The word expensive certainly comes to mind when we talk about pet insurance. The UK is not the best place to be living in the world, when our pet becomes ill or needs an operation.
Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of families own a dog or cat and too many don’t even have insurance policies. That will certainly spell disaster for those families that aren’t well off, or have spare money lying around. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that having pet insurance is a wise move, and I advise all future pet owners to seriously consider insurance before even bringing a pet into the family. So without me blabbering on too much and lecturing you, let’s get to the point and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having pet insurance.
I thought I would save the best part for last, so I’m starting with the cons or disadvantages, whichever way you think of it.
What are the disadvantages of having pet insurance?
Pre-existing diseases are a big problem when it comes to taking out a new policy, and even for a first time policy holder the principles are the same. For new policy holders, there is no hiding pre-existing diseases from the vet. They will be able to tell if the pet has had the problem before hand, after all, they don’t study and gain qualifications for no reason. If a disease suddenly reoccurs later in the pet’s life then you’re going to run into problems. The insurance company won’t pay up for obvious reasons. As you can imagine this is not a good situation to be in, and does seem unfair after paying insurance premiums throughout your policy duration, only to find out you won’t be covered. Unfortunately this is part and parcel of having a pet, especially dogs.
Insuring older dogs is often a problem for pet owners. Dogs which are over the age of 6 or 7 are more prone to disease and injuries, hence the reason why insurers are very reluctant to accept potential clients. Of course, if you are in the position to pay the extra cost that comes with insuring older dogs, then by all means do it.
The information above doesn’t apply to all insurance providers. They all vary from provider to provider. The best advice you should listen to above all , is don’t fall for the cheapest deal. Search around and look at many providers, use comparison sites and do your research on those policies to make absolutely certain you aren’t going to land yourself in trouble later down the line.
What are the advantages of having pet insurance?
Expensive bills, not something we want to have at the wrong time of the year. What would you do without pet insurance? Treatment for your pet can cost a lot of money at times, with surgery costing an average of over £1000 in some cases. There are numerous reasons you may be visiting the vet, with MRI scans and CT scans being high on the list, and god forbid if your dog gets cancer as this can be very costly indeed. Vet bills can mount up and spiral out of control at times, especially when owners need to pay for their animal to stay over at the hospital after surgery, or to recover from treatment. So it’s safe to say the biggest advantage of having pet insurance is of course having those expenses paid for you.
With all these costs and the stress of having to deal with your pet being unwell or terminally ill, the effects on you as well as the pet can certainly mount up and lead to friction in the family home. And in the event of the death of your loved one, you really are going to be under the weather and may have feelings of resentment after paying so much money and having nothing to show for it. Having pet insurance will certainly help in these situations and will take the burden off your shoulders, so that you can grieve and recover from those sad times without the reality of having to pay large bills.
One last advantage of having your pet insured is having the ability to pay your premiums in monthly instalments. Depending on the cost of the insurance you can have decent control over the amount you are paying each month. Some providers will let you pay a deposit on the policy, which will lower your monthly outgoing, and at the same time you will be safe in the knowledge that you’re covered if anything may go wrong. I will repeat again, shop around, think before you decide on having a pet and you’ll be a better pet owner overall.
Have you had any bad experiences with pet insurance? Have you had to pay a large amount to save the life of your pet? Let us know about your stories and experiences below in the comments. We would be glad to hear from you.
Aaron Johnston is the senior writer & publicist for a leading pet insurance comparison site Monkey.co.uk. The site also donates £10 to a charity of your choice for every pet insurance quote taken out through Monkey.
