Cats and dogs--not to mention hamsters, goldfish and hermit crabs--have never had it so good. Annual spending by American pet owners on veterinary care has rocketed from $6.9 billion a decade ago to $11 billion in 2001, which means healthier and happier pets is of increasing importance to millions of Americans. US consumers now treat their animal companions to CAT scans, MRIs, radiation treatments, kidney transplants, root canals and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage. A North Carolina vet reports performing surgery on a $4.95 goldfish, an extreme example of a practice that can be expected to become more frequent as the decade progresses. A recent American Animal Hospital Association survey found that 74 percent of pet owners say they'd go into debt to provide care for their pets, and Veterinary Pet Insurance provides about 400,000 policies for dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets, covering thousands of medical conditions from ear infections to hairballs. Membership in the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians has increased 150 percent in the last 10 years, and the Colorado-based American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture now has nearly 800 members, many of them doctors of veterinary medicine who ate making holistic care their, well, per project.

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