The cost of veterinary care is the leading reason animals in developed countries do not receive needed treatment, creating a welfare gap structured by owner income rather than animal need.
The welfare of companion animals should not be determined by their owners income, but in the absence of public veterinary provision or near-universal insurance coverage, it increasingly is. Animals whose owners cannot afford emergency surgery, cancer treatment, or even dental care suffer preventable welfare harms that have nothing to do with owner love or commitment. Building welfare systems that decouple access to veterinary care from household income — through insurance reform, low-cost provision, and charitable funding — is a structural welfare improvement available within existing veterinary systems.