Animal food prices rise in US, population in shelters up

Animal food prices surged in the United States in the past two years, causing an apparent population crisis in animal shelters, Bloomberg reported late Sunday.

According to their report, the number of stray dogs taken in by shelters rose by six per cent in the first 11 months of 2023, and have risen by 22 per cent since 2021.

According to Shelter Animals Count, surveying around 7,000 shelters in the US, some shelters have even started to turn animals away, in light of the increasing prices of both food and veterinary care.

“Shelters are quite literally at crisis and some of them are making the decision to close their doors or reduce hours of operation or reduce the kind of animals that they bring in,” said the organisation’s executive director, Stephanie Filer.

Filer also said that this population crisis comes after a surge in adoptions during the pandemic, where the US pet population rose by six per cent.

According to the pet health care company IDEXX Laboratories Inc., the growth per year is usually one per cent.

According to the American Pet Products Association, dog owners paid an average of $344 for veterinary visits per year, $354 for food and $315 for boarding in 2022.

According to data from Shelter Animals Count for the January to November period, deaths in shelters have also increased in light of the population crisis.