A distressing new study has revealed that over 50% of Britain's vet were forced to put a pet cat or dog to death over the past 5 years, mainly because the owners could not afford the treatments required.

A whopping 90% of vets from across the nation admitted to having experienced cases wherein the treatment for animals was rejected by owners because it was much expensive. Experts have revealed that vet fees had been rising by over 12% every year, which lead to animals being "needlessly put down".

Among the treatments that owners could not afford as they had become too expensive, mixed with vet fees, were dental trauma, gastroenteritis, lameness and diabetes.

The study was carried out by Sainsbury's Finance.

''Advances in veterinary science mean that our pets can get the best treatment possible these days. But these improvements, including everything from more sophisticated scans to cancer treatments, come at higher costs and the financial burden are being felt by pet owners. Despite this, the vast majority of our pets are not insured so their owners have no protection against large veterinary bills", said Joanne Mallon, of Sainsbury’s.