The American Pet Products Association released its 2010 Pet Industry Spending Figures, which showed growth of 6.2% from 2009 to US$48.35 billion in 2010.
Petfood spending increased 6.8% to US$18.76 billion in 2010 while pet supplies and over-the-counter medications grew by 5.1% to US$10.94 billion in 2010, APPA found. Health care-related pet spending showed the greatest growth within the pet industry, according to APPA figures (see chart), with a spending increase of 8.1% to $13.01 billion in 2010.
APPA forecast growth of 5.1% through 2011, with spending expected to exceed US$50 billion. The overall spending data includes petfood, supplies, veterinary care, live animal purchases as well as services such as grooming, boarding and pet sitting. Spending on pet services more than doubled in the past decade and accounted for US$3.51 billion spent in 2010.
AAPA also released the 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey, examining the demographics, buying habits and other traits of US owners of dogs, cats, fish, birds, horses, reptiles and other small animals. The survey found that the number of US households that own a pet increased by 2.1% to an all-time high of 72.9 million. About four out of 10 pet-owning households are multiple pet owners.
APPA 's pet owner survey found the following breakdown of pets owned in the US: 78 million dogs, 86.4 million cats, 151.1 million freshwater fish, 8.61 million saltwater fish, 16.2 million birds, 16 million small animals, 13 million reptiles and 7.9 million horses. For the first time, the survey asked respondents if the economy influenced their pet ownership. The majority of pet owners reported that the economy had not affected their decision to own a pet, but 18% of non-pet owners said their decision not to purchase a pet was because of the economy.
The 2010 Pet Industry Spending Figures and 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey were released at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA, on March 17.