What spiking US veterinary prices reveal about inflation

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most pets hate visiting the vet. Now it’s becoming a lot more unpleasant for their owners, too. America’s worst bout of inflation in four decades has swollen the cost of your dog or cat’s visit to the animal doctor. Prices for vet services have jumped 10% in the past year, government data shows — the biggest such spike on records dating back two decades. The surging cost of veterinary services illustrates how high inflation has spread well beyond physical goods, such as cars, that became scarce as the economy accelerated out of the pandemic recession, to nOnumerous services of which pet care is one example.