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Insuring Your Pet

Insuring your pet is a good idea if you want to avoid the horrendous vet bills that are frequently charged these days.

More than ever pets are an integral part of the family and their loss is keenly felt, so it’s best not to wait until the family pet falls ill before you decide if you can afford it, or not.

It’s not uncommon for some treatments to cost £300 to £400, so with an average policy in the region of £75 a year (at the time of writing), it’s best to think hard about getting some protection.

And, even if your dog has a happy and medical-bill free life, if it happens to dash into the road and cause a nasty accident, you might well be liable for the financial consequences.

Very young animals are not eligible for cover, nor are older ones unless, for the latter, you pay increased premiums, and the sort of routines things covered include tumours, abscesses, bites, bad ears, cuts and bruises, and swallowed items.

Of course, as with any insurance scheme, there are excesses, including when you are insuring a particular breed that say has a medical propensity to develop a certain illness. They might attract an excess, or indeed, not be insured at all.

Policies can be taken out for varying periods of time, with different levels of cover and different levels of excesses.

But, as with all insurance policies, have a good look at the small print. Finding a cheap deal might be a great idea, but if most of your pet’s likely future problems aren’t covered, then it will turn out to be a waste of money.

Also, your address might mean a less, or more expensive policy, as location is a key decider in determining cost.

You can also do a few things to help bring down the cost, as well as playing the excess game, and this includes getting your dog chipped. This procedure, which is relatively inexpensive, insurers see it as a good sign, not only of the owners caring attitude, but also that if lost, the animal will be found again.

Okay, so it makes good sense to get your pet covered; it might just save you a fortune.