Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels
By Charlie Fenton
The number of online U.K. fundraisers set up to pay for vet bills has surged as rising costs leave pet owners struggling to afford urgent treatment.
GoFundMe data shows a 54% increase in campaigns asking for money since 2022, with more than $1.9 million raised in 2025 alone, as owners turn to the platform for help.
The trend comes as veterinary prices have climbed sharply — rising 63% between 2016 and 2023 according to the Competition and Markets Authority — pushing many to seek financial support to cover life-saving care.
The donations stumped up in 2025 alone were up 71% on 2022 donations to similar appeals.
And 2026 is already 8% ahead of last year's pace, with over $1 million raised by mid-June.
Dog owner Oliver with his pug Chilli. He says his vet bills are sky-high. (SWNS)
The biggest campaign for an animal so far this year saw Oliver Cutts, 38, from Leeds, raise over $192,000 on GoFundMe to cover vet bills for his pug, Chilli, after vets said treating his seizures could cost up to $38,000 a year, he claims.
Chilli, a seven-year-old pug, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, has over 1.5 million followers on his TikTok page King Chilli The Pug.
Oliver said: "The fundraiser has gone far beyond anything we ever expected.
"He has made millions of people laugh online, but to us he is our little boy.
“Chilli is our family — We love that little man so much and we know so many of you love him too.
"Social media income is irregular and mainly comes from brand deals, which we do not do constantly.
"We are not saying anyone has to pay for Chilli. We would never want anyone to feel pressured.
Chilli The Pug at the vet. (SWNS)
"We are simply asking that if Chilli has made you, your friends, or your family smile over the years, and if you are able and willing to help, donating or sharing gives him a better chance.
"Every donation is for Chilli’s emergency treatment, specialist hospital care, medication, follow-up appointments, possible relapse care, and any long-term treatment he may need.
"We are incredibly grateful, overwhelmed, and still taking everything one update at a time."
In a recent update, the couple have revealed Chilli is now awake and is eating and drinking and has been trying to move again, though is not fully recovered and is still under specialist care.
Other mega appeals this year include Cosima Pole, from Brighton, raised over $7,700 for her Labrador Beetle, who needed emergency surgery after a grass seed caused a life-threatening abscess which made her airways shut.
And Lisa Fox, from Gloucestershire, who racked up $19,200 in vet bills after her llamas were diagnosed with tuberculosis, managed to raise $11,200 online to help with costs.