Sheffield pet food bank sees increase in requests for help

Pet owners have been turning to pet food banks to help feed their animals

More pet owners are asking for help to feed their animals due to the rising cost of living, a national animal charity has said.

A pet food bank in Sheffield has seen a 700% increase in requests for dry dog food in the first three months of 2022 compared to 2021.

John Cahill, manager at Sheffield's Blue Cross branch, said there had been a "dramatic" growth of users.

A tonne of pet food had been given out since Christmas, he added.

The rising cost of living has seen the price of pet food increase by about 10%, the charity said.

Mr Cahill said the service was set up to prevent animals being given up for adoption due to escalating food costs.

There has been a huge increase in the amount of people asking for help from the food banks, the Blue Cross said

"It's responsible ownership to seek help if you can and we don't want to put any stigma on people whatsoever," he said.

"We just want to help as many pets as we can."

The charity said it had given out more pet food in Sheffield in the first three months of 2022, than in the whole of 2021.

The cumulative increase for the cost of living has put more pressure on families with the Sheffield pet food bank being opened in January 2021, Mr Cahill said.

"We've got several users who are using food banks to feed themselves and their families, and then we're helping provide for their pets."