British dog owners turn to alternative medicine

British dog owners are shunning traditional medicine and instead turning to alternative therapies to keep their pet in good mental and physical health.

According to new research from Direct Line Pet Insurance, over three quarters of a million (14 per cent) of the UK’s dog owners use alternative or complementary treatments – with 30 per cent doing so on recommendation from their vet.

The market for complementary treatments for pets has certainly taken off as dog owners have shelled out a collective £29.6 million* in the past two years on alternative methods.

Owners are choosing to address a variety of problems in this way. More than half of those who have used complementary therapy (54 per cent) do so to tackle ailments, a third (34 per cent) to relieve pain, and 29 per cent as a stress buster.  And fed up with the Barbara Woodhouse school of training, five per cent use alternative therapy to correct bad behaviour.

According to the Direct Line Pet Insurance study, preferred treatments for ‘alternative’ dog owners are homeopathic nutrition or herbal remedies, massage, reflexology and acupuncture.

This approach is having the desired effect. Nearly half (44 per cent) of owners who have tried alternative therapy said it made their dog physically better and 23 per cent that it cured its symptoms.  An improvement was also noticed in their dog’s mental health, as 39 per cent claimed it made their pooch calmer, with seven per cent reporting increased energy levels.

And the market for pet alternative therapies is set to take off even further. 89 per cent of owners who have used these treatments said that they would use them again, with 15 per cent saying they prefer to use alternative therapies to traditional medicine on their dog.

Direct Line Pet Insurance spokesperson Chris Price commented:

“Britain is a nation of dog lovers, so in some respects it is no surprise that they are willing to try different therapies and treatments to keep their pet in the best possible mental and physical health.

“As a dog owner it is important to keep abreast of opportunities to maintain your pet’s wellbeing and ensure it stays as healthy as possible. To support these opportunities, Direct Line offers cover for alternative therapies recommended by a qualified vet. There will always be cases where medical assistance will be required – whether complementary or traditional – and we recommend that every owner takes out the appropriate pet insurance to avoid any unforeseen large bills.”

 For more information, log on to www.directline.com/pet.

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Lindsay Wienand /Direct Line Press Office
0208 256 5816 / 07817456202
Email: lindsay.wienand@directline.com

Notes to Editors:

The research was carried out online between 11-15 May 2006. YouGov interviewed 1,438 British dog owners adults aged 18 and over. Results are unweighted. 

* There are 5.4 million dog owners in England, Wales and Scotland (Target Group Index BMRB 2005), of these 14% treat their dog to complementary or alternative therapies and of the 62% that spend on their pets therapy, each spend an average of £63.28 (YouGov research).

5,400,000 x 0.14= 756,000 x 0.62= 468,720 x 63.28 = £29,660,601.60

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