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My experience conflicts with your assertion. Costs for veterinary care have sky rocketed over the last 15 years, and costs for procedures without pet insurance are sometimes 75% to nearly the same price as the same procedures on humans. Prices for MRIs, X-rays, surgery and drugs are all very close to human medical care costs.

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FWIW: I wonder if you are in an urban area? When I compare the cost of vet services with my friends in an urban setting relative to what we pay here in rural, small-town America, I'm shocked at the difference. We have a university about a two hour drive away with a noted vet hospital - even their services were priced better than those I've heard anecdotally on the other (more urbanized) side of the state.

I'm guessing vets take advantage of the ever growing tendency to consider pets as family members to inflate the price. Especially since (from very anecdotal evidences) it seems to be mostly middle/upper class people who are so invested into their pets.

In the countryside people tend to have a more utilitarian view of animals and would simply get a new one rather than wasting money keeping a sick animal alive.

> FWIW: I wonder if you are in an urban area?

I'm not.

An human ACL surgery is $20-$50k, 10x the price for dogs.

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