Mum spends £150 a month from her Universal Credit on pet bills | Personal Finance | Finance
Issabell Livesey has been hit by soaring pet bills (Image: Issabell Livesey)
A mum-of-two has spoken about how soaring pet bills have left her struggling to make ends meet. The costs of specialist dog food and other treatment has meant she has had to delay paying other bills and keep the heating off during winter.
Issabell Livesey, from Cambridgeshire, gets £1,542 a month in Universal Credit and £180 in Child Benefit. She pays £1,000 on her rent and between £150 and £200 and on her water and energy bills, leaving her with between £522 and £572 to cover her other essentials.
She spends around £150 a month on her two presa canarios, a large breed of dog, and these bills have shot up in recent months. She 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.”
Read more: Pensioners urged to follow 3-month savings rule
Read more: HMRC clarifies one-week rule for how it taxes the state pension
Issabell has two children, Mika, 3, and Arvi, 5, and the family have had to keep 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 looking at if you are claiming benefits such as Universal Credit.
These are discounted mobile and broadband tariffs you can get if you are on a low income or on certain benefits. You can view the tariffs that are available on the Ofcom website.
Issabell said she has had to make sacrifices to provide for her two dogs. 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.” Asked if she would ever consider giving up her dogs to bring down 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.”
A survey from lender Creditspring found that 59 percent of pet owners have seen their costs go up compared to a year ago. This included a 45 percent spike in the cost of routine vet costs, while the cost of emergency treatment has risen by a third.
Less than three in 10 said they would have enough savings available to cover a surprise £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.”
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
