AED 140,000 And Counting: Paws & Co Unveils The World’s First Pet Bill-Board, A 12-Metre Vet Bill That Shows What “Wait And See” Really Costs
Paws & Co will unveil the world’s first Pet Bill-board at Woofstock Dubai on Sunday 1 November: a billboard that prints a 12-metre vet bill, line by line, to show what waiting really costs a pet parent.
The Pet Bill-board is part of Paws & Co’s “Wait and See, Isn’t Free” campaign.
The eye-catching installation tells the story of Bobby, a Golden Retriever whose seemingly minor limp develops into a more serious health condition, causing his veterinary bill to spiral. As the bill physically unravels, it reveals a staggering AED 140,000 in potential lifetime veterinary costs, before showing how earlier intervention and preventative care could have cut those costs by nearly 37%, saving AED 51,480 and potentially giving Bobby and his family three more years together.
Alongside the installation, Paws & Co is also launching a Pet Care calculator to enable prospective pet parents or existing ones to better estimate the total costs involved and also the key benefits of more preventative pet care.
Additional Paws & Co research amongst pet owners in the UAE found that more than 70% of UAE pet parents have spent AED 1,000 or more on a single treatment, and nearly 20% have faced a bill of AED 5,000 or more. With just over 40% of pet parents also admitted they have delayed visiting a vet due to cost, unexpected vet bills are already influencing how and when some pet parents seek care for their pets.
Dr. Farah Murrani, Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder of Paws & Co, said: “A huge vet bill is often the part of pet healthcare people remember, but we want pet parents to think about everything that happens before that bill exists. Preventative care gives us the opportunity to monitor a pet’s health over time and identify certain problems earlier, before they potentially become more serious or complex to treat.”
Preventative healthcare can include routine examinations, vaccinations, dental care, parasite prevention, weight management, blood testing and screenings based on a pet’s age, breed and individual risk factors. Understanding the hereditary health conditions certain breeds are more prone to, and recognising the early warning signs, can also help pet parents take action before minor concerns develop into more serious problems.
While it cannot eliminate every illness or emergency, regular monitoring can help identify potential concerns earlier and give pet parents greater visibility over their pet’s ongoing health needs.
The research also found that nearly 50% of pet parents consider their pet a member of the family, while approximately 67% describe their pet as either their highest financial priority or one of their top financial priorities. More than 90% of UAE pet parents say their pet is not insured, highlighting the limited financial safety net available when unexpected veterinary costs arise.
Matt Butterworth, CEO & Co-Founder of Paws & Co, said: “Most pet parents only see the bill once something has gone wrong, and by then the choices are harder and the costs are higher. Bobby limped at two; at six, he needed a new hip. The Pet Bill-board shows every line of that bill, all twelve metres of it, because the most useful thing we can do is help pet parents spot the early signs and understand what their pet needs at each stage of life. That is exactly what our pet healthcare subscription is built for: a plan shaped around your pet’s breed and age, so the checks happen before there is a crisis and the bill never arrives as a shock.”
Paws & Co, a newly established UAE pet healthcare company, with plans to develop a network of 30 veterinary clinics across the UAE by 2030 built around one promise: Where they’re Loved like Family, and treated like Gold.
The brand will introduce a new model of pet healthcare centred around preventative care and personalised health planning. Its breed-based preventative care subscription memberships will bring together routine checkups, vaccinations, screenings and ongoing monitoring, helping pet parents understand what care their pet needs, when they need it and why.
The company’s first clinics will be in Motor City and Hessa Street and will open in January and February 2027.
