Like any good mom, Pam Powell gives a pig ear to Abby when she’s been a good girl.

But that’s just the beginning of this supermom’s spending on her 11-year-old Australian shepherd.

There is the vitamin-enriched premium dog food. There are haircuts and nail jobs. There is the $70-a-month anti-inflammatory medication. And most recently? An orthopedic bed for those creaky hips.

“She is definitely my child,” said Powell, who lives in south Broad Ripple and estimates she spends as much as $300 a month on Abby. “People say I’m lavish. I don’t think I am. I see a lot of my friends who are a lot more lavish with their pets.”

Lavish seems to be the trend in the pet-care industry, which has remained virtually recession-proof even as other retail and service sectors have nosedived.

Spending on pets is expected to reach $47.7 billion in 2010, a 16 percent jump since the recession began in December of 2007 and 83 percent more than even a decade ago, when spending was $26 billion.

The tough economy, while it has halted spending on some things, actually has made things more cushy for some pets.

Their companionship often helps Americans get through that layoff or tight budget, said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association.

“As times have gotten tough and scary for people, pets are where people find comfort and solace,” he said. “Pets don’t have bad days. They can’t tell you a sad story. They are just there saying, ‘Let’s play.’“

But there can also be a downside to the poor economy for animals, as job losses and pay cuts force people to give up their pets. The Humane Society of Indianapolis has noticed an increase in people bringing animals in during the recession — many because they’ve been forced to move from a house to an apartment that doesn’t allow pets, said Tristan Schmid, spokesman for the society.

“A smaller but significant number of people surrender simply because they can’t afford an animal’s care anymore,” he said.