Subscribe
E-Paper
By Kim Jae-heun
A total of 5.93 million households, or 23.7 percent of the country's total population, are raising a pet here, and 80 percent of them take their animals to a veterinarian clinic at least once a year.
On average they spend an annual 300,000 won ($254) to 400,000 won per year on checkups for healthy pets.
"I knew raising a pet would cost me money, but I did not expect to spend nearly 1 million won every month," 27-year-old office worker Kim Yu-jin told The Korea Times. "This is a ridiculously large amount of money. I am an animal lover, but I don't think I can afford this for the next 10 years."
Kim raises a Scottish fold cat that is now six months old. When she first bought the cat, she did not know the breed has a hereditary risk of osteochondrodysplasia, a disorder impeding the development of bone and cartilage.
"My cat's veterinarian explains to me the treatments he performs every time and why they cost so much. But sometimes I wonder curious if all of the treatments are necessary," Kim said.
Another cat owner, Park Hye-rim, said her cat is young and has not suffered any illnesses yet, but she is afraid of the medical costs she will have to deal with in the future if her cat gets sick.
"I heard treatments for animals are very expensive and the prices vary at different hospitals. Who can tell whether my cat is getting only necessary treatment if it gets sick? A vet can use medical jargon to explain the treatment they provide and I will never know if they are being truthful," Park said.
Currently there is no fixed standard for veterinary fees. In other words, people have to pay whatever the animal clinic charges them.
"Veterinarian hospitals won't charge you for treatments they don't provide. However, they can charge you for treatments that some could question the necessity of. For example, some vets will carry out as many medical checks as possible saying they are trying to figure out the cause of an unspecified illness," a vet surnamed Lee said.
"While the costs for treatments at animal hospitals vary, the difference is not that big. Though I can say pet owners can pay less if they find an honest vet by visiting several clinics."
Expensive medical treatments have become one of the main causes for animal abandonment here.
According to a 2018 National Assembly Research Service survey, there were 15,000 abandoned pets at 82 private animal care centers across the country, and many of them were found sick.
Some insurance companies have come up with pet insurance programs and the number of policyholders is growing, but only 0.22 percent of registered pets are covered, the research service said.
The government says it is in the early stages of helping pet owners better cope with medical expenses through a standardized list of treatments. It plans to revise relevant laws to oblige vets to show the cost of each treatment on their websites or through other forms of notification, so owners can learn the prices in advance and compare different clinics.
"Once the treatments are standardized, at least pet owners will know whether their pet is receiving the right treatment," a Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs official said.
"We will also make it mandatory for vets to explain all the treatments they provide to pet owners before they start them. This will let the owners know in advance what their pet is receiving and how much they will have to pay."
