Forbes Just Put a Number on What Your Clients' Dogs Actually Cost. They Had No Idea.

THE STORY

Forbes shares the data from Synchrony's 2025 Pet Lifetime of Care Study, one of the most comprehensive surveys of actual pet ownership costs conducted in the U.S. The headline figure: caring for a dog over 15 years now costs between $22,125 and $60,602. For cats, the range is $20,073 to $47,106 over an average 15-year lifespan. These numbers are up more than 11 percent for dogs and nearly 20 percent for cats since the same study was conducted in 2022 — driven largely by increased investment in technology, wellness plans, and rising veterinary costs.

Here is the part that makes this more than just a cost breakdown: nearly 8 out of 10 pet owners — 78 percent — significantly underestimate what their pet will actually cost them over a lifetime. Dog owners, on average, guess around $8,000 total. The actual minimum is nearly three times that. Cat owners predict less than $6,000 when the real floor is closer to $20,000.

The gap is not because people are careless. It is because no one has told them the truth clearly. Almost three out of four pet owners have already faced an unexpected expense over $250, and financial worry about pet care has grown from one in three pet owners in 2022 to nearly one in two today. Meanwhile, only 20 percent of dog and cat owners have any dedicated savings or insurance for pet emergencies. The rest are handling it with credit cards, crossed fingers, and decisions made under pressure.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR PET PROS

Your clients are living inside this data right now. They love their animals deeply, they are spending real money on their care, and they are doing it without a clear picture of what the full commitment looks like — or how the professionals in their pets' lives fit into it.

That is your opening.

The pet professional who helps clients understand the value of what they do — not in vague terms, but in concrete, cost-protective terms — has a fundamentally different relationship with their client than the one who just sends a booking confirmation. Every service you provide that prevents a problem is a financial intervention, even if neither you nor your client has ever framed it that way. Regular grooming catches skin and ear issues before they become vet bills. Consistent training prevents behavioral problems that cost owners in damaged property, liability, or re-homing decisions. Quality boarding and sitting prevents the stress-related illness spikes that happen when dogs are poorly cared for in the owner's absence.

The $60,000 figure is not a scare tactic. It is context. And context is what your marketing has been missing.

HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION

• Use the Synchrony study data in your client communication and marketing copy — with attribution, and without editorializing. "A new study found that caring for a dog over its lifetime costs up to $60,000, and most owners significantly underestimate that number" is a factual, credible, conversation-opening sentence. You are not fear-mongering. You are informing, which is exactly what a professional does.

• Build at least one piece of content this month that connects your specific service to cost prevention. Not "we help your dog look great" — but "here is what we catch during a standard groom that could save you a significant vet bill if it goes unnoticed." Be specific. Mention the kinds of things you actually find: early matting that cuts circulation, ear buildup, nail overgrowth affecting gait, skin irritation. The clients who care about their pets' long-term wellbeing — and the data says most of them do — will pay attention.

• Review your intake and onboarding materials. Are you asking about insurance? Are you asking about wellness plans? Are you asking about the financial stress your clients feel around pet care? You do not need to be a financial advisor to acknowledge the reality your clients are navigating. A simple "do you have pet insurance on file for your pet?" signals that you are a professional who thinks about the whole picture.

• If you serve a primarily urban or higher-cost market, consider creating a local-angle post around this data. "Here is what dog ownership actually costs in [your city] — and where professional care fits in the budget" is a piece of content that is useful, shareable, and positions you as someone who understands your client's financial reality without apologizing for your own pricing.

CONTENT SPARK

Content idea: "Your dog is going to cost more than you think. Here is how to make sure every dollar counts." A reel or short blog post that walks pet owners through the real lifetime cost of ownership — citing the Synchrony data — and makes the case that consistent professional care is not an expense on top of that number. It is part of how you manage it. It is the kind of content that gets saved, shared with partners, and sent to friends who just got a new puppy. Write it in your voice. Let Fuzzy make the introduction.

Source: Forbes Advisor — "Pet Ownership Can Cost Over $60,000: Vet Costs, Insurance, Telehealth and More," citing Synchrony's 2025 Pet Lifetime of Care Study URL: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-ownership-cost-60000-vet-insurance-telehealth-lmandp5/