Anyone who has a family pet will understand when i say "our cat and dog are
an extension to our family, much loved and well pampered!" and that's why we have pet insurance.
What is pet insurance?
Pet Insurance will cover the unexpected costs, incurred for treatment to your
pets outside of their normal well being. If your pet meets with an accident and you don't have pet insurance, things can get very costly. Very simply, a cat requiring treatment after being hit by a car could possibly cost over £2000 to nurse back to health. An x-ray and MRI scan could cost a £1000 alone! Pet insurance is invaluable.
What does pet insurance pay for?
Routine visits to the vets for things like injections, wormers and flea
treatments are not covered by pet insurance nor are things like neutering.
Anything considered to be routine is excluded from pet insurance. However,
should your dog break its leg whilst running down the hill to fetch the stick -
you would be covered - basically, accidents are covered routine and preventative treatment costs are not.
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A typical pet insurance policy will cover:
Treatment for your pet if it suffers illness, injury or disease
The purchase price if your pet dies due to accidental injury
An element of third party liability cover, usually applicable to dogs only, for injury to third parties or damage to their property.
Why do pets need insurance?
Each year 1 in 3 cats and dogs fall ill or are injured - that’s more than 4.5
million cats and dogs. There is no animal NHS and the average emergency visit to the vet will set you back around £300.So if your pet was to have an accident or need emergency medical treatment it could end up costing you hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. Take a look below at some of the most common reasons for going to see a vet: Some of the main reasons for making an unexpected trip to the vet include:
1. Cuts/lacerations
2. Lameness
3. Road traffic accident
4. A growth
5. Abscess
6. Bites
7. Foreign body (swallowed)
8. Pyrexia/anorexia of unknown origin
9. Gastro-enteritis
10. Ear infection
Pet insurance would cover all of these common conditions. And it doesn’t have to be expensive either. Pet cover is becoming increasingly essential as the cost of vets' bills continues to rise. Technological advancements in veterinary medicine have meant that vets are able to provide more comprehensive treatments and this has caused bills to rise steadily. Yet insurance itself can start from just a few pounds a month, enabling you to avoid most of these unexpected costs, whenever they arise.
So what types of pet insurance policies are available?
As with all insurance, there are a number of variations. You can opt to
purchase additional cover or cover for specific things not covered by the
outlines below.
Level one - Commonly referred to as a ‘cover for life policy', this is where
companies offer a fixed amount of cover for vet fees each year and then
reinstate this amount each year when the policy is renewed. A cat with
arthritis, for example, would be covered for this condition during its lifetime,
and the owner would pay an excess each year. This type of cover can be expensive but is suitable for long term, ongoing conditions.
Level two - The second type of insurance policy involves a maximum limit on
the amount paid out for each condition, so, you can claim for as long as it
takes to reach this limit. This is generally less expensive than level one and
is also suitable for long term conditions.
Level three - This type of cover has a maximum monetary limit per condition
and a maximum time limit that a condition can be claimed for (normally 12 months from its onset). Once the maximum monetary or time limit has been reached the condition will no longer be covered. This is commonly referred to as a 12 month policy.
Take care when considering which pet insurance is right for you and don't go
away thinking it will never happen to me - because it could and a pet with out
insurance can be very costly. Many companies will offer an additional discount for multiple pets so get them insured. Info source online-insurance-broker.com
