Pet Insurance - A Quick and Easy Guide

As a nation we Brits are generally an animal lovingOther common exclusions can include investigative
society, most households wouldn't be completetests such as blood sampling, x-rays and ultrasound
without extra family members in the form of ourexamination. If a breed specific hereditary condition is
much loved dogs, cats and even house rabbits -likely such as Atopy (an autoimmune condition in
throw in a hamster, goldfish and the odd mouse orwhich the body attacks its own skin cells causing
two (hopefully not literally) and you've pretty muchmuch irritation to the patient) often found in West
got the perfect balance.Highland White dogs and Chocolate Labradors, to give
On a more serious note, the majority of us realisebut one example.
that the health of our pets is important and anythingSome medical conditions occurring in feline and canine
we can do to help maintain this should be undertaken.patients can necessitate a prescription diet which will
You'd be forgiven for thinking that apart from givingusually be costly, therefore you should check if this is
our pets a high level of care and much love andcovered under a prospective policy. Where necessary
attention there is little else we can do - you'd also beyou should seek another policy with this level of
wrong; much in the same way as health insurance forcover included.
ourselves, pet insurance is available to help protectOf course price varies considerably between insurers
your cherished pets and offer financial assistance inand you should ensure you don't compromise on
the event of a medical emergency or healthquality when opting for a cheaper policy. Factors that
condition.can affect the end premium include of course the
Veterinary treatment can be costly with the bills intype of pet you have, the age, breed and health of
some cases running into the thousands. As you canthe pet and any medical history or past claims that
imagine pets such as dogs and cats can be rathercould affect your application. As with the majority of
accident prone especially when left unattended.insurance policies there will usually be an excess to
Having cover in place will help you avoidpay and the amount you set will also affect the
heartbreaking decisions involving the health of yourmonthly payment you make.
pet and financial limitations. This has often been theFor those of you unfamiliar with insurance jargon, the
case for many families and deciding which is moreexcess you pay is in simple terms a contribution you
important is extremely difficult - a decision no oneare required to make in the event a claim. For
should have to make!example if a fractured leg on your cat cost
There are many different providers of pet insurance£500 to repair you may be required to pay the
and each company will offer its own plans tailored tofirst £50 yourself. You will usually have to pay
suit specific species and varying factors such as agean excess for each separate incident but ongoing
and breed.treatment of a particular treatment will usually be
Level of cover can vary greatly between policies -treated as a continuation and only one excess
you will usually find you are covered for injury andcharged (check your policy to be sure).
most common medical conditions (some hereditaryYou can usually find insurance to cover; Cats, dogs,
conditions can be excluded, see below). Vaccinations,rabbits, birds and other smaller mammals such as
worming and flea treatments are not normallyhamsters, rats and mice.
included but there are an increasing number ofYou should consider pet insurance if you have any of
specialist insurers offering this as part of theirthese animals as the policy will more than pay for
package.itself if needed.