89.4% of pet owners ‘burden medical expenses’… Demand for insurance activation and expanded disclosure of medical cost information

89.4% of pet owners “burden medical expenses”… Demand for insurance activation and expanded disclosure of medical cost information

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Se-rin = It was found that many pet owners believe that support for 'pet loss', which refers to the feeling of loss caused by parting with a pet, should begin from the old age when the pet grows older, rather than after bereavement.

In the daily raising process, veterinary hospital medical expenses are considered the biggest burden, and there is a high demand for policies to lower the burden of medical expenses along with health and end-of-life support for companion animals as they age.

According to the '2026 Animal Welfare Policy Participation Group adoption and fostering stage survey results' released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 27th, 69.1% of pet owners chose the 'pet elderly management stage' as the point when pet loss support is needed.

The 'death preparation stage' followed at 47.0%, the 'early mourning stage (immediately after bereavement)' was 29.1%, and the 'daily life recovery stage (after bereavement)' was 21.8%.

Rather than limiting pet loss support to psychological recovery after the death of a pet, there is a relatively high awareness that guardians should be able to prepare for care and farewell from their old age.

The largest number of responses (60.9%) selected ‘old age and death preparation education’ as a program they considered effective in overcoming pet loss.

'Guide to the guardian's emotional preparation and separation process' followed at 53.0%, followed by 'pet loss understanding and mourning process education' at 25.5%, 'emotion sharing and group counseling program' at 14.8%, and 'daily life recovery and adaptation support program' at 13.9%.

Among the items needed in the process of managing old age and preparing for death, 'information on health management and care methods in old age' accounted for the highest percentage at 59.1%.

More than half of the respondents (51.5%) said they needed 'information related to end-of-life and funeral preparations', 26.1% said 'support for care services (visits/consignment)', and 25.2% said 'psychological counseling and emotional support for guardians'.

At the funeral stage, the largest number of responses (42.7%) said that 'immediately available funeral service information' was needed.

This was followed by 'funeral cost and price information' at 41.5%, 'funeral company information and usage method' at 28.8%, 'funeral procedures and proceeding method' at 26.7%, 'funeral method information' at 20.9%, and 'post-mortem administrative procedures' at 12.7%.

It was found that the burden of hospital costs incurred in the process of managing the health of companion animals is also high.

89.4% of pet owners responded that veterinary hospital treatment costs are a burden. As a policy that the government should pursue first, 'relieving the burden of pet medical expenses' was chosen the most at 57.8%.

The most necessary policy to reduce the burden of medical expenses was 'activation of pet insurance', which accounted for the highest rate at 35.7%.

This was followed by 'expansion of disclosure of information on medical expenses' at 25.8%, 'provision of information on standard medical care items' at 18.0%, 'support for medical expenses for vulnerable groups' at 13.7%, and 'expansion of emergency treatment support' at 6.2%.

In addition to hospital expenses, it was found that the burden of care during the daily raising process was considerable.

Among the difficulties experienced while raising pets at home, 'burden of care' was cited the most at 44.2%. 'Behavior problems such as barking and aggression' followed at 35.5%, 'hygiene problems' at 26.1%, 'coordination of life with family' at 14.5%, and 'physical damage such as damage to furniture' at 13.9%.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, “The opinions will be used as basic data to create effective animal welfare policies and a companion culture environment based on the actual raising experience of pet owners and the perceptions of non-pet owners.”

Meanwhile, starting this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been operating an 'Animal Welfare Policy Participation Group' consisting of 1,000 people, 500 each from pet owners and 500 from non-pet owners, to collect opinions on overall pet-related policies and systems.