Pet owners are putting their sick animals down as they are unable to afford sky-high vet costs, experts told Metro.
Animal care is no longer what it used to be, with many clinics kitted out with expensive equipment and offering round-the-clock care.
Yet the price of veterinary care has risen by more than 60% over the last decade, far above inflation. A basic consultation, on average, costs £58.
Pet owners told the BBC that they are delaying potentially life-saving treatment as they can’t pay the vet bills.
Caroline said after forking £4,500 to treat her 19-year-old cat Ozzie’s brain tumour, she couldn’t afford to get him cremated when he died in 2022.
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She had no choice but to bury her cat in her back garden.
Why are vet bills more expensive?
A fair few reasons, animal healthcare providers and pet welfare charities told Metro. Corporations have been quietly gobbling up clinics for years, with just six companies owning 60% of vet practices in the UK.
Veterinary surgeons and nurses say these corporations have jacked up prices, which the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking into.
Vet clinics are facing higher costs, such as rent and energy bills, said Elvira Meucci-Lyons, the chief executive of the charity Mayhew.
She said: ‘Mayhew has a community vet clinic on-site, which offers free preventative veterinary treatment to owners who could not otherwise afford it, so we understand well the pressure created by rising energy, water and consumable costs – we feel this ourselves every day.’
For pets and people who love them alike, advances in animal healthcare are welcome. Many animal hospitals have cancer and neurology specialists who use diagnostic tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse ultrasound images.
But this all comes at a price, said Chris Bennett, the head of community programmes and partnerships at Woodgreen Pets Charity.
Chris said: ‘Veterinary medicine is advancing all the time, which means there are increased and wider treatment options available to owners – some of which will inevitably cost more than in previous years.
‘We’ve seen an increase in costs in veterinary medicine over the past years, but many of these costs are not directly controlled by veterinary teams.’
Pet medication often has a short shelf life, he said, which adds further financial strain.
How is this impacting pets and their owners?
Animal healthcare differs from human healthcare in the UK in one big way: pet owners pay fees out of pocket – up front, and in full – before treatment.
While pet insurance is an option, fewer than one in 10 owners have it, and it can still involve paying for treatment before leaving the waiting room.
A 2023 report by People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) found that nearly one-third (26%) of pet owners went into debt to afford treatment.
To shore up enough money to cover the treatment or pay off pricey insurance premiums, Elvira said, owners are making cutbacks.
She said: ‘We’ve come across more extreme situations in which, sadly, people forego meals themselves to afford food for their pets – an untenable situation. And of course, some pet owners feel forced to give their pets up for adoption.’
People are also delaying treatment so they can save, Dogs Trust said.
Speaking with Metro, the charity said: ‘Many of the UK’s dog owners are having to make cost-cutting decisions that could be harmful to their dogs’ health, such as skipping vaccines and worming treatments, and some dogs are missing emergency treatment because their owners can’t afford it.’
Dogs Trust added that it receives hundreds of requests per month from dog owners struggling to afford health care.
What people are giving up for their pets
To get by, PDSA said of the owners it spoke with:
- 34% are making cutbacks
- 17% are giving up personal luxuries
- 16% reducing their energy bills
- 11% are donating to charities less
- 9% are buying cheaper pet food
- 4% cancelled their pet insurance
Other owners turn to charities like Blue Cross, which said the number of people applying for its fund for people who can’t afford emergency care for their pets increased by 4,000% between May 2023 and March last year.
Paul Manktelow, chief vet at Blue Cross, told Metro that volunteers delivered 3million pet meals through pet food banks last year.
He said: ‘These are not choices people make lightly, they’re doing everything they can to care for their animals in the face of rising costs.’
‘This escalating cost crisis is harmful for everyone’
There are other options people have when their pets are injured or sick – let their animal die or opt for euthanasia.
Every expert Metro spoke with said that the news that more owners are putting their pets down as they can’t pay for healthcare isn’t ‘surprising’.
Blue Cross’ Paul said: ‘Sadly, this reflects the reality we’re seeing every day. When a pet becomes unwell and there’s no money for treatment, people can be left with heartbreaking decisions.
‘We’re seeing more pets brought to us when owners can no longer afford treatment, and more pets are being relinquished as their owners can no longer afford to care for them.’
He called on pet owners and vets to have ‘open conversations about all the options available’, such as pragmatic treatment plans instead of complex care.
Elvira, of Mayhew, added that euthanasia is something that should only ever be done for the animal’s quality of life if it’s best for them.
‘We’re heartbroken for owners that feel they have to make this decision for cost reasons, and heartbroken for their pets,’ she said.
‘We also know that higher euthanasia rates can have a detrimental effect on the mental health of vet professionals, who go into the profession to alleviate animals’ suffering.
‘From pet owners to vets and the animals themselves, this escalating cost crisis is harmful for everyone.’
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