When loving your pet pushes you into debt

Vet bills can arrive suddenly, cost far more than expected and leave pet owners with little choice but to borrow.

For Abi, a single parent and animal rescuer, rising and unpredictable vet fees were one of the factors that pushed her into debt and eventually led her to seek help from Money Wellness.

Vets may soon be required to be far more transparent about what they charge, following concerns that pet owners are paying over the odds without fully understanding the costs involved.

According to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), average vet prices rose by nearly two-thirds (63%) between 2016 and 2023.

In response, the government is consulting on proposals designed to help people get better value when their pet needs treatment and avoid unexpected bills.

What’s being proposed?

Under the new plans, vets will have to:

• publish comprehensive price lists
• tell people about different treatment options and if costs change
• have an official operating licence
• be clear if they’re independent or part of a large group

A fairer complaints process is also be proposed, so customers have an easier and more effective way to raise concerns about treatment.

Abi’s journey into debt

When Abi came to Money Wellness, she owed around £13,000. Her financial situation had been shaped by years of instability, including a domestically abusive relationship where money was tightly controlled.

After leaving the relationship, Abi became a single parent to three children. Her income became uncertain, and she returned to training, to become a teacher in hairdressing and barbering, including supporting learners with autism and ADHD. She relied on universal credit to get by.

Some of the debt she built up came from trying to restart her career.

“I think the only thing I mainly accumulated on my own was the credit card for the buying the stuff to get me set up for work for the beauty side, so buying the equipment.”

But vet bills also played a role.

“We’re all animal orientated”

Abi rescues animals and sees caring for them as part of who she is.

“We’re all animal orientated… animals are a big thing to us,” she says, with her children involved in looking after them too.

She’s careful about the animals she takes on, aware of the potential costs, but one rescue cat led to treatment bills that quickly mounted.

Abi took in a Bombay pedigree cat who had been severely overweight. After helping the cat reach a healthy weight, dental problems became apparent.

The vet recommended dental surgery, which required upfront payments. However, the treatment was not carried out properly.

“The vets did an operation on her teeth… but they didn't do the job properly. Half of the teeth were still left in.”

Although the cat was insured, the insurance company failed to pay out as promised.

“So it's not always great to have insurance for animals because they don't pay out.”

Costs without clarity

Abi says she was not given a clear breakdown of costs at the start. Dental treatment was split into stages, each requiring a new payment, and changing vets meant starting again financially.

“Each vet can charge what they want. There's no regulations on how they can charge. They charge how they feel they should charge.”

To cover initial costs such as X-rays and cleaning, Abi turned to buy now, pay later products, adding further pressure to an already fragile financial situation.

An impossible choice

For parents struggling to make ends meet, deciding between a pet’s health and household bills can be overwhelming.

Abi says insurance is often presented as the solution, but when it fails, it leaves people feeling misled.

That’s why she believes clearer pricing and regulation are essential.

“I think all vets should have a set amount to charge so they can't charge what they feel like, because even working people can't afford it.”

If introduced, the proposed reforms could help prevent others from facing the same uncertainty Abi experienced, by making vet costs clearer before treatment begins and giving pet owners more protection when things go wrong.