Pet Insurance For Dogs

One of the most important things we can do for both our animals and our own pocket is to ensure that we have Pet Insurance. Not only does it take away the dilemma of "Can I afford to pay for this treatment" or "How am I going to afford to pay …" it also helps when the most unexpected situations occur.

Six years ago I had a very unexpected situation occur. My then, 12 month old cat was, much to my horror, playing her usual favourite game of tightrope walking along the length of the banister rail in the upstairs hall. Below her were a flight of stairs and wood flooring. She began teetering along the banister, her tail swaying from side to side carefully keeping her balance, I knew if I made a sudden noise or tried to grab for her she would surely jump in surprise, so I very carefully walked calmly toward her waiting for the opportunity to get a hold of her and get her safely off the banister.

Suddenly she slipped and went tumbling onto the hand rail at the bottom and bounced onto the wooden step! Horrified I ran down the stairs to see to her and she began hopping on three legs to make her escape out of the back door (cats especially and even dogs instinctively run away if they are hurt) I managed to get hold of her and instantly knew she had broken her leg, (in fact it was broken in two places) so after an emergency vet visit, x-rays, painkillers, 24 hour hospital care, bolts to hold her leg in place, 6 weeks in plaster and a couple more vet follow up appointments my beautiful girl was thankfully back to full health and her leg fixed and I was given a bill for £ 800!

Now that was six years ago, can you imagine the price that would be charged now – you could probably double it!

The reason I have told this story is to highlight the very important fact that Insurance for your Dog is an absolute must and priority. I can not imagine how I would have found that money had I not had my cat insured, I am grateful that I had it. Over the years with my dogs I've had quite a few occasions where I've had to rely on my insurance to take care of the unexpected costs. I also never let any puppies I've bred go off to it's new home without insurance, after all you would not drive your car without insurance or buy a new house without it so why risk your dogs health by not having Pet Insurance ?!

Because I have several dogs I am very conscious of how much money to pay for a good quality Pet Insurance. I have looked into many many insurances that are offered on the high street and also via vets etc and I must say how very confusing it can be if you are not entirely sure what to look for. Generally they all cover pretty much the same standard cover but the most important for me is the Vet fees. A lot of the companies allow for example £ 2500 amount per year, sounds good in theory but if you read the small print it states – "Ongoing cover is limited to 12 months after the incident."

In simple terms this means that if your dog develops an ongoing disease / problem then they are only covered for 12 months, after that you're on your own expense wise! Short term this is an option for people wanting to save a little and lower the premiums, but if you require longterm health care ensure you read the small print.