Call for doggy NHS health checks

A canine health company is calling for taxpayers to fund health checks for every middle aged dog in Britain.

Experts from Years.com, a UK brand dedicated to maximising the lifespan of dogs, says the likely cost of £200m a year would be offset by the many health benefits dogs provide to their owners.

They want every dog to have a free annual vet check once they reach seven years old - roughly equivalent to 50 in human years.

They say the policy could extend the lifespan of millions of beloved pets and claim it would be a huge vote winner for the government, with almost three in ten UK adults (29%) owning a dog.

Currently adults are offered free annual health checks on the NHS through their GP once they reach the age of 50 years old.

The experts believe dogs deserve the same level of care when they reach middle age and are asking for the annual checks to be carried out by a local vet once the dog reaches the age of seven.

There are estimated to be 11m dogs in Britain and Years.com believes around 4m could be aged seven or above.

With the cost of a canine health check at a vet's practice averaging £50 the experts believe the annual cost of the initiative would be approximately £200m.

But they point out that dogs already save the NHS millions every year by giving their owners a reason to take regular exercise and by bringing love and joy into the lives of millions of us.

Darren Beale, Years.com co-founder, said: "Humans are offered health checks on the NHS when they reach the age of 50 and we believe dogs deserve the same level of care.

"After all, to millions of us dogs are so much more than just pets, they are beloved family members.

"But unlike humans, dogs aren't able to tell us when they feel unwell and even the most attentive owners can miss the signs of sickness and disease until it's reached an advanced stage.

"Dogs make our lives better and have been shown to improve mental and physical wellbeing amongst their owners by countless independent studies.

"We believe dogs already save the NHS millions every year by giving their owners a reason for regular exercise and making their lives happier and more joyful.

"That's why we think dogs are worth investing in. So we are calling on the politicians to put £200m of taxpayers money to one side to fund annual physical health checks on all dogs once they reach the age of seven.

"By intervening early we believe we could extend the lives of millions of dogs across the land."

He added that the policy would be a massive vote winner for any political party brave enough to adopt it and said some of the costs could be claimed back from vets in additional taxation.

Over half of all vets practices in the UK are now being owned by six companies, who many complain, charge high prices for basic services like health checks.

Darren Beale continued: "Politicians should not underestimate how much us Britons love our dogs. For millions of us they are like children and we would do anything for them.

"That's why we think this policy has the power to be a real vote winner at the polling booths when the next general election comes round.

"It would be no exaggeration to say this could decide the outcome of the election. Whichever party leader is brave enough to show they truly care about dogs could find themselves being handed the keys to Number 10."

To find out more about the campaign for NHS style health checks for middle aged mutts please visit: https://www.years.com/pages/nhsfordogs.