Know the costs before you take on a pet

The Scottish SPCA has issued a warning to new pet owners to take rising vet costs in to account when choosing to adopt or buy an animal.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity has seen calls from owners contacting their helpline because they can’t afford the costs of medical treatment more than double in the past year from 59 in 2020 to 141 in 2021.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said:“While we know Scotland is a nation of animal lovers, and for the most part people think carefully before taking on an animal, sadly lockdown has seen some people adopting or buying animals without considering the associated costs.

“Certain members of the public are happy to save up hundreds or even thousands of pounds to cover the initial outlay of buying an animal without realising that animal will need veterinary care for the rest of their life.

“As a charity, while we do our best to assist where we can, unfortunately we just don’t have the funds or resources to help people with veterinary costs.

“We would really urge people to think carefully about the lifetime cost of owning any animal before they bring that animal in to their lives.

“Even young and seemingly healthy animals can fall ill or be involved in an accident leading to unexpected veterinary bills.

“We would also advise people to take out pet insurance for any animal they own to give themselves peace of mind should something happen.”

The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals charity estimates the lifetime cost of caring for a dog to be a minimum of £4,600 but that figure could rise as high as over £30,000 depending on the size of the breed, how much care the animal needs and how long your dog lives.

For a cat, the minimum cost is around £12,000 but can rise as high as £24,000 if your cat lives longer than average or you need to spend more on care.