1 Apr 2025
A senior charity official said veterinary fees are likely to be a factor in high levels of abandonment, though the BVA argued restrictions on routine services were unlikely to have had a long-term effect.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Blanscape / Adobe Stock
Animals are still feeling the impact of COVID lockdown restrictions “on a huge scale” five years after they were first imposed, a leading charity has warned.
New figures have revealed the RSPCA received more abandonment reports last year than in any year since the start of the pandemic.
But a senior BVA official has played down fears the rules may have “normalised” owners missing routine appointments, arguing subsequent financial challenges are likely to have been more significant factors.
More than 1,200 animals are currently being housed in private boarding facilities funded by the RSPCA because its own rescue centres are already full.
The charity also received 22,503 reports of animals being abandoned during 2024, in a trend it believes is at least partly linked to the cost of veterinary care.
A poll taken during a discussion of care costs at the BSAVA Congress in Manchester found more than two-thirds of participants (68.2%) were either very or moderately concerned about client access to care.
RSPCA chief vet Caroline Allen told the session practice fees were a factor in what she described as “a massive problem of relinquishment”, though she insisted she was not trying to blame clinicians for it.
Samantha Gaines, the charity’s head of companion animals, added: “Five years on from that first lockdown announcement, the impact for animals is still being felt on a huge scale.”
The group has also highlighted concerns that, following the temporary cessation of non-urgent veterinary procedures during the pandemic, at least some owners are still considering self-medicating for their pets.
It said there had been nearly 45,000 Google searches for the question, “can I give my dog paracetamol?” in the year to March 2024 alone, while data from its Animal Kindness Index indicated 36% of respondents had taken actions to reduce the cost of pet ownership.
Specifically, 4% of participating owners reported they had stopped going to their vet altogether, and Dr Gaines said the cost of living crisis was also likely to be a significant factor.
But she added: “With vets temporarily having to stop non-urgent procedures too, we fear this may have normalised people skipping routine appointments or looking to self-prescribe treatments at home rather than consult a professional.”
BVA junior vice-president Rob Williams acknowledged the pandemic and lockdowns had a “significant impact” on the sector, and had raised widespread animal welfare concerns.
But he also argued that subsequent data from the Voice of the Veterinary Profession surveys showed the impact of financial issues, with 91% of 2022 respondents citing that a key reason why owners did not seek treatment earlier.
He said: “There may have been a short-term COVID-related impact on seeking veterinary attention for poorly animals.
“However, since then, the cost of living crises and rising household costs have been the biggest drivers for animal welfare concerns.”
But Dr Gaines argued: “The cost of living crisis, for many, is a legacy of the pandemic.”
