How big business pushed up vet bills

I was on my way to a Pilates class when I spotted Paul waving at me urgently from across the road at the bus stop. ‘Can you help, Miss,’ he said. ‘It’s Gladys, she’s in a bad way.’ I looked down at his Staffordshire bull terrier and immediately saw what he meant. The 16-year-old dog was trembling, panting and appeared to be struggling to stand. She’d also lost a lot of weight. I’ve known Paul and Gladys for the past eight years, running into them on the street near my home in east London. Paul is not wealthy and has a couple of disabilities. He always calls me Miss.

‘She’s got bad in the past few days,’ he said. ‘She’s not eating, she just paces and can’t lie down. I took her to a vet yesterday. I think it’s time for her to go. But Miss, I just couldn’t do it on my own.’