Pets on paracetamol: animals at risk as owners struggle with vet bills

‘If somebody rang me up to say: “My dog’s in pain – how much paracetamol should I give it?” I would never tell them. Because we need to know why the dog’s in pain’: British Veterinary Association spokesperson Robin Hargreaves. Photograph: Nina Kissell/Alamy

Vets fear people may be giving “dangerous doses” of paracetamol to their pets as fears grow that the cost of living crisis is impinging on animal owners’ ability to pay for medical help.

The RSPCA recently discovered that Google searches for “can I give my dog paracetamol” have almost tripled since January 2020, and that in May the number of searches for the same phrase was 28% higher than even at the height of lockdown, in April 2020, when vets were heavily restricting access to their clinics.