Akira Ishii, a 57-year-old TV and radio  scriptwriter in Tokyo, and his wife have made it their nightly custom to  roll out a futon in a living room to sleep alongside their geriatric  17-year-old dog, Hank.
        
The couple take turns caring for the "shiba  inu" through the night, helping the dog turn his body while sleeping so  he will not suffer bedsores. Soaking pet food in hot water and putting  it into Hank's mouth is another routine chore.
		
		
	
	
Medical expenses have since weighed on the  Ishiis, who spent more than ¥120,000 [$1500] in April alone on medication for  Hank, ranging from twice-a-day pills for his heart and liver to a  tranquilizer designed to prevent him from barking at night.
     The need for 24-hour care prevents Ishii and his  wife from staying away from home together for extended periods and  limits the sphere of their activities...
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120719f3.html#.UAdqZHr4InM
Experts on relationships between people and pets say such a change in  part reflects declining birthrates, noting there are a number of owners  who consider their pets like a child or family member.
Against this background of pet-nursing, the pet insurance market is growing in popularity.
     
Anicom Insurance Inc., the industry leader with a  market share of some 60 percent, has about 400,000 contracts with  annual insurance premium revenues totaling about ¥13 billion.