Rising costs in the UK could have “a worrying impact” on the welfare of people’s pets, one of the biggest animal charities in the country warned on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky News, a spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) explained that as the “rising cost of living puts a strain on people’s finances,” there is concern that more pets will be abandoned. The charity is also worried that it could see a rise in the number of pets “being treated with home remedies to cut costs instead of being taken to the vet.”
“This could all have a worrying impact on animal welfare,” the spokesman said, while urging pet owners struggling with care for their animals to “seek help from friends and family,” or reputable charities.
Earlier this month, the RSPCA reported that the cost-of-living crisis added “a further dimension” to the problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, when a massive increase in dog ownership led to a rise in abandonments and cases of animal cruelty. More than 3 million dogs were acquired in the UK during the lockdown, according to a Pet Food Manufacturers Association report in 2021. Last year, more than 92,000 dogs were reported to the charity as victims of cruelty – a 16% rise in one year.
While the average monthly cost of care for a small dog, according to vet charity PDSA, is about £50 ($60), expenses can skyrocket if a pet becomes ill, with some procedures costing thousands of pounds.