The company behind Skittles might be to blame for your big vet bills

Nova, a 6-month-old Australian shepherd, gets vaccinated at the Community Animal Medicine Project, a low-cost veterinary clinic in Northridge, Los Angeles, on July 7, 2026. | Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/The Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images Whenever I have dinner with friends, the conversation always ends up on one of three topics: how hard dating is , the hunt for affordable housing , or an update on everyone’s pets.

The last on that list includes cute photos and veterinarian updates.

I love hearing about my friends’ cats and dogs.

But I also have to admit that I just don’t get it.

I don’t have a pet.

I never have. (We won’t discuss the ill-fated caterpillar in elementary school.) I’m in the minority: Over half of American households have pets.

Which means that over half of American households have also seen the cost of pet care go up in recent years.

Helaine Olen is the proud pet parent of a Havanese poodle mix named Barney Rubble.

She’s also the managing editor at the American Economic Liberties Project, an antitrust organization, and she says people often aren’t prepared for how expensive it can get.

Some of it is inflation, Olen says, but veterinary care is a major factor.

“The same medical advances that have kept us alive longer and we consider miracles — whether it’s cancer drugs or stem cell therapies or various pharmaceuticals — the same is true for your cats and dogs,” Olen says.

Decades ago, a cat having an MRI was unheard of; now, it’s common.

But it’s not just expanded access and improved technology that’s driving prices up.

Olen says that who’s behind that healthcare is a factor.