Some of the country's leading veterinarians say pets could potentially be receiving better medical care than their owners.

In the prosthetics world in particular, veterinary surgeries are making huge strides and, in some cases, human surgeries could be falling behind.

Dr Ignacio Calvo, senior lecturer in small animal orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College, says it is "easier to make the jump into clinical trials when you are dealing with an animal rather than a person".

The reason for increased innovation in animal medicine can be put down to the fact that all pet care is private and, unlike the NHS, fairly well-funded per patient.

Dr Calvo said it could also be down to the patients themselves.

"We are gathering quite a bit of information regarding endoprosthesis as an alternative to full amputation in legs," he said.

"And, now that we have clinical experience, we know what happens when the animal is actually walking."

There are now calls for doctors and vets to work more closely to learn from one another.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Viquar Quarashi from Russel Hall Hospital told Sky News that innovations in the pet world can translate to new treatments from humans.

"A few of these prosthetic ideas have definitely come from vets," he said.

"There is always innovation because there is nothing stopping them going to whatever limit they want. Yes, we should start learning from them, there's no hesitation about it."

However, there are some in the industry who are less keen on the explosion of innovation in veterinary science.

Jasper Gale, from Kirks Vets, does not "think it's the job of a vet GP to have a go and see what they can achieve just by trying it out".

He added: "I don't think we should or have in recent years been experimenting on people's pets just to push new techniques and push the boundaries."