Look after the little ones!

Pets are like children in a lot of ways. We often love them and take care of them as if they are our children and they often get into similar bumps and scrapes as a result of their all-consuming need to satisfy their curiosity. Our pets, especially dogs and cats, tend to ignore their mortality and attempt feats that no rational being would. Unfortunately, that could lead to some pretty expensive vets bills! This, in turn, ensures that any animal owner has a need for pet insurance.

Our pets are expensive by nature. They cannot talk to us to tell us when they are in pain, and neither can they tell the vets that we take them to. As a result, any treatment that they receive is a case of trial and error, which soon ensures that the costs seriously mount up. If you are an animal lover and have several pats then the costs would be even higher and it is extremely hard to find the money to pay for it as and when the need arises. Again, this makes pet insurance really essential!

There are hundreds of different pet insurance policies out there. You can choose one tailored to your animal. It does not matter whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit, snake or any other type of domestic animal. Snakes technically are not domestic animals but their increase in popularity in recent years has led to insurance companies accepting applications for snake pet insurance.

The choice of pet insurance coverage is absolutely huge. You can pretty much tailor your policy to your requirements but you do have to insure each animal separately, even if they are lumped together on the one policy. This is because different animals have different needs and a different risk associated with them. For example, a domestic Greyhound is a low risk and will not be expensive to insure, but a Staffordshire bull terrier is considered to be a high risk because of its status as a dangerous dog. As a result, you will pay much more to insure a Staffordshire bull terrier, if you can find an insurance company that will insure that breed at all.

When you have determined exactly what level of risk each animal poses, you can look at your coverage options. There are often several levels of health insurance coverage that individuals could opt into. As with all insurances, you pay a monthly premium and can then claim any veterinary costs back, minus an excess, which is usually in the region of £50. However, the cost of care that you can claim back is dependent on the level of cover you have. Some companies will offer basic coverage and elevated coverage. Other companies will offer several levels of insurance. You should read all of the small print before signing up to any policy to check exactly what you are covered for under your pet insurance.

Basic pet insurance coverage will cover your pet for hospitalisation, surgery, cancer treatment, x-rays and scans, and of course accident and illness. However, elevated pet insurance policies will cover you for a whole lot more. The extra coverage may cover vaccinations, spaying and neutering, flea and worming treatments, regular prescriptions, and emergency call out fees and routine examinations. Of course, the inclusion of these varies from policy to policy and you may or may not be asked whether you want several as add on policies if they are not under the usual umbrella of coverage.

Pet insurance is an absolute must for anyone owning an animal. You may hopefully never need it but if you do then it may make the difference between being able to afford good health care for your pet and having to watch them suffer. Would you really be prepared to forfeit your animal’s health for a few pounds a month?