December 12, 2024, 8:36 am | Read time: 4 minutes
It has been two years since the scale of fees for veterinarians was adjusted. This resulted in a considerable price increase for many services. Animal welfare activists warned even then that many people would no longer be able to afford to treat their animals. A survey by the German Animal Welfare Association found that since then, more sick animals have ended up in animal shelters.
Starting November 22, 2022, veterinary care costs for sick pets soared for owners. At that time, the Federal Council decided on a new scale of fees for veterinarians (GOT), which provided for price increases of up to 163 percent. For example, the cost of vaccinations doubled. The price increase caused much resentment among pet owners. Animal rights activists also feared that many animals would end up in shelters as a result – especially if they were ill.
More than two years after the increase, this seems to be proving true. This is suggested by a survey conducted this year by the German Animal Welfare Association in cooperation with the pet food chain Fressnapf. The results were made available exclusively to PETBOOK on request.
More Sick Animals in Animal Shelters
Fifty-six percent of the animal shelters surveyed stated that the number of animals in their care had risen sharply since 2022. In the remaining cases, it had either risen slightly (26%) or remained the same (16%). Only two percent of the animal shelters surveyed stated that the number had decreased slightly.
The survey asked specifically about the assessment of whether more sick animals are ending up in animal shelters since the increase in the GOT in November 2022. 34 percent of the facilities surveyed answered “yes, significantly more,” and 40 percent “yes, slightly more.” Only one percent stated that the number of sick animals was decreasing slightly.
This suggests that many surrender their sick animals because they can no longer afford the treatment. This impression is also conveyed by the result of the question as to whether more owned animals end up in animal shelters for financial reasons since the increase in the GOT. A third of respondents answered “yes, significantly more.”
The Most Common Reasons why Animals End up in Animal Shelters
However, if you look at the most frequently cited reasons given by pet owners for relinquishing their pets, increased medical costs “only” come in fourth place. The most common reason given by owners was that they were overwhelmed by their pet, followed by a lack of time or a biting incident. Only 16 percent stated that they had given their animal to a shelter because it had become ill.
“Of course, owners don’t always tell shelters the real reason for surrendering an animal truthfully,” says Lea Schmitz, spokesperson for the German Animal Welfare Association, commenting on the survey results for PETBOOK. Experience shows that other reasons, such as allergies, are often put forward.
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No Improvement in the Situation in Sight
“In the case of animals that have been abandoned, the reasons remain completely unknown,” says Schmitz. Ultimately, many causes could come together. Excessive demands, spontaneous vacation plans, unexpected costs (especially for expensive vet bills), and/or unexpected time commitments. Changes in living conditions or simply the previously unknown requirements for keeping animals in a species-appropriate manner can often quickly outweigh the joy of having a new family member if the purchase of the animal was not well thought out in advance.
It is not yet clear whether the situation will improve in the coming years. The pet industry is thriving. The German Animal Welfare Association reported in a commentary in mid-July that half of animal shelters were full or even overcrowded. Only 18 percent still had any capacity at all. “Animal shelters have to impose admission freezes repeatedly. There is anger, despair, and hopelessness,” it says.
A total of 218 participants took part in the trend survey on the situation at animal shelters in April/May 2024. This was conducted via an online survey in the “Internal Area” for member associations of the German Animal Welfare Association using the online questionnaire tool “LamaPoll.”