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In Britain people claim more on their pet insurance then on their car or home insurance. If your pet is injured in an accident or becomes ill the pet insurance will pay for veterinary costs. There is no national health service in Britain for animals. If your cat or dog needs treatment it has to be done privately. The veterinary bills are not cheap and it makes good sense to have pet insurance in place to avoid hefty treatment costs. The chances are that your pet will require treatment at some point, the pet insurance gives the peace of mind to get your pet treated properly without having to worry about the costs. Some pet insurance policies will also payout if your pet is stolen or lost or if the pet dies.
Illnesses and Incidents covered by Pet Insurance
- Abscess
- Ear Infection
- Pet is lost or stolen
- Pet death
- Lameness
- Cuts and Lacerations
- Road Accidents
- A growth
- Gastro-ententis
- Foreign body swallowed
- Pyrexia / Anorexia
- Bites to people or other animals
How does Pet Insurance work?
- You pay the treatment costs at the Veterinary surgery and then send a claim to the insurance company
- Some veterinary surgeries will allow you to delay your payments until you have received money from the insurance company
- Some insurers will directly pay the surgery and others will reimburse you with the costs
- Most insurers will not pay for preventive care such as vaccinations or elective procedures such as neutering
- The insurer often limits the cover for pre-existing medical conditions, this gives an incentive to owners to insure even younger animals
Dog and Cat Insurance
- The average cost of emergency treatment at the vets for your dog or cat is around £300
- This is often not taken into account in a family budget and can put serious burden on the family finances
- Puppies and dogs can be accident prone and so are kittens, it is a good idea to get them insured to avoid big veterinary bills
- Cats are considered ‘free spirits’ by courts, so you are not legally responsible for the actions of your cat
- Dogs on the other hand are considered the responsibility of the owner
- If your dog damages somebody’s property or bites somebody then you will be liable for it
- Similarly if your dog ran onto the road and caused an accident then you could potentially be held liable for any damages to life and property
- If you want a complete peace of mind from your pets make sure that all these eventualities are covered by your insurance
Cost of Pet Insurance
- The basic pet insurance cover is pretty cheap, it does not cover for all eventualities but its better than having no cover
- The insurance cover which are very comprehensive are obviously more expensive, but always ensure that you are not paying for more cover than you need
- Each insurer has its own way of calculating insurance premiums, usually they look at the age of the animal, its breed, its species and where you live etc
- Some insurance companies on the other hand have standard premiums for different kinds of animals and you pay the same amount as everybody else
- Some insurance companies will offer time limited cover with their pet insurance. This means that if your pet needs long term treatment, the vet’s fees cover will stop at the end of the time limit, leaving you to cover the further costs of your pet’s treatment
- Most insurance premiums are on a annual basis but you can spread the cost over the year by paying on a monthly basis
- You will need to pay an excess fees when you make a claim on the insurance, some insurers charge a fixed excess fees, other charge excess as a percentage of the claim while other charge an annual excess fees
Some General points on Pet Insurance
- Pet insurance will generally exclude pre-existing conditions and hereditary defects
- Always check the insurance company whether prescriptions are covered or not as they can also be very costly
- Pet insurance usually puts up a variety of limits or caps on how much the insurance company will pay for each incident
- Under the government Pet Travel Scheme you can take your pet abroad, however most insurance companies will not extend the cover while your pet is not in UK
- Some insurance companies will pay for boarding your pet in a Kennel or cattery if you need emergency hospital treatment or are admitted as an in-patient
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