1.6 Million Pets Put Down Due to Vet Bill Costs

by Michael Ross
Published on 4 September 2008
1.6 Million Animals Put Down 'Due to Vet Bill Costs'

Pet owners are facing difficult choices, as bills rise by 12 percent a year.

Britons are facing up to a growing strain on their personal finances: caring for their pets.

According to figures from Sainsbury's Finance, vet bills are becoming increasingly unaffordable for many - with price inflation estimated at around 12 percent a year. This can be set against the current general inflation rate of 4.4 percent across all goods and services, which is itself at a 16-year high.

These price pressures have led pet owners to make some hard choices. The Sainsbury's research shows that 1.6 million cats and dogs were put down between 2003 and 2008 because their owners could not afford either veterinary fees or other medical costs of looking after their pet.

A further 2.5 million are thought to have declined treatment for their animal, potentially exposing it to pain, for cost reasons.

Neal Devine, Sainsbury's Pet Insurance manager, commented: "Our findings are very disturbing but also frustrating because in many cases if the owners had taken out good quality pet insurance they would have been able to treat their pet without any problems.

"The current credit crunch could compound this situation even further, with as many as one million pet owners looking to reduce their pet insurance cover or do away with it all together. This is a false economy."

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Your Comments

Elizabeth
on 8 Oct 2009 17:27
It's not just about taking out pet ins. As that doesn't cover the cost of general pet care eg: dental treatment, vaccinations etc. I have just been to vets, for both of the above. Total cost £220. Where is the justification in that. I was told by vet, that one of my dogs has a severe dental problem. But when I saw another vet 2wks ago, they said nothing about any dental problems.(Same Surgery- different vet each visit)So who's word do I take? This weeks vet wanted to put dog on antirobe(antibiotic) £28. I said I couldn't afford it this week, so declined. As wasn't even sure, I was being told the truth. Checked out the medication on internet. Same tabs-same amount £16.60? So... how come? Seems to me vets are in the same league as dentist.In it for the money. As you have to take their word, that the treatment is neccesary.Unless you can visibly see a problem how are we to know what's going on, we have to rely on what they tell us.
 
marena
on 23 Jan 2009 18:58
i think that you shouldn't put down your animal just because you can't pay for it, try to give it a new home I got a stray dog that someone left ion a feild and i took it under my shoulder and took care of him got him all his shots and it wasn't to hard to train him he was well trained so it just took a few times to get him house trained!
 
Lisa
on 6 Jan 2009 21:40
our cat was badly hurt in the face on Saturday night, had to go to an emergency vet and had operation to remove his eye,collected him Sunday morning and given a bill for £639.00,vet said she had kept cost down as we did not have any insurance cover. our cat is recovering and so am I over the cost!. I am not surprised that owners are having to put down there petst due to outrageous costs.
 
carol
on 27 Nov 2008 14:00
pet insurance is ok but you have to find the monry first before you get some but not all back
 
dr chris
on 9 Sep 2008 02:28
I am a veterinarian in the US. Everyday we are faced with euthanasia. It is never a decision taken lightly by me or the client. But realistically we do not want people to go into financial debt if they cannot afford the care. If an animal is to be euthanized, most, if not all cases the animal is suffering and there is not a "cure" "surgery" or easy fix. Euthanasia is a kind gesture in most cases to ease suffering and speed up the inevitable. Some vets are charging too much and running too much diagnostics, but that stereotype should not be applied to the majority. I treat my clients as if I was in their shoes and always offer various approaches to treatment. I think that vets get into this occupation for the return on helping animals and people in general, not to get rich. I could have easily gone to medical school to do that but we won't go there. My 2 cents.
 
Richard Palimda
on 6 Sep 2008 05:13
Pet insurance will not help. People need to start NEGOTIATING WITH THE DOCTORS. It is time to end the outrageous cost increases in basic medical care for both humans and animals.
 
jleaker
on 5 Sep 2008 20:18
"Our findings are very disturbing but also frustrating because in many cases if the owners had taken out good quality pet insurance they would have been able to treat their pet without any problems." If Vets werent trying to get rich off a single animal many people would be able to better afford to care for their animals. I took my cat, who just had a cold, to the vet and he charged $700. Thats considerably more than a people doctor.
 
Will
on 5 Sep 2008 19:14
It is outrageous the cost of pet bills these days. We have just been burdoned with our cat becoming ill the cost of this is a £35 monthly bill for tablets as well as blood tests and check ups every two weeks which cost £50-£60. Now we are not a family that can afford these costs, with a single mum being the only paying person in our household this is putting major pressure on our family. We have had the option to pay for an operation however that is £300 plus we just cannot afford it. They are seriously expoiting the pet industry and it is not fair on people and pets.
 
Mario
on 5 Sep 2008 17:39
The same thing is undoubtedly going on in America. One reason here is veterinarians keep their numbers artificially low. The story I've heard -- for years -- is that it is actually more difficult to get into veterinary school than medical school. Add this to the fact that more sophisticated treatments are now available. These treatments are extremely expensive. The vets here are only too eager to run every kind of diagnostic test available. Sometimes, you find out your animal has terminal cancer, for instance, and the vet offers you chemotherapy to extend the animal's life. That's just crazy, in most cases. We poor humans go to great lengths to extend our own miserable lives -- and now we're forcing months of suffering on our cats and dogs? I love animals. But, they're not people.