: dog had a heart condition, she was telling us that 214 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 7: she used the same medication for her dog, Elvis, that 215 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 7: her father took, so she would give half a pill 216 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 7: to Elvis and her dad would take a full pill. 217 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,479 Speaker 6: It's not just medicine. It's also a lot more scans 218 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 6: like the electrocardiogram I was talking about. Another example is 219 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 6: an MRI. One of the people we talked to said that, 220 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 6: you know, time was maybe ten, fifteen, twenty years ago. 221 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 6: If you lived near a sort of a teaching hospital 222 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 6: veterinary medicine, then yeah, you could probably get an MRI, 223 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 6: but not many people did. Now that's a service that 224 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 6: you can essentially walk in and get. The downside is 225 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 6: that it's going to set you back, you know, two 226 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 6: thousand dollars or more. 227 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 1: What would it happen to a dog like Elvis five 228 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: years ago, ten years ago? Was there any kind of 229 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: treatment like this, let alone the kind of diagnostics that 230 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: are very common for pets these days, you know. 231 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 6: For a dog like Elvis and for a lot of 232 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 6: pets out there, the sad answer is probably they would 233 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 6: have died earlier. And I think that you have elements 234 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 6: of some people being more willing to spend a lot 235 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 6: on advanced treatments. You also have a situation where these 236 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 6: advanced treatments are out there, and yes, the providers do 237 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 6: want to use the expensive equipment to provide the best service. 238 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 6: They can't if you talk with some vets, I think 239 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 6: that one lesson you come away with is that they, 240 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 6: you know, they do have the issue of affordability in mind. 241 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 6: It's something that they struggle with as well. But the 242 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 6: fact remains that there certainly are people out there, you know, 243 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,320 Speaker 6: pet owners who are demanding those services. And so you've 244 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 6: got the veterinary medicine industry that is, you know, adjusting 245 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,319 Speaker 6: to provide them and take advantage of a lot of 246 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 6: the technology that they can bring to bear. 247 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 7: And there are lots of surveys about just how close 248 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 7: families feel to their pets. Above ninety percent feel that 249 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 7: their pets are part of their family or one of 250 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 7: their children. Almost above eighty percent, eighty five percent or 251 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 7: so say they would spend any amount of money to 252 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 7: care for their pets no matter what. And I think 253 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 7: that was one of the most surprising things you mentioned, Wes, 254 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 7: is just how much people are willing to spend, and 255 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 7: with the available services and diagnostics and drugs out there, 256 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 7: they can do that now. And it's interesting what I 257 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 7: also found a lot of times people almost underestimate how 258 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 7: much they've spent, and when you ask them to itemize it, 259 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:46,359 Speaker 7: it's a lot higher than they expected. 260 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 6: Yeah, well, you know, Elvis himself had a nine hundred 261 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 6: dollars electrocardiogram. An MRI goes for two thousand dollars or more. 262 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 6: And that's according to a group called the Pet Fund 263 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 6: that exists to try to help people pay for care 264 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 6: that they can't afford on their own. And if you 265 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 6: talk with them, they say that it used to be 266 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 6: once in a blue mood, you would see a ten 267 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 6: thousand dollars price tag for total care of an animal 268 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 6: having a serious health problem. That we're told is becoming 269 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 6: increasingly common. And in fact, the people running the Pet 270 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 6: Fund have seen bills that range as high as twenty 271 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 6: thousand or thirty thousand. 272 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 7: Right, we have in our story the largest insurance claim 273 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 7: was it fifty thousand dollars for a dog that was 274 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 7: run over in Brooklyn. 275 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: And you mentioned insurance, which is another big component in 276 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 1: this is that a lot of people, in order to 277 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: pay for this, or in anticipation of having an illness 278 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: that could cost a lot of money, are buying insurance. 279 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: How does that work? How does pet insurance work? 280 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 7: So there's you know, an annual premium and then the 281 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 7: deductibles and then the out of pocket, and we actually 282 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 7: have Bloomberg Intelligence doing some of the math coming up 283 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 7: with an average number. So if a cancer treatment can 284 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 7: cost eight thousand or ten thousand dollars, at the end 285 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 7: of the year, the total expenses under insurance can be 286 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 7: maybe twenty seven hundred. But there are a lot of 287 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 7: people who do say that the premiums are very high. 288 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 7: In Susan Gentiel's case, she said that her dog was 289 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 7: too old at the point where she wants to get insurance, 290 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 7: so it was too expensive. And in general, I think 291 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 7: you know, the entire market is about three percent of 292 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 7: pets are insured, so that actually opens things up for 293 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 7: huge growth in that sector. 