A study from the Royal Veterinary College with UK dog owners who acquired puppies in 2020 has revealed how cost-of-living pressures have affected dog-owning households. More than a third of owners (33.6%) reported that the cost-of-living crisis had affected their own household lifestyle rather than their dog’s management, with only 12.4% reporting a negative effect on how they looked after their dog.

Since 2021, UK households have faced declining disposable incomes as the prices of essential goods and services have outgrown wages. Previous research by animal welfare charities had raised concerns that financial pressures may be affecting owners’ ability to meet dog care costs, but there had been limited data examining how individual aspects of dog care have been impacted.

Therefore, spending on fourteen aspects of dog care was examined in this new RVC study, including training, diet, grooming, insurance, preventive healthcare, behavioural support, veterinary care and paid daytime services, with data spanning November 2022 to January 2024. Despite more than a third (33.6%) of dog owners reporting that their household lifestyle spending had worsened, at least 80.2% of owners reported making no changes as a result of cost-of-living pressures.

However, while this suggests that most dog owners are cutting back on their own lifestyles to shield their pets from the impact, the findings indicated that continued financial pressures could increasingly put canine health and welfare at risk. 10.8% of respondents anticipated needing to make potentially negative changes to their dog’s care during the six months following the survey, with some of those owners having already cut back on services including professional training, insurance, grooming and veterinary care.

The RVC’s findings highlight the importance of ensuring owners experiencing financial difficulties can access preventive healthcare, veterinary care, training and behavioural support before financial pressures translate into more serious or longer-term welfare problems.

Findings that suggested financial pressures due to the cost-of-living crisis were beginning to influence decisions included:

• 21.2% of owners reported cancelling planned dog training or being less likely to seek professional training advice.
• 16.6% of owners reported reducing their level of pet insurance cover, switching to lower cover or a higher excess, cancelling their policy altogether or deciding not to renew.
• 15.7% reported becoming less likely to use services such as dog walkers or doggy daycare or switch to a cheaper paid service.
• 15.6% of owners who had previously used a professional dog groomer reported using one less often because of rising living costs.
• Among owners whose dog had experienced a health problem during the previous nine months, 14.8% reported potentially negative changes to how they sought veterinary care, including spending more time searching online before seeking veterinary advice, using home remedies or cancelling or delaying a planned visit.
• 8.8% reported potentially negative changes to how they sought behavioural support for their dog, including delaying or not seeking advice, or turning to other sources before professional support.

These insights could help veterinary professionals, animal welfare organisations and dog care providers identify where owners may need greater support. It may also inform future efforts to help owners continue meeting their dogs’ needs during periods of financial pressure.

Dr Rowena Packer, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the RVC and senior author of the study, said: “Dogs in the UK are often regarded as family members, and our findings suggest that many owners are trying to shield them from the financial pressures imposed upon households by the cost-of-living crisis. Owners were almost three times more likely to report that the cost-of-living crisis had affected their own lifestyle than their dog’s care.

“However, there are limits to how much owners can absorb rising costs themselves, and we found financial pressures influencing decisions about their dogs’ care. Changes included reducing insurance cover, cutting back on professional training and behaviour advice and limiting grooming services. These changes may have important implications for canine health and welfare over the longer term. Helping owners access essential veterinary, preventive and behavioural support during periods of financial hardship could help prevent much more serious welfare problems.”

Simona Zito, Grants and Programmes Manager at Battersea, said: “Battersea is proud to have funded this important piece of research through our ongoing partnership with the RVC. Understanding the pressures pet owners are under helps us better support owners and shape how we think about dog welfare during difficult times. This research reinforces why access to advice, preventive care and behavioural support matters so much, and we'll continue to look at how we and the wider sector can help owners keep their dogs healthy and happy, even when times are tough.”

The research surveyed 770 UK owners of dogs bought as puppies during the COVID-19 pandemic, when their dogs were around three years old, to investigate how the cost-of-living crisis had affected household finances and dog care.

The survey was conducted between 2022 and 2024 and was funded by Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and forms part of the RVC’s ongoing Pandemic Puppies research programme.