# The Road to Cancer Care: Understanding How Far Owners Travel for Their Pets’ Oncology Treatment

## TL;DR

This study finds that owners of dogs, younger pets, and uninsured pets travel further for veterinary cancer care, highlighting unequal access to treatment.

## Contribution

The study quantifies travel distances for veterinary oncology care and identifies demographic and patient-related factors influencing access.

## Key findings

- Dogs travel significantly further than cats to specialist veterinary cancer services.
- Younger animals and uninsured pets travel further than older and insured pets.
- Geographic inequities in access to veterinary oncology care suggest a need for improved service delivery models.

## Abstract

This study explores whether some pets face greater challenges than others in reaching specialist cancer care, focusing on the distance owners must travel. Long travel distances can make treatment harder to access and may prevent some pets from receiving specialist care. The aim of this work is to measure how far owners of dogs and cats travel to a specialist veterinary cancer service in the United Kingdom, and to understand whether factors such as the pet’s species, age, breed, and insurance status influence travel patterns. We reviewed records from over three thousand dogs and cats seen at a university veterinary teaching hospital over several years, and calculated the distance from each owner’s home to the hospital. We found that owners of dogs travelled further than owners of cats, younger animals travelled further than older animals, and animals without insurance travelled further than insured animals. These findings suggest that access to specialist veterinary cancer care is not equal for all pets. Recognising these differences can help veterinary services develop new ways of delivering care that are more accessible, improving fairness and outcomes for animals and their owners in society.

Access to specialist veterinary oncology services may be influenced by geographic, demographic, and patient-related factors. Understanding travel burden is important for identifying potential barriers to care and designing more equitable service delivery models. This study quantified the distance travelled by owners seeking specialist oncology care at a UK veterinary teaching hospital and examined whether species, age, breed, and insurance status were associated with travel patterns. A retrospective review was conducted of all dogs and cats presenting to the Oncology Service at the Hospital for Small Animals, University of Edinburgh, between 1 December 2018 and 31 October 2025. Owner postcodes were used to calculate distances from residence to the hospital. Distances were compared across species (dog vs. cat), breed (pure-breed vs. mixed-breed), age (<7 vs. ≥7 years), and insurance status (insured vs. uninsured). A total of 3074 cases were included. In univariate analysis, dogs travelled significantly further than cats (p < 0.001), pure-breed animals travelled significantly further than mixed-breed animals (p < 0.001), and younger animals travelled significantly further than older animals (p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, species, age, and insurance status were significant, with dogs (p < 0.001), younger animals (p = 0.012), and uninsured animals (p = 0.008) travelling further. These findings highlight potential geographic inequities in access to specialist care and underscore the need for alternative service-delivery strategies to improve accessibility, particularly for cats and younger animals.