I was reading an article a few days ago and according to fairinvestment 74%
of pet owners don't have any form of pet insurance based on a survey of 2000 pet owners.
This got me thinking "do you need pet insurance?"
The pet ownership figures in the UK show that almost 50% of households own a pet
with dogs being the most popular at around 7.5 million followed by cats at just over 7 million then rabbits and
birds. So for the insurance industry that is a lot of potential pet insurance business they are missing out on.
So is Pet insurance worthwhile?
Well research by Sainsburys showed that one million Britains believed that they had a cat or dog
stolen in the last 5 years but it also showed that 25% of pet insurance policies will not provide financial assistance to
owners who want to try and find their pet and offer no reward for the return.
What struck me as more worrying though as i researched the
subject was that over the last 5 years 927,000 dogs and 822,000 pets were estimated to have been put down as the owners
could not afford the treatment and 2.5 million pet owners had declined the treatment their vets recommended due to cost and
not having any form of pet insurance. I am sure for many of those owners the heartbreak it must have caused the families was
terrible.
With
these figures in mind i did a bit of digging to see what pet insurance costs and based on a 5 year old Labrador Retriever
i received quotes varying from £84 to £312 (where you live with make a difference to figures quoted) and
found that an average vet bill for a dog is over £300.
The table below shows examples that a typical pets insurance policy might cover you for.
| Vet's Fees | £2,000** | £3,000 | £7,000
|
| 12 month / Max-Benefit
/ Reinstatment | Max Benefit | Max Benefit | Max Benefit |
| Death from Illness* | - | £500 | £500 |
| Death from Accident* | - | £500 | £500 |
| Third Party Liability & Legal Expenses (Dogs Only) | £1,000,000 | £1,000,000 | £1,000,000
|
| Accidental Damage |  | £250 | £250 |
| Recovery expenses | - | £500 | £500 |
| Boarding Fees | - | £650 | £650 |
| Loss | - | £500 | £500 |
| Holiday Cancellation | - | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Helplines |
| Bereavement Counselling |  | | |
| Pet Legal | | | |
| Pet Minders | | | |
| Veterinary Helpline | | | |
| Pay Vet Direct | | | |
| Overseas Travel |
