Rescue centres regularly report a post-Christmas deluge of unwanted moggies and doggies given as gifts, with cost often cited as the reason their owners cannot care for them.
If you are considering giving or receiving a pet as a present this Christmas, remember that it isn’t just food and a basket the owner is responsible for.
Veterinary costs are rising at an alarming rate, so pet owners need to have insurance in place to cover unexpected vet bills.
According to Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance, the average value of a claim received for a dog in 2009 was over 14% higher than 2008, and, for many people, the cost of veterinary bills is now simply unaffordable.
Sadly, research by Sainsbury’s Finance reveals that 56% of vets interviewed claimed that over the past five years, they have had to put down cats or dogs because their owners could not afford the treatment costs.
“Similarly, 88% of vets said that they have experienced situations where owners have rejected a recommended course of treatment or operation because they could not afford to pay for it.
Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance manager, commented: “For most of us it would be unimaginable to take the decision not to go ahead with a course of treatment or worse still to end a much beloved pet’s life.
“Unfortunately though, finding ourselves in a position where we might struggle to pay for treatment doesn’t take much imagination. The only way to ensure peace of mind and to be better able to deal with vet bills is to purchase good quality pet insurance.”
Why it pays to read pet insurance small print
Before buying cover, bear in mind that pet insurance policies vary enormously in terms of cost and the level of cover they provide.
The most basic and generally the cheapest option is a policy with a ‘per condition’ limit and a 12 month time limit. For example, a policy might provide up to £2,000 for vets fees for each condition with a 12 month time limit.
This means that the policyholder may claim up to £2,000 for each treatment but once the treatment costs have reached £2,000 or have exceeded the 12 month time limit, no further cover is provided.
If treatment needs to continue, the policyholder would be responsible for paying for the costs to the vet themselves. The most comprehensive and often the most expensive policies are those that provide an annual limit that is renewed each year. These are known as ‘lifetime’ policies. For example, a policy will provide cover for vet fees for each condition up to, for example, an annual limit of £5,000.
However, the main difference with this type of policy is that provided the policyholder renews the policy each year, the £5,000 benefit is also renewed.
This means that if a policyholder’s pet has a condition that needs treatment for the rest of their life, cover against the cost of this treatment will be provided up to the annual limit of £5,000.
Pedigree pets cost more to insure
Pedigree animals are usually more expensive than crossbreeds to insure, as they are most at risk from long-term conditions such as hereditary ailments. As a general rule, non-pedigree cats and dogs statistically live longer and are healthier than pure breeds.
Research by Sainsbury’s Finance reveals that the dachshund is the most expensive dog to treat. Claims for this breed in 2009 were 61% above the average claim and 210% higher than the lowest average claim for any breed.
The average cost of a Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance claim for a dachshund was around £543 in 2009, whilst the average claim across all pedigree dogs was around £337.
Cover will also be more expensive if you are insuring an older pet. Some policies don’t cover older pets at all, so check the age limit.
However, once insured and providing the policy is renewed annually, most will cover a pet for its lifetime. But pet owners should always read the small print as some companies will discontinue cover at a certain age regardless of how long they have been insuring the pet or even restrict the level of cover available for older animals.
Remember too that all pet insurance policies will exclude illnesses, conditions and accidents that occur before you take out the cover. This also applies to illnesses and conditions which happen before the cover is taken out and then recur at a later date.
Added extras
When choosing a policy, you should look at any added extras the insurer might provide. For example, some policies, for example, provide cover for behavioural and complementary treatments, on condition that they are undertaken under the supervision of a vet.
Others will even pay for counselling for owners in the event of their pet’s death, or will pay towards advertising for the return of a lost pet.
Whichever policy you go for, don’t scrimp on cover. Paying from as little as £5 or £10 a month for insurance could prove a sound investment if your pet falls ill or has an accident and you find yourself confronted with vet bills running into thousands of pounds.
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