Seniors with pets
ignored by Quebec

Society turns a blind eye to addressing high cost of animal healthcare

By Georges Dupras

December 4, 2025

The Quebec Government ignores the needs of senior citizens, single-parent families, and companion animals by turning a blind eye to a growing need.

Much has been written about the health advantages of family pets for seniors and others. The cost of animal healthcare has skyrocketed over the past years, and we, as a society, have turned a blind eye to what can be done to address this problem.

More animals are being turned in to animal rescues because of the high cost of veterinary care. Unlike years past, when vet clinics were privately operated, most clinics today are owned by large corporations. These businesses set prices, for which individual vets have little control. The new corporate clinics offer better technological advantages for your dog, cat, or other pet. Some vet clinics offer low-cost spay-neuter, and some animal rescues can help defray some of the cost.

The provincial government benefits from pet owners but does not contribute to the health costs of responsible pet ownership.

The cost of having a single tooth removed from your dog can be up to $700. This does not include the added expense of anesthesia, dental X-rays, I.V. fluids, and other medications. If your pet is older, it may require additional blood tests. In one case, a dog owner reported being asked for $ 2,000 for a single tooth extraction.

I’m not suggesting that vets can control the cost of all these procedures, as expenses have escalated in all professions. I am questioning the lack of government assistance given their taxable returns.

Quebec’s taxable return

National retail sales revenues are not provincial tax revenues, but they give us a general idea of the value of pet food sales in each jurisdiction. The actual tax revenues for retail sales of pet food in 2024 were not readily available from Quebec at the time of this article, but it isn’t hard to figure out.

In 2024, national retail sales of pet food totalled 6.7 billion dollars (mostly cat and dog food). These revenues exclude tax money accrued from the sale of non-consumables such as cat and dog carriers, litter, cages, toys, harnesses, leads and the list goes on.

‘By neglecting this social responsibility, the government adversely affects the emotional well-being of those unable to meet the rising costs of pet care and adds to pet overpopulation.’

When factoring in the tax revenues generated by vet clinics, kept afloat by people sharing their homes with animal friends, the total is staggering. The provincial government benefits from pet owners but does not contribute to the health costs of responsible pet ownership.

By neglecting this social responsibility, the government adversely affects the emotional well-being of those unable to meet the rising costs of pet care and adds to pet overpopulation.

Forgotten horses

An area often overlooked is that of horse rescues. Horses are lost in a maze of designations, none of which include them. They are no longer considered agricultural and have never been classified as exotic, domestic, or even wild, except for mustangs.

The cost of caring for old, abandoned horses, or those no longer able to serve, such as carriage horses and mounted police horses, is prohibitive. Thankfully, we have at least one recognized horse rescue in Vaudreuil that relies on sponsorships.

What we can do

There are a few things we can all do:

1. Support the SPCA de la Montérégie at infospcamonteregie@gmail.com or 450-460-3075
2. Support Secours AHT Rescue at sponsor@ahorsetale.org or ahtrescue.org

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

Feature image: Freepik

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