Clueless about pet insurance
| Published: 21st February 2008 14:58 |
Nobody likes to think about their pet getting ill, injured or worse, but failing to make adequate provisions for your companion in the event of an illness could set you back thousands.
Unless you are extremely wealthy and can handle unexpected vet bills of potentially thousands of pounds, it's imperative to insure your pet or at least make some kind of provision such as savings set aside, advises the RSPCA.
When a pet becomes ill it can be an extremely traumatic experience and struggling to find a means of paying for the treatment can add mountains of stress on to what is already a very trying time.
Despite this, recent research by the RSPCA has found a significant number of pet owners have no idea of the importance of pet insurance and make no provisions for unexpected hefty vet bills.
Worryingly, nearly a fifth of pet owners have no insurance or other means for unexpected vet bills and did not know how they would cover the cost. The RSPCA found that although almost three-quarters considered pet insurance essential or at least very important in the event of their pet becoming ill or injured, less than a third had taken out protection.
The survey of pet owners conducted by RSPCA showed a quarter of owners would rely on their savings to cover vet bills, while a further quarter would use credit cards, despite potentially high interest charges.
To make matters worse, it seems many of us have no idea about the potential costs we could be facing, as the research also revealed a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to treatment expenses. When asked how much it would cost to treat a cat for a broken leg, only a third of owners guessed within £50 of the correct answer - £300+. Scarily, 10 per cent had no absolutely no idea at all and the remaining 70 per cent seriously underestimated the cost.
The RSPCA's chief veterinary officer, Steve Cheetham, says owning a pet without adequate insurance is irresponsible. "With around two visits to the vet a year on average, keeping an animal can become expensive. We believe pet health insurance is
an integral part of responsible pet ownership."
The most common reasons for visiting the vet are road traffic accidents (for cats), and broken legs (for dogs). Both of these conditions are extremely costly to treat and would be difficult to pay for without insurance. The average cost to treat a dog's broken leg would be £1,000 or more, says the RSPCA, while cats involved in road traffic accidents cost their owners a similar amount.
"Taking out insurance is an integral part of being a responsible pet owner and the RSPCA would like it to become a routine part of pet care. Too often minor medical problems can escalate because people are worried about taking their animal to the vet in case they cannot afford the treatment and their animals suffer unnecessarily as a result," says Cheetham.
COPYRIGHT: "This material is the copyright of Free Features Ltd and must not be used for any purpose other than intended - ie for publication with the associated sponsor's material. It cannot be sold or used for any commercial purpose outside the terms and conditions that form the contract of registration to this site.
