A rise in spending on luxury pet supplies suggests that animal owners may be over-humanizing their pets, claims veternarian Pete Wedderburn in a UK article.

Animal owners are increasingly paying more for pet supplies and premium dog foods, according to Wedderburn. He cited a study published in the October Grocer, which showed that the total petfood market reached annual sales volumes of £1.5 billion (US$2.1 billion).

"Petfood is being designed to closely resemble human food and owners, guardians and pet parents seem happy to pay the increased price," said Wedderburn.