More than 15 million people in South Korea now live with pets, accounting for about 30% of the population.
As a result, pet owners are increasingly focusing on quality care that addresses health management at each life stage and the challenges of aging, as pets are living longer.
In a recent Royal Canin survey on pet owners' perceptions of aging, 55.1% of Korean respondents said they see their pets as core family members, like children or siblings. The survey also found a clear tendency to face the issue head-on rather than avoid it: only 36.2% said they try to steer clear of conversations about aging. That was the second-lowest rate in the world after Japan, about 10 percentage points below the global average of 45.6%.
That sense of responsibility is also reflected in how much pet-owning households spend.
According to the "2025 Korea Pet Report" by the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, the average medical expense for pet-owning households rose to 1.463 million won last year, nearly doubling from 787,000 won in 2023. Looking at the past two years by pet age, dogs begin to enter middle age around 4 years old, when medical costs start to rise to 1.88 million won, and the increase becomes steeper after they reach senior age at 7. For cats, which reach that stage about a year earlier than dogs, medical expenses begin to rise around age 3, when they enter middle age, at 1.14 million won, and again after age 6, when they become seniors.
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Rural Development Administration (RDA) in May released age-specific common disease patterns based on a final analysis of medical data from 820,000 dog cases and 39,000 cat cases collected from 82 animal hospitals nationwide.
For dogs, the life cycle was divided into puppies under 1 year old, young adults aged 2 to 5, mature adults aged 6 to 10, and seniors aged 11 to 15. In early life, growth-related conditions such as retained baby teeth and cryptorchidism were common. During adulthood, otitis externa, patellar luxation, and dermatitis were more frequent. Once dogs entered senior age at 11 or older, mitral valve insufficiency became the most common condition, while kidney disease and cataracts also increased. Cats were classified as kittens under 2 years old, young adults aged 3 to 8, mature adults aged 9 to 12, and seniors aged 13 to 15. In their younger years, infectious diseases such as conjunctivitis and pneumonia were more common. After adulthood, oral diseases such as periodontal disease and stomatitis, as well as urinary conditions such as cystitis, became the main issues. In particular, chronic kidney disease was the most common condition in cats aged 9 and older, and in senior cats the rates of pleural effusion, hypertension, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also rose. MAFRA said it plans to use these statistics as basic data for expanding preventive veterinary care and easing the burden of medical costs.
Products and services tailored to pets' life stages are now being launched one after another. They range from pet food and health supplements to treatments and insurance.
Daesang Petlife's pet health food brand Dr.nuto is expanding its lineup to match pets' life stages, offering products ranging from probiotics for gut health to supplements for the eyes, skin, and cognitive function. It recently introduced "Icue Daily Care Joint," a supplement designed specifically for dog joint health. Because a dog's cartilage is more than half as thin as human cartilage, damage is difficult to recover from, making early care important. The product combines shark cartilage powder, glucosamine, and seaweed calcium, and adds milk thistle for liver health to reduce the burden of long-term feeding. In particular, it comes in an 800 mg melting chewable tablet that can be crushed into powder and mixed with food or treats, making it convenient for small dogs or senior dogs that have trouble swallowing pills. Depending on a dog's weight and activity level, owners can feed anywhere from one to four tablets a day.
Royal Canin, which has been running campaigns on nutrition and health management by life stage, recently worked with veterinarians Kim Myung-chul and Seol Chae-hyun on YouTube content to highlight the importance of age-specific nutrition for puppies in the early growth stage, when immune protection gaps can occur. The company also donated enough food for 10,000 animals to shelters. Royal Canin plans to continue spotlighting the importance of tailored nutrition by life stage through a series of upcoming content on themes such as "healthy aging" and "disease care."
E-Mart recently teamed up with DB Insurance Co., Ltd. to launch "Ola Pet Insurance," a policy tailored to pets' life stages. In line with the aging trend among pets, the eligible enrollment age has been expanded to 12, and coverage can be renewed up to age 20. The policy covers hospitalization, outpatient care, and surgery for illness or injury, with no limit on the number of claims and up to 7 million won per incident, within an annual cap of 30 million won. Coverage has also been broadened beyond specific diseases or surgery costs to include common conditions such as skin and oral diseases, as well as patellar and hip-related conditions that frequently affect older pets and often require expensive treatment. In addition, it includes liability coverage for pets and condolence payments in the event of death, extending protection beyond medical expenses to broader aspects of pet life.
An industry official said, "Products and services for pets, which used to be launched simply as 'for seniors' or 'for small dogs,' are becoming more segmented and specialized, such as 'kidney food for cats aged 11 and older' and 'colostrum substitute milk for puppies under 4 weeks old.'"
Kim So-hyung
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
