Rising vet costs and abandonment are putting Europe’s pets at risk

Prices for veterinary services successful Europe person risen sharply successful caller years, acold outpacing wide inflation.

According to Eurostat’s harmonised scale of user prices (HICP), nan costs of vet attraction and related services is up much than 30% successful nan eurozone area and almost 37% crossed nan EU since 2015.

This intends that costs for veterinary services grew faster than wide EU inflation, which grew only 30% during nan aforesaid period, showing that pet-related costs are increasing faster than nan costs of living.

A pet checkup aliases curen coming costs astir a 3rd much compared to a decade ago.

For galore households, this makes nan rising costs of looking aft pets an progressively difficult burden.

Central and Eastern Europe deed harder

Of nan countries pinch disposable data, Hungary and Poland marked nan sharpest rise, pinch costs expanding by a whopping 116% successful Hungary and 85% successful Poland since nan user value scale baseline was group successful 2015.

Slovakia and Bulgaria are adjacent connected nan list, pinch nan costs expanding by 84% and 64% respectively.

One of nan main reasons for nan jump successful family full pet attraction prices is nan truth that nan marketplace boomed during and aft nan pandemic arsenic group bought animals successful grounds numbers.

According to nan European Pet Industry Federation (FEDIAF), 139 cardinal aliases 49% of households ain a pet successful Europe, pinch dogs and cats being nan astir celebrated companions.

In nan UK, FEDIAF estimates location are 11.7 cardinal dogs kept arsenic family pets, pinch Germany and Spain trailing adjacent down astatine 10.5 and 9.5 million, respectively.

In position of cats, Germany tops nan database pinch 15.7 cardinal cats kept arsenic family pets, pinch France coming successful 2nd astatine 14.9 million.

Italy and Turkey person nan largest number of ornamental birds kept arsenic pets, pinch astir 12.9 cardinal birds being kept successful arsenic pets successful Italy and 11.8 cardinal successful Turkey.

Pet nutrient monopolies and vet session corporations

A study published successful nan Veterinary Sciences diary successful 2024 finds that nan "corporatisation of veterinary care" is reshaping companion animal services crossed Europe.

Survey information shows that 16% of veterinarians now activity successful corporate-owned practices, compared to 51% successful independent clinics, highlighting a increasing displacement successful nan sector.

The inclination is peculiarly pronounced among younger professionals. According to nan authors, “43% of respondents nether 35 years of property and 57% nether 40 years” were employed successful firm settings, suggesting generational alteration successful nan profession.

While corporatisation tin bring benefits specified arsenic “structured profession pathways and economies of scale”, nan study warns of mounting concerns overpricing, reduced autonomy for veterinarians and title risks, which person already prompted scrutiny from regulators specified arsenic nan UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

Abandonment rates spike successful European nations

The German Animal Welfare Federation conducted a country-wide study of animal shelters, which reported that 69% of shelters are moving astatine capacity, while 49% are afloat aliases moreover overcrowded. Only 18% still person nan capacity to return successful animals.

According to nan group, nan awesome inclination of animal abandonment is linked to nan COVID-19 pet-adoption boom. During lockdowns, much group took successful pets to alleviate loneliness and to walk much clip outdoors.

"The number of group wanting to get free of their animals seems to beryllium higher than ever before. The animal shelters are overloaded and tin nary longer return attraction of each animal successful need,” said Thomas Schroeder, caput of nan German Animal Welfare Federation.

In Spain, location are hundreds of thousands of dogs abandoned each year, pinch Spanish news outlets claiming that astir 300,000 dogs were abandoned successful 2024, contempt chipping and sterilisation rules.

In France, it is estimated that betwixt 100,000 and 200,000 pets are abandoned each year.