According to U.S. Bureau of Labor's Consumer Price index, petfood prices for the second quarter of 2008 rose by an average of 8% to 9% compared to a year ago.
As corn crops have been diverted to ethanol production, corn prices have risen affecting the cost of petfoods that have corn and grains as a primary ingredient.
Veterinarian Joseph Wakshlag, who also holds a Ph.D. and is assistant processor of clinical nutrition at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, estimates that consumers are paying, on average, 80 cents to $1 more for low-end dry petfoods and $2 to $3 more for high-end petfoods.
An article on Foster.com offered steps to save money while maintaining quality nutrition in petfood purchases:
2 top trends for 2021 according to the pet food industry
New shelter data casts doubt on whether the pet population and pet ownership are truly growing.
Shelter pet adoption numbers down in 2020, but high rate
While the pandemic caused unprecedented suffering worldwide in 2020, the disruptions to dogs, cats and other pets adoption numbers may normalize in 2021.