Andrew White brings his four-legged friends Oliver and Amore to his neighborhood Petco in San Diego for a little take out. 

He's brought the pair to a kibble re-fill station that allows owners to use their own containers. 

"Less waste and it's more affordable for everyone," he said of the arrangement.  

Like many things these days, inflation has hit the price of owning a pet. A report on petfoodindustry.com finds the cost of feeding household animals was up about 6% in March over last year.  

The overall pet category saw a 7.5% increase compared to March of 2021. 

The pet food maker Canidae says its kibble dispenser is one way to save money. Four pounds from a station like the one White uses is $9 cheaper than buying it in a bag. 

"It costs a lot of money to fill my gas tank, so if I can save a few bucks on items like this it's very helpful," he said. 

The American Pet Products Association says a record $123.6 billion was spent in the U.S. last year on pets.  

A pandemic-related ownership surge means 70% of American households now include a pet of some kind. 

In Kansas City, the KC Pet Project is seeing animals surrendered due to financial burdens. That includes rising rents that are squeezing budgets or making it hard to find new places to live that will accept pets. 

"It has just been relentless with the amount of pets coming in through our doors," said KC Pet Project Chief Communications Officer Tori Fugate. "People are calling us every week saying, 'I don't want to give up my animal, but I can't find a place to live with them.'"

One big cost is vet care. The KC Pet Project gave out more than $96,000 last year to help owners with medical bills.  

The Pet Products Association says owners spent about $34.3 billion on medical care for their animals in 2021, which is the second-highest annual expense after food. 

"We found that some practices are charging four, even five times more than their nearby competitors, right? For the exact same procedures. You know, neutering a cat and a dog, lab analysis, teeth cleaning, these types of procedures, five times as much," said Consumers' Checkbook Executive Editor Kevin Brasler. 

Recent findings from Consumers Checkbook showed costs varied widely from veterinarian to veterinarian in seven cities they sampled. So they say if you want to save money, do some checking first.

"If you know that your pets are going to need certain procedures, you can call around and get prices pretty easily," Brasler continued. "You could call around and get prices for teeth clean, for example, it's a snap. I mean, we found no problems doing that."

In Florida, the Tampa Humane Society has expanded its animal pantry so folks can get free food for their dogs and cats. So far, they've given out more than 130,000 pounds of animal food. 

"Hopefully things will get better," said Sherry Silk, CEO of The Humane Society of Tampa Bay. "It's got to get better because the animals really need us."

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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Deniece Young's cat, Mr. Moe, looks pretty good for a 20-year-old.

"Check this out! He has his own water bottle in our refrigerator,” she said. "And there he is – healthy now."

More than a companion, Mr. Moe is part of Young’s family.

"He's my world. He greets me when I come home,” she said. “My husband has passed away. So, it's just Mr. Moe and I."

On this day, though, they’re not alone. They're getting a visit from a group consistently making the rounds in her neighborhood.

The team knocking on her door is with "Pets for Life," a program from the Humane Society of the United States.

They work in 43 states across the country, to get pet care to places where people experience poverty or lack access to veterinary care.

"Just like there are 'food deserts,' there are 'pet resource deserts' and 'veterinary deserts' – and, oftentimes, the two overlap," said Pets for Life senior director Amanda Arrington.

That is where the Pets for Life teams come in, bringing supplies and arranging vet care.

"Just about every community in the country - whether it is urban, whether it's suburban, rural, Native - has pockets where there are concentrations of poverty and little to no access to pet resources,” Arrington said.

On this day, Melissa Corey and her team went door-to-door in one such community: North Philadelphia.

"We are going to one of our clients, Jessica Preston. Jessica is what we call a community ambassador,” she said, "and then she also is there to assist her neighbors with spaying and neutering a lot of cats in her neighborhood."

Preston and her daughter are currently caring for a number of kittens, hoping to find them homes.

"Anyone comes across cats, they come to me," Preston said. "If I can, I'm going to do it. I help. I take them in. I thank God I have the Pets for Life."

It’s a sentiment shared by Paul Diaz. One of his three small dogs is facing a serious illness.

"When I have a concern about whatever she's going through, I know Melissa's there, so I can ask her or the team, so they can guide me," Diaz said.

It’s a journey the teams share with pet owners.

"It's a package deal,” Corey said. “You know, you can't have the person without the pet. You can't have the pet without the person."

During the past 12 years, Pets for Life has helped more than 265,000 pets and just recently completed its one-millionth service.

"People will do anything for their pet, even putting their pets needs above their own," Arrington said.

It's the people they meet, though, that drives what they do.

"Everyone that you meet is so grateful for everything, you know,” said Sely Cumba, as she drove the Pets for Life van to another home. “Even if it's if it's a small bag of treats - they are so grateful."

They are treats that Deniece Young’s car Mr. Moe is happily partaking in, which makes her happy, too.

"Knowing someone needs you,” she said, “he's my someone."

To find the Pets for Life team operating in your area, click here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a recall of several pet food products after more than two dozen dogs have died and several were sickened after eating them.

According to the FDA announcement, several Sportmix pet food products manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. may contain potentially fatal amounts of aflatoxin.

The FDA is aware of at least 28 deaths and eight illnesses in dogs that ate the recalled products and an investigation is ongoing.

Multiple product samples were tested by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and found to contain very high levels of aflatoxin, the FDA said in its news release.

The recall includes several types and sizes of Sportmix pet foods that were distributed nationally in stores and online.

FDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture are working with the firm to determine whether any additional products will be added to the recall.

Aflatoxin is produced by a mold that can grow on corn or other grains used in pet foods. High levels of aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.

According to the FDA, pets with aflatoxin poisoning may have the following symptoms: sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes or gums due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea.

The FDA is encouraging pet owners to stop feeding their pets the recalled products and consult a veterinarian, especially if their pet is showing signs of illness.

The agency is also asking veterinarians who treat aflatoxin poisoning to report cases. Pet owners can also report suspected cases.

For a full list of products in the recall and more information, click here.