In recent years, the animal rights organization Hundstallet has noticed an increase in economic vulnerability among households - and how it affects the animals.
- The dogs we take in are often in poorer condition, for example they may have contracted chronic diseases that the owners could not afford to treat, says Johnny Kroneld, head of communications at Hundstallet.
According to the animal rights organization, it also happens that hospitals get in touch after a dog owner has not been able to pay the bills and ask if the Kennel can take care of the dog and the care costs.
The Hundstallet's annual survey was recently presented. There, 43 percent of the roughly 1,000 respondents answered that they find it difficult to pay a veterinary cost of more than SEK 10,000. 12 percent state that they refrained from giving their dog care because they could not afford it.
In the survey, 81 percent agree that it is a class issue to be able to afford a dog today. One of the grim conclusions is that because veterinary costs are so high, many households should refrain from getting a dog.
In many cases, the dog owners who leave their animals to the Kennel have no insurance at all.
- And dental care is not covered by animal insurance. It often costs SEK 15,000 - 25,000, many of our dogs have to be treated for that, says Johnny Kroneld.
In the Swedish Agricultural Agency's animal welfare report from May, which is based, among other things, on information from the county administrations' animal welfare inspectors, the same picture is given. According to the report, it has become more common for pet owners to hesitate to take dogs and cats to the vet, they would rather see the animals "die on their own at home" than be euthanized in a clinic - and the percentage who do not have insurance is increasing.
Hundstallet's Johnny Kroneld has wooed the politicians on these issues, together with Olivia Schell, who runs vetpris.se. The site was started as a reaction to the fact that you cannot know in advance what it will cost to care for your animal. The aim is "to give pet owners power over their own wallets".
There is also a Facebook group, "Veterinary Care Prices", with tens of thousands of users who input veterinary costs into a clickable map.
Olivia Schell gives an example that she believes shows the differences in cost for cesarean section: two bitches, same breed, same time of day (6 p.m.), two different clinics: For the one operation, the vet charged 94,000 kroner. At the other clinic, it cost SEK 25,000.
- The only difference was that the uterus was also removed, but it cost SEK 5,500. So subtract that from 94,000 and it's completely comparable, says Olivia Schell.
The opinion seems to have yielded results, because recently the industry organization Swedish Veterinary Medicine wrote on DN Debatt and promised that the clinics should become more transparent, that they should introduce price lists on the clinics' websites before the turn of the year and remove the "price shock".
According to the Swedish Competition Authority, another reason for the galloping costs is that animal healthcare in Sweden has become more advanced. For example, examinations with a magnetic camera are common, and you can also nowadays treat dogs affected by cancer.
- It's hard to imagine that you would turn back the clock, that you would reverse the tape. We cannot have the same care as we had 15 years ago, and the vets work according to science and proven experience. Advanced care is probably here to stay, says Olivia Schell.
Several with whom DN has spoken state that veterinarians sometimes feel that they need to do more examinations than necessary because they are afraid of missing something, which in turn can lead to them being at risk of being reported by the animal owner.
Olivia Schell and Johnny Kroneld believe that a solution could be that you have freedom of agreement between the animal owner and the veterinarian, where you agree on the level of care you are going to receive, and that the veterinarian cannot then be blamed afterwards.
- We have to open the possibility for several levels of care. It can't just be the absolute best or nothing. You have to be open to the fact that different pet owners have different financial conditions, says Olivia Schell.
