The number of pets being abandoned or surrendered to shelters is growing as Australian owners struggle with unexpected health expenses amid rising cost of living pressures.

And people are adopting pets from shelters with unknown medical histories and often pre-existing conditions, all leading to unexpected costs .

Compounded with cost-of-living increases, financial stress has led to a large number of pet abandonments and surrenders to animal shelters — with more than 81,000 animals entering RSPCA shelters nationally in 2023-2024, according to the latest data.

Sydney local Liam said he understood how unsuspecting owners can be hit by substantial medical costs, after his six-month-old puppy, RJ, became sick in June.

“I noticed he started getting sick one day, he wasn’t feeling quite

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