Guide to pet insurance
3. Why buy pet insurance?
When we get ill and need to go to hospital, the National Health Service (NHS) will cover the cost of making us well again.
No such service exists for pets.
When your pet gets injured, is hurt in an accident or becomes ill, it is your responsibility to get them the help they need and pay for the vets’ bills.
These days, this help won’t come cheap. There have been significant developments in surgery, medicines, intensive care and diagnostic techniques and so the cost of vets’ bills has increased:
- MRI scans cost around £1,000
- Arthritis treatment could cost from around £500 a year
- Medical attention for injuries resulting from being hit by a car could cost £3,000
If you have pet insurance, you will cover yourself in the event of your pet needing expensive help.
And, in all fairness, the likelihood of your pet needing to see a vet is high with almost 50% of pets needing veterinary care every year.
In the eyes of the RSPCA, buying pet insurance is all part of being a responsible pet owner.
Chief Veterinary Officer of the RSPCA, Steve Cheetham, said: “We believe pet health insurance is an integral part of responsible pet ownership.”
Additionally, veterinary professionals in general recommend that owners take out pet insurance policies because it means they can treat the animal according to what is best for them and not according to what treatment the owner can afford.
Pet insurance can also cover you for circumstances that you may not have even considered when thinking about pet ownership.
Some insurance policies offer third party cover in case your pet causes injury to other people or property, for example by running out in the road and causing a car accident.
Pet insurance policies may also contain cover your pet going into boarding if you have to be hospitalised, and any holiday cancellation costs you incur in the event of your pet becoming ill and preventing you from leaving them to go on holiday.
Insurers usually see relatively minor claims from pet owners in the first seven or eight years of the pet’s life. However, this is not usually the case during the next few years.
- Next page: When should I buy pet insurance?
- Previous page: What is pet insurance?
Product Offers
Please ensure that you fully read the terms & conditions of any product or policy before you decide to proceed and are fully aware of the total costs and the benefits and any exclusions or limitations applicable to the product or plan.
Please note that the product links will take you direct to the Issuer or Insurer's site direct and we cannot be held responsible for the information which they provide within their own sites. On some comparison tables we use a star rating which rates products by visitor popularity.
Please ensure that you fully read the terms & conditions of any product or policy before you decide to proceed and are fully aware of the total costs and the benefits and any exclusions or limitations applicable to the product or plan.
Please note that the product links will take you direct to the Issuer or Insurer's site direct and we cannot be held responsible for the information which they provide within their own sites. On some comparison tables we use a star rating which rates products by visitor popularity.