2 Oct 2023
Charity leaders say the financial crisis facing pet owners is still getting worse and a suspension of VAT charges can help keep more pets in their homes.
Image: © Monkey Business / Adobe Stock
More Government action is needed to help pet owners who are continuing to struggle with the rising cost of living, the RSPCA has warned.
Although hundreds of animals are estimated to have been helped to stay in their homes through its partnership with a major pet care company, the charity said its research shows the crisis is still “escalating”.
The group has now renewed calls for VAT charges on veterinary services and pet food to be suspended, after similar pleas were resisted earlier this year.
In a statement to Vet Times, it said that while it remained ready to help people and animals in need, supportive actions were needed from ministers, too.
It continued: “We remain disappointed that the UK Government’s last budget included no specific measures to directly help millions of pet owners who are struggling.
“Removing VAT on vet services for pets, including medicines, and on pet food, would be a great way to help.”
Tens of thousands of people backed an earlier campaign, led by Dogs Trust, for a 12-month pause on the charges ahead of the budget in March.
While overall UK inflation has been falling in recent months, with the recorded rate standing at 6.7% in August, the RSPCA argues that trend is not yet being felt by pet owners.
According to its research, the average price of a tin of dog food has soared by 32% since April of this year to £1.05, while the cost of dog treats is estimated to be 17% higher than it was a year ago.
A survey of more than 4,000 UK adults, commissioned jointly by the RSPCA and its counterpart organisation in Scotland and Northern Ireland for its 2023 Animal Kindness Index, found 81% of respondents were finding it more expensive to care for their pets, up from 68% last year.
Meanwhile, the proportion who believed caring for their pet was “much more” expensive had more than doubled from 16% to 34%.
The analysis, compiled by the polling organisation YouGov, also found 38% of pet owners had changed their behaviour during the past year because of financial pressures and almost a quarter of them (24%) believed their pet had suffered as a result.
Just under 1% also disclosed they had had their pet euthanised for financial reasons, while the RSPCA further reported an 11% increase in pet abandonments during the first four months of this year compared to 2022.
Although the financial crisis remains one of the main pressure points on animal welfare, some owners have been offered hope through the Better Together Fund established by the RSPCA and Purina last autumn.
Officials estimate the partnership, which sees RSPCA officers provide vouchers for veterinary care to owners in need, has already helped nearly 900 animals, many of which might have had to be rehomed without it. The company is also supporting the charity’s ongoing vet voucher scheme trial, which issues vouchers directly to veterinary practices to help cover the cost of care.
RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy said: “We want to keep as many pets in loving homes as possible.
“That’s why our partnership with Purina has been so invaluable for keeping pets with their owners and has offered a lifeline for hundreds of pet owners during this awful cost of living crisis.”
Purina’s UK managing director Calum Macrae added: “We know how precious the pet-human bond can be and want to help keep as many pets as possible happy, healthy and with their loving owners, even during these incredibly tough times.”
Meanwhile, the RSPCA has also welcomed the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority review of the UK veterinary sector, particularly its focus on the price of services.
The group said it hoped the process “will help deliver a balance to ensure fees are as affordable as possible for pet owners, while also supporting a healthy veterinary profession”.
