Dog welfare concerns as owners seek to cut costs

Changes made by the owners of “pandemic puppies” impacted by the cost of living crisis could have significant long-term welfare consequences, researchers have warned.

Newly published analysis has found nearly one in eight participants had already made changes to their dogs’ care for financial reasons, with more expecting to do so in the future.

But the study, published in the Animals journal, warned its findings could “substantially underestimate” the true scale of the problem.

Survey data

The paper is based on survey data collected from 770 pandemic puppy owners between 2022 and 2024 as the dogs reached their third birthdays.

More than one-third of participants (36%) reported their household incomes had been negatively impacted by cost of living issues, even though a substantial majority (71.6%) were classed as having above average incomes.

Despite that, only 12.4% said they had made changes to their dogs’ care on cost grounds, with a further 10.8% saying they expected to do so in the future.

Care changes

However, 14.8% of owners whose dogs had experienced health problems in the previous nine months reported making changes to their veterinary care regime, including using home remedies, cancelling or delaying a planned visit to practice, or spending more time searching online before seeking professional advice.

Even higher proportions reported reducing their spending on groomers (15.6%), walking or daycare services (15.7%), insurance (16.6%) and professional training advice (21.2%).

The study warned: “Given the relative affluence of our respondents and the specific features of this cohort, these results may not be widely generalisable and may substantially underestimate the negative impacts of the [cost of living crisis] on canine welfare in the wider UK population.”

‘Limits’

Senior author Rowena Packer, a senior lecturer in companion animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC, said the findings showed many owners were trying to “shield” their dogs from the impact of financial pressures.

But she added: “There are limits to how much owners can absorb rising costs themselves and we found financial pressures influencing decisions about their dogs’ care.

“These changes may have important implications for canine health and welfare over the longer term.

“Helping owners access essential veterinary, preventive and behavioural support during periods of financial hardship could help prevent much more serious welfare problems.”

Battersea funded

The study, which was funded by Battersea, raises key questions about how best to support struggling owners at a time when many charities are also facing severe financial strain.

The organisation’s grants and programmes manager, Simona Zito, said: “Understanding the pressures pet owners are under helps us better support owners and shape how we think about dog welfare during difficult times.

“This research reinforces why access to advice, preventive care and behavioural support matters so much.

“We’ll continue to look at how we and the wider sector can help owners keep their dogs healthy and happy, even when times are tough.”