· 51% of vets have put down a pet cat or dog in the past five years because the owners couldn’t afford to treat them(2) · 80% of vets have had an uninsured dog or cat owner decline a course of treatment because they couldn’t afford it(2)·

Research suggests that the problem of pets being put to sleep or not receiving the right medical treatment because of cost could be getting worse

Every year, thousands of pet dogs and cats are being put down because their owners cannot afford the veterinary fees or ongoing medical costs of looking after their animals. New research(1) from Sainsbury’s Finance reveals that 1.6 million people have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat over the past five years because of this. In total, the research shows that 927,000 dogs and 822,000 cats were put down for this reason between 2003 and 2008.

These findings are supported by further Sainsbury’s Finance research(2) amongst vets that reveals more than half (51%) have had to put a cat or a dog to sleep in the past five years because the owner couldn’t afford their pet’s medical treatment.

In addition to this, again because of cost, the research(1) found that there are also many pets with medical conditions who are not receiving the recommended treatment because their owners cannot afford it. Over the past five years, 2.5 million people admitted that they have declined recommended treatment for their pet cat or dog because they simply couldn’t afford the cost. An overwhelming majority (80%) of vets confirmed that they had encountered this problem over the past five years.

Sainsbury’s Finance believes that there are two key reasons for this tragic problem. The first is that veterinary advances mean that the cost of vet fees is rising by around 12% per year(3). The second is that around 55% of cats and dogs are not insured(4), so owners cannot rely on an insurance policy to cover all or part of a vet’s bill and without this they may find it impossible to pay. Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance policy will pay up to £7,500 towards a vet’s bill.

Worryingly, Sainsbury’s Finance believes the situation of pets being put down or not receiving the recommended treatment for their medical conditions could be getting worse. Indeed, its research(2) reveals that 10% of vets claim that the number of uninsured dogs and cats they are asked to put to sleep because the owners couldn’t afford the treatment has increased when compared to five years ago, but only 5% think it has decreased. Similarly, 14% of vets stated that the number of owners with uninsured dogs and cats who have declined a course of treatment or operation because of cost has increased while only 6% believe it has fallen.

Neal Devine, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager, said: “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 (5). This is a false economy because when finances become tighter, it is even more important to have pet insurance so that you can pay any unexpected vet bills.”

Regionally, the East of England has the highest percentage of past and present pet owners (12.1%) who have had to put down a pet in the past five years because they couldn’t afford the treatment. This is closely followed by the West Midlands (11.3%) and the South East (8.8%).

Region Number of past and present pet owners who have had to have a dog or cat put down in last 5 years because they couldn’t afford treatment Proportion of past and present pet owners who have had to have a dog or cat put down in last 5 years because they couldn’t afford treatment East 291,000 12.1% West Midlands 278,000 11.3% South East 306,000 8.8% South West 160,000 6.7% East Midlands 115,000 5.1% London 134,000 4.9% Scotland 119,000 4.9% Wales 70,000 4.2% North East 34,000 3.3% Yorks & Humber 73,000 3.2% North West 53,000 2.0% Source: Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance, July 2008 Steve Dixon, a leading veterinary surgeon, said: “Vets are in business to treat and save the lives of animals not to put them to sleep because of cost. It can be heartbreaking for the vet and pet owner when this happens so we always advise owners to take out insurance to help avoid this situation.”

Good quality pet insurance does not need to be expensive, good cover at a competitive price can be found by shopping around. Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance is designed to offer some of the widest range of benefits available at a competitive price. For further information call 0800 0565758, log on to www.sainsburys.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in a Sainsbury’s supermarket.