It's sad when people have to choose between feeding their animals or their kids. It has gotten to that situation for some people.
Susan Talevski is familiar with this topic. Hundreds of domestic animals are looked after at her Lost Dogs' Home animal shelter inMELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
The shelter has a Neapolitan mastiff named Charcoal who is four years old. His owners gave him up because they couldn't afford a pet.
They are not the only ones struggling.
The cost of living has gone up as a result of the Pandemic and the war in the Ukraine.
Prices for pet food and other products for domestic animals have gone up, too, as the cost of food has gone up.
Ms Talevski says it costs as much as A$1,600 a year to feed charcoal.
There are 500 animals at our shelter. There are a lot of mouths to feed. She says that they feel the pinch in terms of buying supplies, keeping up with pet food, and making sure their animals are healthy.
The cost of pet products in Australia increased by 12% in the year to the end of June, according to official figures. Prices for food and drinks are rising at double the rate of inflation.
The program to provide pet food and other essentials was started by Canberra Pet Rescue after the Pandemic.
Many people are still looking for help, according to its founder.
Ms Doelle says she has gotten more requests from people wanting to give up their pets.
An 11-year-old tabby has recently arrived. She couldn't afford to keep her because she lost her job.
She did everything she could. Ms Doelle says that she was in tears when she heard about it. She couldn't keep the cat because she was homeless.
Ms Doelle says she has had to turn away some animals because of the rising costs of her initiative.
It's not manageable. The animals are getting wet.
The cost of living is a big factor. People are having doubts about their pets.
In Australia, abandoning a pet is a crime. Financial pressure is leaving people in desperate situations.
"Not only are animal surrender rates up, but some shelters across Australia are 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609-
There is a crisis in companion animal welfare for our nation with real fears that animals will be abandoned on the streets to fend for themselves if they are considered a financial burden.
The ingredients of pet food have become more expensive recently.
The problem is a global one. The cost of pet food is increasing in the US, Europe and the UK.
As household finances are squeezed, animal rescue groups in other countries are seeing a rise in the number of animals brought to their shelters.
"Many are telling our teams how they're going without food themselves to be able to afford food and vet care for their pets, and even having to make the heartbreaking decision to re home their beloved companion," says Alyson Jones of Blue Cross.
She says that they are doing everything they can to keep people and their pets together.
People wanting to leave Thailand because they lost their job or because of the increase in the cost of living are some of the queries Jacob Thomas has received.
Since the beginning of the Pandemic there has been a huge increase in those queries.
Prof William Chen is from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
He says that the uncertainties on food production are caused by climate change, the Covid-19 Pandemic and tensions in the Middle East.
Prices for pet food may not fall any time soon because of the perception that pet food is less important than consumer food.
Charcoal is still waiting for his forever home in Australia, even though he has been taken on by a foster carers.
His hobbies are following his humans around and playing ball.
She says that he is in a foster home waiting for surgery before being adopted.
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