MARTYN JAMES

Pets, protection and ways you can cut your vet bills

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Every time I write about pets my inbox melts. It's clear that pets, vets and insurance, and the issues that come with them, are very close to the hearts of readers.

There's no doubt we're a nation of animal lovers. It's estimated that there are 38million pets in the UK, according to the PAWS report (from the fabulous vet charity, the People's Dispensary For Sick Animals) including 10.6m dogs, 10.8m cats and 800,000 rabbits.

More than half of adults have a pet in their lives. Yet only 4.4million pet insurance policies were taken out in 2024. That's a real concern, because when your pet gets sick, it can be very pricy indeed. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that vet bills had increased at twice the rate of inflation.

Worryingly, recent reports suggest some vets are inflating prices by charging for unnecessary procedures.