OPINION: Following a terrifying bout of ill-health for Leela the dog, Claire Hamlett tells us how she can now relate to the struggles faced by people caught in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and looking for ways to avoid expensive vet bills.

At the beginning of June, I discovered that my dog Leela’s kidneys weren’t functioning properly. The next two weeks involved what felt like an endless series of trips to the vet, including the emergency one, to give Leela fluids through an intravenous drip in the hope of flushing out her kidneys while we tried to figure out what was causing them to fail. Patches of her long fluffy fur on her forelegs, neck, and belly needed to be shaved for IV drips, blood tests, and an ultrasound. She lost her appetite and two kilograms in weight. I spent several nights barely sleeping, my hand on her side while she slept next to me so I could make sure she was still breathing. I cried buckets, in agony over not knowing whether she would get better while we waited in limbo for test results to point us in the right direction for treatment.

Awful as those weeks were, at least I could afford the vet bills and had family I could ask for help if not. Insurance would have helped a bit but Leela’s had lapsed by accident, overlooked in the grind of tending to life admin. Every time I took out my bank card to pay another fee of hundreds of pounds, I thought about people who wouldn’t be able to spare that much to save their beloved companions. And there are lots who are worried about ending up in that nightmarish position. The RSPCA has found that Google searches for “can I give my dog paracetamol” have almost tripled in the past two and half years. “Whenever you get a situation where people are genuinely short of money or are worried they are going to be, there will inevitably be pet owners who either delay seeking attention from a vet or even, sadly, don’t seek attention at all,” Robin Hargreaves, former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), told the Guardian.

A survey conducted by the Dogs Trust in June found that two-thirds of the UK’s dog guardians are worried about the cost of caring for their dogs in the coming year as the cost of living crisis drags on. The biggest fear people have is how they would pay for vet bills, with 49 per cent of dog guardians citing it as their main worry. As we explained in a recent post on the cost of living crisis, some people will give up their animals due to financial pressures, while others will deal with the problem by caring for their animals instead of themselves. As the RSPCA discovery shows, still others will try to handle any health issues in their animals by trying to treat them at home, which can be dangerous while also failing to treat the cause of their pain or illness.

Some people think that vets simply charge too much or insist on unnecessary tests in order to squeeze more out of clients. This was certainly suggested to me by a few people when they heard how much it was costing me simply to try and get a diagnosis for Leela. Clearly having dealt with such accusations before, the BVA has a blog and some resources explaining the cost of veterinary care, which includes covering staff salaries, the cost of equipment and medicine, paying rent for premises, and investment in staff training and development. As with those working in human health care, the pay is lower than many expect and a disproportionately high number of vets suffer from mental health issues. Vet bills may be significant, but they pay for work that is demanding and highly skilled. And at least in the case of the vet practice where Leela is a patient, I saw all my money being put to good use in the highest standards of care from everyone including the diligent vets and nurses, and the kind receptionists who clearly adored Leela (who could blame them?) and comforted me whenever I started crying in front of them.

Fortunately, for those who can’t afford the bills but meet certain criteria such as being on benefits, help is at hand. Animal charities PDSA and the Blue Cross both provide assistance with vet bills and treatment. The more people that know about such services the better, as it may save their animal’s life. For others, researching the various options for pet insurance is probably the safest way to go. It can seem like a pointless expense while your animals are healthy, and some are barely worth it for all their exclusions. But animals are unfortunately vulnerable to so many hazards that if you can afford it, it’s a good idea to get it - and not let it lapse!

As for Leela, she tested negative for everything the vet suspected and her last blood test showed that her kidney function had returned to normal. What made her so ill is a mystery, but I’ll take the gift of her restored health with the utmost gratitude. It also means I won’t have the ongoing vet ills I had feared. Over the second half of June, Leela returned bit by bit to her old sweet silly self, though her belly fur will take a while to return to its former glory.

Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.

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