[Economy 365]

As pet medical expenses have nearly doubled over the past two years, the government is set to conduct a fact-finding survey on treatment costs by disease.

According to the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, pet-owning households spent an average of 1,027,000 KRW on medical care over the past two years.

This represents about a twofold increase compared to the average of 577,000 KRW in 2023.

Among dog-owning households, 52.6% cited skin disease treatment costs as their largest expense, while for cat-owning households, regular and therapeutic check-up costs were the highest at 54.1%.

Medical expenses increased as pets aged, with a prominent upward trend starting after age 7 for dogs and after age 6 for cats.

The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency are surveying pet owners on medical expenses by disease for dogs and cats through the 24th.

They plan to identify total medical expenses spent over the past year and the treatment stages that caused the greatest financial burden, using the data to prioritize disease research.

*This content was produced with AI audio.