294 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 6: So the thing about pet insurance is that you do 295 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 6: want to go in with your eyes open. This is 296 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 6: an industry that's bringing in about two point six billion 297 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 6: dollars in annual premiums right now. That's up from a 298 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 6: billion dollars in twenty seventeen. But if you look at 299 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 6: the numbers, you know, it really depends on the individual 300 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 6: case whether it's worth it. You know, the average for 301 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 6: a dog if you want accident and illness coverage is 302 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 6: almost six hundred dollars, and there are some people out 303 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 6: there who say, you know, better to take that money, 304 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 6: set it aside for future care for the animal and 305 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 6: just pay with cash. Others obviously are deciding that they 306 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 6: do want the coverage, but it'll come with a pretty 307 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 6: high deductible and so they'll still have to pay out 308 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,959 Speaker 6: of pocket a fairly significant amount. 309 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: Are we already starting to see elective procedures for pets, 310 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: you know, cosmetic surgery, things that aren't purely medical but 311 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 1: are just done to, I don't know, make your dog 312 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: look better. 313 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 6: Certainly, there's a lot of gray area, first of all. 314 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 6: And then there is the world of what you might 315 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 6: call plastic surgery for animals. It's kind of a famous example, 316 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 6: which are called neuticles. These are testicular implants for dogs 317 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 6: that you can buy if you have your dog neutered, 318 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 6: but you kind of want to have them keep the 319 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 6: pre operation. Look, there's a market for this, okay, and 320 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,199 Speaker 6: a pretty good one apparently. You know, this is a 321 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 6: company that seems to be doing okay for itself. There's 322 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 6: a famous example the actor Jake Jillenhall. He was on 323 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 6: The Tonight Show and he said that he got a 324 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 6: pair of neuticles for his German shepherd. 325 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: You should get nuticles. 326 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:23,880 Speaker 5: Do you know what those are? 327 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 7: I must know. 328 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:26,120 Speaker 1: I could guess maybe. 329 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 5: But they're prosthetic testicles. Anyway, long story short, he has nuticles. 330 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 7: This is not elective surgery, but it's in the realm 331 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 7: of psychological costs. We found a lot of owners I 332 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 7: spoke with put their pets on doggy Prozact because they 333 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 7: had behavioral issues, anxiety, a lot of anxiety, and neighbors 334 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 7: filed complaints. You know, some pretty difficult experiences that pet 335 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,159 Speaker 7: owners say is not talked about a lot. And so 336 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 7: they had to put their dogs on prozac or put 337 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 7: them into day care training, and so those costs can 338 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 7: rise to almost as much as you know, a heart condition. 339 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:20,719 Speaker 1: We'll be right back gn We've been talking about how 340 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: pet ownership and the amount of money people spend on 341 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,120 Speaker 1: their pets are going up. But there's also the opposite happening, 342 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 1: which is a lot more people, especially who got a 343 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: pet during the pandemic, are trying to return them or 344 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: finding new homes because they just can't keep up. 345 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 6: Yeah, you are starting to see that, and what you 346 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 6: see in the data such as it is because again, 347 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,959 Speaker 6: you know, the data here is not quite as clean 348 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 6: as with human activities. But if you look at numbers 349 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,360 Speaker 6: compiled by a group called Shelter Animals Count, you're certainly 350 00:19:55,400 --> 00:20:00,240 Speaker 6: seeing an uptick in most states in what what are 351 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 6: called pet surrenders compared with the early days of the pandemic. 352 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 6: There's an important caveat there, though, which is that by 353 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,959 Speaker 6: and large those numbers are lower than they were in 354 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 6: twenty nineteen, and so it's not quite right yet, at 355 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,439 Speaker 6: least to say that there's a bunch of people who 356 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,920 Speaker 6: ran out and got pets during the pandemic and now 357 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,919 Speaker 6: they just can't deal with them. Certainly, that description fits 358 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,439 Speaker 6: the case of some people. For many others, you know, 359 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 6: I think that they're, you know, at least compared with 360 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 6: pre pandemic levels, seem able to keep their pets at 361 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 6: home and seem happy. 362 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 7: And I think actually that's a really clear sign that 363 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 7: pet owners are willing to go very far to keep 364 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 7: their pets, even if for whatever reason it was, they 365 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 7: might want to rehome their pets. You might have the 366 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,399 Speaker 7: numbers taking up from the start of the pandemic, but 367 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 7: we're still not at twenty nineteen levels. You know, that 368 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 7: trend toward humanization and doing whatever you can to make 369 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 7: sure your pet is healthy and happy and stays with you. 370 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,480 Speaker 7: That I think will continue, and that's perhaps where this 371 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 7: market will continue to head towards the half trillion target. 