Adoptions Up, Veterinary Visits Down

Pet adoptions and fostering have hit an all-time high.  Want to get a handle on what’s happening, check with Google. That’s what Lombardo Homes did, and found by checking searches that Oakland, CA leads the way with a 55 percent increase in adoption-related search terms,

Dogs ranked better than cats as just over half searched to adopt a dog and only 21 percent searched out a cat. Having said that, cat adoptions have also enjoyed an increase, a record increase in many cities.

According to their research, an overwhelming majority of respondents believe that their pet has enjoyed having them home. That’s no surprise, seeing as how 64 percent of pet owners have used the extra time together to bond with their furry companions, teaching them new tricks and going on more walks. More than half (53 percent) say they’ve spent more money than usual on their pet during the pandemic quarantine.

While all this together time with pets indicates that people are paying attention and asking questions about their best friends with four legs.

However, according to this survey, unfortunately 59 percent of respondents say that’ve they have put off veterinary visits due to the pandemic. That is unfortunate because, if true, it means preventive care is down as blood work which could potentially catch early cancer or kidney disease or diabetes; and the only way to get heartworm preventative or needed vaccines are through veterinary visits.

On average, dogs enjoy, three times daily walks during the pandemic. Twenty-five percent of people do not wear a mask for these walks.

56 percent say they are concerned that their pet may get the corona virus. They’re mistaken, since it’s so incredibly unlikely that a pet will get the novel corona virus.

If you’ve been interrupted during a Zoom call or some other work activity by your pet(s), you’re not alone – that’s happened to 58 percent of pet owners.