Do You Really Need Dog Insurance Cover?

It is widely accepted that although most people definitely do want the very best levels of cover for their pets, they often still search for the lowest limit of cover to protect their dog or puppy. Naturally this is something that we as a society are currently programmed to do. With the high costs of petrol, heating, car repairs and even the sharp increases we have seen relating to our social lives we as a Nation really do need to save a penny of we are able. To top everything the constant bombardment of low cost car insurance advertising on the television and internet has primed the United Kingdom as a society that really must go for the cheapest price at all costs. This is fine and indeed a natural result of this constant bombardment from the media, but it is important to realise that the old adage still ring true, even today. YOU really do get what you pay for! You may be fooled into thinking that just because you have a puppy you may not need the highest level of cover, and on occasion you would be right. But insurance is about accessing the risks, and then buying the level of cover you feel covers the risk as you perceive it. Unfortunately even with a puppy there is a good chance that you could still end up paying your local veterinary clinic a visit perhaps even two during a year.

If you have a puppy and you actually watch his or her behaviour for a few hours you may well realise quite quickly how important getting a good pet insurance policy may just be for your family. It is however likely though that this is not a time that you would truly want limited cover in order to save a few pounds every month. By saving just £6 pounds a month that would equate to a full tank of petrol in a small family car over a year. That's one weeks petrol. Now look at it like this, if your dog swallows a bone and needs surgery the chances are it could cost well over £150 at the vets.

If you have a puppy then now could possibly be one of the most important times for you to get insurance as puppies are always chewing on something aren't they! Be it your new work shoes, the t-bone left over from last night's dinner, your Sunday socks or the dogs favourite soft toy. It's also common for dogs to swallow not only toys, but golf balls and even mobile phones! Now it's fair to say that many things swallowed eventually make their way back out again, but this is not always the case. A T-bone could get lodged in a dogs throat and surgery is often the best way to remove it, golf balls and socks can block a puppies bowels and cause severe discomfort etc. Puppies chew everything and chicken is  a firm favourite dinner dish here in the UK. As you may well realise turkey, chicken and lamb bones are too soft for dogs to chew and they also splinter. No matter how careful you are it only takes 30 seconds for you to turn your back and a major disaster could result  thanks to your puppies inquisitiveness.

Surgery is not only expensive, but the mere fact that it may come at a bad time could be very stressful not to mention financially crippling. Life is unfortunately not predictable and pet insurers expect to pay out on 1 in every three policies. 

So what we really would not like to see is that dog owners especially people who have recently picked up a rescue puppy or bought one from a friend gets caught out with a bill for several hundred pounds at the local veterinary practice because they thought that because they had a healthy puppy, nothing could or would go wrong for some time to come.

Make sure that you have adequate dog insurance to cover these things - they are more common than most people might think.