372 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 6: That's right. In the short term, there is a bit 373 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 6: of a question mark just from the economy. There's obviously 374 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,679 Speaker 6: a lot of economic uncertainty out there, and it is 375 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 6: the case that when the economy worsens, there are more 376 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 6: people who look to rehome their pets. Whether the economy 377 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 6: will worsen to that extent, whether people will react with 378 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 6: the same historical pattern, all that remains to be seen. 379 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 6: But it's a big question mark. As we go through 380 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 6: the rest of this year. 381 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 7: We hear from the drug company saying that costs spent 382 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 7: on healthcare are sticky, right, They're very recession resilient, and 383 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 7: so people would decide to lower their costs in some 384 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 7: other area a cheaper car or fewer clothes sooner than 385 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 7: actually taking away bending on a pet. 386 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,719 Speaker 1: As you're reporting on this boom industry that, as you describe, 387 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 1: is only going to get bigger and bigger, what are 388 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 1: you looking for? What are the trends down the road 389 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: that you're keeping your eye on. 390 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 7: I'm interested in how human health is trickling down into 391 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,480 Speaker 7: pet health, especially because it takes a lot shorter to 392 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 7: go through the approval process FDA approval process to get 393 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 7: a new drug for a pet, and so eventually we 394 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 7: might see innovation first hitting the pet market before the 395 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 7: human market. 396 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 6: Yeah, there's a lot of research out there on dog 397 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 6: aging for a number of reasons, one of which is 398 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 6: that dogs have shorter lifespans, and so a human researcher 399 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 6: can track multiple generations of dogs over the course of 400 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 6: a career. There's something called the Dog Aging Project, which 401 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 6: is based out of the University of Washington and Texas 402 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 6: A and M University. It's got forty four thousand dogs enrolled, 403 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 6: where the dog owners fill out questionnaires keep track of 404 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 6: their pets health and behavior. The hope is that over 405 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 6: time they start to generate insights into how dogs age, 406 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,640 Speaker 6: which genes age the best. It's even conceivable that there 407 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,879 Speaker 6: could be some insights from that project coming into human health, 408 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,199 Speaker 6: and you know, there's startups out there with plans to 409 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 6: do something similar. You could see a number of so 410 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 6: called anti aging drugs on the market within three four 411 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 6: years potentially, So that's definitely one thing to watch. Another 412 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 6: thing that I keep my eye on is whether the 413 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 6: assumption that people will keep accepting higher prices in fact 414 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,160 Speaker 6: turns out to be right. There's a lot of money 415 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 6: behind these industries, right Like Mars Incorporated, the candy bar 416 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 6: Company is one of the big investors in veterinary services. 417 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:52,360 Speaker 6: And the bet there is that humanization trend rising incomes 418 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:58,359 Speaker 6: greater supply of pricier options for pet care. You know, 419 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 6: the bet is that those will all come and give 420 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:07,440 Speaker 6: this very robust annual average growth over the next five, seven, 421 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 6: ten years. But there's a lot that could go wrong too, 422 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 6: you know. It could be that people you know, just 423 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 6: can't hack it, particularly in the middle or lower income levels. 424 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,359 Speaker 6: Could be that demand isn't quite where they're expecting it 425 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 6: to be. But right now, the people putting money at 426 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 6: risk here definitely expecting these numbers to keep rising pretty 427 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 6: quickly in terms of spending. 428 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: And I think it's important for our listeners to know 429 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: your bias dog or cat. 430 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 6: Cat. My wife and my kids know that more of 431 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 6: a cat person, but we do have two cats and 432 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 6: two dogs. Our house is a bit of a zoo 433 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 6: and we love them all. 434 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 7: And Naka I grew up with a dog and it 435 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 7: would have to be dog again. 436 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,199 Speaker 1: Knahok, Tan, Brendan Case, thanks so much for coming on 437 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: the show. 438 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 7: Thank you so much for having us, Thanks. 439 00:24:58,080 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 6: For having us. 440 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: Thanks to Rebecca Shasson, Katherine Fink, Sam Gebauer, and Vicky 441 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: Ergolina for sharing their cat and dog stories. And thanks 442 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: to you for listening to us. Here The Big Take. 443 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: It's a daily podcast from Bloomberg and iHeartRadio. For more 444 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: shows from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 445 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: wherever you listen, and we'd love to hear from you. 446 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 1: Email us questions or comments to Big Take at Bloomberg 447 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: dot net. The supervising producer of The Big Take is 448 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: Vicky Ergalina. Our senior producer is Katherine Fink. Our producer 449 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:41,159 Speaker 1: is Rebecca Shasson. Our associate producer is Sam Gobauer. Philde 450 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: Garcia is our engineer. Our original music was composed by 451 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: Leo Sidrin. I'm Weskasova. We'll be back on Monday with 452 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: another Big Take. Have a great weekend.