Can you afford not to have pet insurance? by Jan Cole
Posted by Abigail on 25/06/08, filed under News |Pets are part of our family, so we want only the best for them. Fortunately, the medical profession has come a long way in the last few years and is able to treat a wider range of problems from accidents and illnesses to behavioural issues. These can also prove very costly and seem always to come at a time when you are least prepared.
In addition to routine healthcare like worming, flea treatment and vaccinations, everyone’s pet will need a vet at some time. From tummy bugs to road traffic accidents, which could run into thousands of pounds, there will always be something unexpected during your pet’s life. Can you be sure your pet will not develop diabetes, arthritis, thyroid problems or other ongoing conditions? Given the correct medication, they could still have a long and normal life, but could you afford to pay for this every month?
What if your cat or dog was hit by a car? The bill for serious injuries and surgery can be anything up to £4000, even more if your dog caused the accident and the driver decided to sue you for thousands of pounds. With that in mind, it is worth checking if your insurance policy includes public liability cover.
What if your cat becomes stressed? It could develop a blocked bladder, leaving you with a bill for approximately £1000. There would also be ongoing medication to take into consideration as this condition can recur at any time.
Some conditions need to be referred to a vet with expertise in specific areas, for example dermatology, cardiology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics to name a few (see our website for more details of our referral services). Consultations for these are in the region of £100 to £200 for the first visit, plus any medication or treatment.
If you have a pet, or are thinking of adding one to your family, we recommend you seriously consider pet insurance, as you will almost definitely need to use it at some stage. The question to ask yourself is - can you really afford not to?
And remember when you do take out the policy – ALWAYS READ THE SMALL PRINT!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 3:20 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.