The family have had to go without heating to pay their bills

A mum-of-two has spoken about how soaring pet bills have left her family struggling to get by. The costs of specialist dog food and other treatment has meant she has had to delay paying other bills and even keep the heating off during winter.

Issabell Livesey, from Cambridgeshire, receives £1,230 a month in Universal Credit and £180 in Child Benefit. Her regular bills include £1,000 for her rent and between £150 and £200 in water and energy bills. This means she is left with between £522 and £572 to cover her other essentials. She spends £150 a month on her two presa canarios, a large breed of dog, and these costs have shot up in recent months. The mum said: “I prioritise my dogs’ care above all else. Between insurance, specialist food, flea and worm treatments, I’d say a significant chunk of my monthly allowance goes on them. The specialist food for Koubla and Xena has risen by nearly 20 percent over the past year, and emergency vet visits can cost over £150 in one go, which is almost a quarter of my monthly income.

“My pet bills are around £150 a month, which is a significant part of my Universal Credit, but they are family.” Issabell has two children, Mika, 3, and Arvi, 5, and the family have had to maintain a tight budget as their living costs have risen.

She said: “As a parent of two with two big dogs, my budget is a jigsaw puzzle. Over the last few years, our food and energy bills have jumped by nearly 25 percent, meaning I have become an expert at ‘yellow sticker’ shopping and social tariffs just to make sure the kids and the dogs don’t feel the pinch.”

Social tariffs are worth exploring if you are receiving benefits such as Universal Credit. These are hugely discounted mobile and broadband packages available to those on a low income or claiming certain benefits.

You can check the tariffs on offer via the Ofcom website. Issabell said she has had to make sacrifices to provide for her two dogs.

‘It’s exhausting’

She said: “I often delay paying utility bills, walk instead of using public transport, and keep the heating off during winter. It’s exhausting, but I can’t compromise on my dogs’ health – they are my emotional support and my lifeline.

When asked whether she would ever consider rehoming her dogs to reduce her bills, the mum said: “No, absolutely not. Koubla and Xena are part of my family. Rehoming them would be devastating for all of us emotionally.

“I’d rather make sacrifices in my own life than see them suffer.” She also said: “My dogs are part of my family. They protect us and our home.”

Research from lender Creditspring found that 59 percent of pet owners have seen their costs increase compared to a year ago. This included a 45 percent rise in routine vet expenses, while emergency treatment costs have climbed by a third.

Fewer than three in 10 respondents said they would have sufficient savings to cover an unexpected £500 bill. Tamsin Powell, consumer finance expert at Creditspring, said: “Pets are part of the family and most owners will do whatever they can to keep them healthy. But when food, insurance and routine care are all rising at once – and an unexpected vet bill can run into the hundreds – it doesn’t take much for a household budget to tip into stress.

“Our research shows many pet owners would have to borrow, use a payment plan, or cut back elsewhere to cover a £500 treatment cost. Borrowing isn’t anyone’s first choice, but these numbers show how quickly a surprise cost becomes a crisis when people don’t have a buffer.”

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