Millions of pets could be just one vet bill away from being surrendered or facing the need to find a new home, new research suggests.

The stark findings come from a study of dog and cat owners for national pet charity Blue Cross, which is currently managing an unprecedented rise in dogs and cats needing its help.

Blue Cross has seen a 122% increase in dogs and an 80% rise in cats arriving at one of its 11 UK rehoming centres over the last four years, leaving the charity no choice but to highlight a hidden pet welfare crisis.

And with food, welfare and vet bills continuing to climb, rehoming teams fear even worse days lie ahead.

With more than half of all UK households owning a pet, the research suggests millions of owners are one vet bill away from potentially giving up their beloved companion. 

An unexpected vet bill of £600 would be unaffordable for one in five owners (20%), rising to nearly half (46%) if treatment costs reached £3,500, the survey suggests.

Almost three-quarters (72%) say they would need to borrow money or go into debt to pay for essential veterinary care. 

Newcastle, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester are the UK cities where owners are struggling the most, exposing a hidden pet welfare crisis.

According to the poll of 2,100 UK dog and cat owners, a fifth (21%) of Newcastle owners are struggling to afford their pet, followed by nearly one in six (15%) in Glasgow and Bristol and one in seven (14%) in Liverpool and Manchester. 

Across the UK, one in three pet owners (34%) are either struggling or seriously worried about the cost of keeping their pet due to rising costs of food for themselves, energy and utility bills.  

One in ten owners said they had already had to give up a dog due to financial pressure, while a further one in ten has seriously considered doing so. 

Almost half (48%) fear that rising costs could soon force them to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their pet. 

One in four owners have cut back on how much they feed their pet while more than a quarter (26%) have delayed or avoided visiting the vet because of cost concerns. 

Blue Cross Ambassador, Dr Ben Simpson-Vernon, known as ‘Ben the Vet’ on social media, says, “The unprecedented rise in pets coming into the charity’s rehoming centres is a tragedy unfolding every day.

“These statistics are more than just numbers – they are pets wanting loving homes, who, in many cases, have been surrendered because their owners have had to make the difficult decision to rehome their much-loved animal companions, as they were no longer able to afford their care.

“And what we see in rehoming centres is only part of the picture. Blue Cross’s research exposes a far bigger problem happening in homes across Britain. A hidden pet welfare crisis.

“As a vet, my priority is pet welfare and helping people do the best for their pets. But the rising cost of living, along with the increased costs of caring for pets and veterinary fees, is putting enormous strain on owners and the professionals trying to support them.”

Owners are also making personal sacrifices to keep pets fed and cared for, with nearly a quarter (23%) saying that they have gone without food themselves and 18% cutting back on heating. 

Blue Cross says it is seeing the consequences of this financial pressure every day, with growing numbers of pets being surrendered by owners into its centres and increasing cases of abandonment. 

On New Year’s Eve a cat called Jools was left in a carrier outside one of the charity’s rehoming centres, with a note reading “I need a home”, and days later an Akita called Yuki was found tied up outside the gates of another centre on January 2. 

More recently, eight-week-old kitten Bentio came into Blue Cross after his owner could no longer afford the vet costs for a jaw injury.

He came in earlier this month and has required surgery to wire his jaw back in place. He is currently in foster with a Blue Cross volunteer and will go up for rehoming when he’s ready for a new home.

With the crisis continuing to deepen, Blue Cross, which also runs four animal hospitals, fears an even greater surge in the number of pets being surrendered in the months ahead. 

The charity operates pet food banks in Sheffield, Exeter, Newport, Bicester and Manchester, and works with more than 500 food banks nationwide, supported by Pets at Home, to help keep pets fed and families together. 

It also provides low-cost vet care to pets whose owners receive certain means-tested benefits and live within the catchment area of one of its four animal hospitals, and works with private vets with its Veterinary Care Fund to help cut the cost of treatment for pet owners who can’t afford it. 

Chris Burghes, Blue Cross CEO, says: “This is a hidden welfare crisis unfolding behind closed doors across the UK. Owners are being forced into heartbreaking choices about feeding themselves and their families or giving up their pets. 

“Pets are part of the family, and for many people they are their only family or companion - their reason to get up every morning. We see the sacrifices owners are making every day to keep their pets, including skipping meals and cutting back on heating. 

“Without urgent action, more families will be pushed into the devastating decision to give up a much-loved animal. Our priority is to offer a lifeline and keep pets and people together wherever possible, rather than seeing animals suffer or families torn apart by circumstances beyond their control.” 

Full details can be found here: bluecross.org.uk/donate-now-to-help