Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
23 <br /> National Statistics <br /> • The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that over 20 million pets live in poverty <br /> (2020). <br /> • A Humane Society of the United States (now Humane World) 2024 study found that 43% of all pet owners indicated that they <br /> have been unable to pay for their pets' needs at some point because of financial reasons. <br /> • Pets for Life reported in 2020 that 77% of the approximately 23 million pets currently living in underserved communities in <br /> the United States have never been seen by a veterinarian and 87% are not spayed or neutered. <br /> • PetSmart Charities-Gallup State of Pet Care Study: Pet Parents'Assessment of American Veterinary Care (2025) <br /> o This study showed that 52% of pet parents reported having not taken their pets to the veterinarian within the past <br /> year, even when they felt their pet needed veterinary care, or declined care recommended by a veterinarian. <br /> o The percentage of these pet owners were particularly high among: 18-to-29-year-olds (59%), black pet owners (58%), <br /> Hispanic pet owners (57%), and pet owners living in households earning less than $60,000 annually (55%). <br /> o Even people with higher incomes are affected; 27% of pet parents earning more than $90,000 who have declined care <br /> say they did so because they could not afford it. <br /> o Approximately 4 in 10 pet owners were interested in alternative veterinary care methods for their pets, such as <br /> community clinics (38%), home visits from a veterinarian (38%), or telemedicine (37%). Black pet owners (54%), 18-to <br /> 29-year-olds (48%), and those living in households earning less than $60,000 annually (47%) reported the highest interest <br /> in community clinics. <br />