Pets should be given an annual health check-up, according to researchers at Utrecht University’s small animal clinic.

This would allow illnesses such as cancer, which kills some 180,000 pets a year, to be diagnosed early and stop unnecessary suffering, the researchers say.

‘Every day I deal with pet owners who have come to us too late,’ veterinary surgeon Jolle Kirpensteijn is quoted as saying by RTL news. ‘They see a lump on the skin and think ‘we’ll keep an eye on that’.’

The clinic is holding a free cancer screening for dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and rodents on Friday to coincide with national animal day.