Pet owners face gut-wrenching choices as cost of living vet bills mount

Almost a quarter of British pet owners have not taken their pet to the vet, when they really needed to, because they simply can’t afford it due to the cost-of-living crisis (21%).

Almost half (42%) have done this on multiple occasions as a result of this wretched cost of living crisis.

The consequences of this financial strain can be devastating. One in ten pet owners said they would seriously consider giving up their pets if they couldn’t afford medical treatment.

For those who do seek care for their pets, the anxiety of mounting medical bills can be overwhelming. Nearly 30% of pet owners in the Co-op and FirstVet research (essentially the 111 of vets) said they would go into debt to pay for treatment, while almost a quarter said they would seek charity help if needed.

Aston spoke to Peter Higgins, lead vet at FirstVet and Andrew Nevitt from Co-op.

Photo by Berkay Gumustekin on Unsplash