Cattle

Archive for May 1st, 2009

If you have a dog then it makes common sense to take out dog insurance, UK dog owners can end up paying an absolute fortune in vet bills if their pet has an accident or develops a chronic condition of some kind. Most pet insurance policies will not cover any existing conditions, and as a general rule the insurance will not cover you for the necessary vaccination jabs and annual boosters that your dog will need.

As with any kind of insurance it is always a good idea to shop around and get several quotations before you sign up. You should be sure to check with insurers what exclusions, i.e., what things may not be covered by the policy before you sign a contract. Most pet owners are perceived as caring people, something that the insurance companies will have noticed and so there are probably almost as many different dog insurance schemes in the country as there are dogs.

Supermarket giants such as Sainsbury’s now sell insurance for dogs, but again it is not a good idea to get the first insurance policy you look at, there is a lot of choice around and you should look until you find something that fits both your budget and your dog’s needs. There are some things that you need to look out for when you are buying dog insurance, UK insurers that do offer pet insurance may do so on a yearly basis, which means that if your dog contracts an illness while on the first policy, when you come to the renewal, you may not be covered for that condition.

Pet insurance in the UK varies by the type of animal you want to insure, for example cat insurance in the UK is usually cheaper than an insurance policy for dogs. You want as much cover as you can get for your money, just like everything else in a credit crunch, vet bills are rising all the time and unless you have dog insurance, UK costs soon mount up. If your dog is involved in a road accident and you have not taken out insurance then it could cost you hundreds of pounds to get things put right, X-rays and other specialist vet treatments are very expensive.

It is worth undertaking some research online and perhaps to look at one of the insurance comparison sites that are so popular now. These sites bring together a number of different companies and will give you an idea of what a policy might cost and what kinds of things you can expect for your money. As a general rule you should probably expect to pay somewhere between ?6 and ?10 a month for your dog insurance.

Shop around to see if you can find an insurance company that will cover your dog on an ongoing basis rather than your having to renew the policy every year. Your dog is probably in very good health and you may not see the need to take out a policy, but think hard before you decide not to insure. When you do take out a policy you’ll find it’s a lot cheaper to pay for dog insurance, UK vet bills can be ridiculously high.