The rising costs of veterinary care are putting animal shelters in a difficult position. More and more pet owners are turning to shelters for financial assistance with veterinary bills, while at the same time more animals are being surrendered or abandoned for financial reasons. These are the findings of a survey conducted by the German Animal Welfare Federation. Animal shelters are under constant financial pressure, while federal government support is lacking, as the German Animal Welfare Federation points out.
Since the Fee Schedule for Veterinarians (GOT) was comprehensively revised in 2022, many billing items have increased. Figures now released by the German Animal Welfare Association show that the number of pet owners asking animal shelters for financial help with veterinary costs is rising: About 80 percent of the animal welfare organizations surveyed confirm this trend. Similarly, the number of people who apparently don’t know what to do and abandon their pets is rising. Sixty percent of animal shelters report that, since the GOT was revised, they have had to take in an increasing number of found animals that were most likely abandoned. These animals are often old or sick, which makes it difficult to rehome them.
The higher veterinary costs also directly impact animal shelters: Nearly 80 percent of the facilities surveyed report significant to very significant additional costs, estimating them at 30 to 50 percent—and more.
“Without donations, many animal shelters would have closed their doors long ago,” says Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. He criticizes the fact that the costs of caring for found animals are not fully covered by local governments and that there is a lack of support from the federal government: “Politicians are letting the animal shelters down!”
After years, the revised GOT has taken into account the expanded standards of veterinary medicine and economic realities. From the perspective of the German Animal Welfare Federation, this is an important measure to maintain veterinary practices, clinics, and emergency services nationwide. However, since the GOT increase was accompanied by further cost increases across all areas of life, it hit animal shelters, animal welfare associations, and pet owners hard. The German Animal Welfare Association also sees a problem in the increasing takeover of veterinary clinics and practices by large chains that prioritize economic profit. Dr. Romy Zeller, pet welfare advisor at the German Animal Welfare Association, recommends that pet owners look into pet health insurance early on. At the same time, the German Animal Welfare Federation is advocating for relief for animal welfare organizations in the reevaluation of the GOT scheduled for 2026.
