The RSPCA and Dogs Trust have expressed disappointment that the UK Government’s budget contained no specific plans to support struggling pet owners – with charities left to pick up the tab amid rising operational costs.
Calls come as new data from the RSPCA’s Animal Kindness Index reveals more than half (56%) of pet owners are worried about being able to afford vet bills, while almost one in five animal owners (18%) are worried about paying for pet food.
More than half of British households own a pet – and the charities have joined forces to remind Ministers that the cost-of-living crisis “remains one of the biggest challenges for pets and their owners right now”.
So far this year, RSPCA frontline officers have dealt with an average 410 ‘multi-animal’ incidents – involving 10 or more every single month, an increase on 2025 which was already the highest year on record.
Meanwhile, Dogs Trust has had over 30,000 enquiries so far this year from owners looking to give up their dogs for a variety of reasons, including mounting financial pressures.
Providing targeted VAT relief on essential pet food and veterinary care, alongside statutory funding for community pet food banks and support for local authorities to deliver their statutory social care pet protection duties, had been earmarked as potential lifelines for pet owners.
Thomas Schultz-Jagow, executive director of advocacy and prevention at the RSPCA, said: “It’s disappointing that another UK Government budget has failed to include any specific measures to help pet owners at a time when animal welfare is battling a crisis.
“Our rescue centres are over-run, and our officers are responding to countless calls we feel could have been prevented had owners had access to support.
“VAT relief on pet food and veterinary care, and even modest support for schemes like pet food banks and those that promote responsible pet ownership could make all the difference.
“Sadly, pets and their owners have been forgotten again.”
Owen Sharp, chief executive of Dogs Trust, added: “We are a nation of animal lovers, with around 13 million dogs in the UK. Having a pet is a fundamental part of life for millions of us, but we’re in danger of pet ownership becoming a luxury.
“Every year, thousands of people contact us in crisis because they’re simply not able to cope with the basic costs of looking after their dog. We hoped we might see some measures today to help tackle these rising costs, but the bowl has been left empty yet again.”
Charities are footing the bill for many of the preventable harms being experienced by animals.
New data from the Animal Welfare Evidence Centre suggests that societal spending on animal harm costs between £830 million to £991 million a year – with the bulk of that coming from the charitable sector, and public donations.
But, according to the data, taxpayer-funded public bodies – including the police, courts, and local authorities – spend between £93 million and £141 million a year reacting to animal offences.
Mr Schultz-Jagow added: “The animal welfare sector delivers an essential public service, stepping in to care for thousands of vulnerable animals that cash-strapped local councils simply cannot manage.
“Despite this, charities are being left to absorb sky-high operational costs, rising vet bills, and heavier Employer National Insurance liabilities completely on their own following this budget.
“This budget not only missed a critical opportunity to help pet owners, but to safeguard the animal welfare charitable sector – which continues to serve as a vital safety net for society.”
