‘The pets NHS could be implemented in a cost-effective manner, perhaps focusing on health checks, vaccinations, and emergency treatments’

A STATE-FUNDED veterinary care system would be a compassionate, logical extension of the health service that has been such a source of national pride for so many decades.

It would ensure all pets, regardless of their owners’ financial circumstances, receive the medical attention they need. Similar to the way dentistry has become perceived, the expense of regular check-ups and minor treatments is prohibitive.

We hear this week how pet owners are facing the heartbreaking choice between their own financial security and having to get rid of their dearest companion.

The line from the British Veterinary Association is that people should think twice before getting a pet, and those that don’t are behaving recklessly.

To hell with all that.

Apart from a fun companion for young children, a devoted pet can provide a huge mental health boost to people living alone or facing hardship.

Studies repeatedly show that pets help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and combat loneliness, especially among vulnerable groups like the elderly and those with mental health issues.

A progressive society should not deny any of that to some­one based on how much they have in the bank.

Knowing that their pets will receive necessary medical attention regardless of financial constraints, fostering healthier, happier relationships between pets and owners.

The other side of that coin is that living with a sickly pet, and feeling unable to help them, can nurture an over­whelming anxiety, which ripples out in all kinds of ways.

Social isolation – a huge problem in Camden, which has one of the highest percentages of people living alone in the country – became a real issue during Covid, one that the powers-that-be seemed keen to resolve. But in reality little has been done.

A secure system of pet ownership would go a long way to addressing this. And from our pets’ perspective, a publicly funded veterinary service would ensure routine vaccinations, parasite control, and general health checks, reducing the incidence of zoonotic infections, and contributing to a healthier human population overall.

Critics might argue that a pet NHS would drain govern­ment resources and divert funds from human healthcare.

And yet we are able to find money to weaponise warring nations abroad, slavishly continue with HS2, to bail out banks, among other outrages.

The pets NHS could be implemented in a cost-effective manner, perhaps focusing on health checks, vaccinations, and emergency treatments.

The news is about to become dominated by the presidential race in the United States. When we look at the shambles going on across the pond, most will question the insanity of their gun laws and the cruel nature of their health system.

We are proud to say that healthcare is a universal right in this country. And it should be for our animals too.