Recent research undertaken by Halifax has found that people in the UK have spent over £2.6 billion on Cats and Dogs in the last 5 years.
Consider the average costs you encounter whilst owning a pet. Firstly there’s the initial outlay to acquire the animal, then you have to pay for food, Veterinary treatment and environmental enrichment, such as toys, etc. This can mount up fairly quickly, which is shown when you look at the average cost for a dog during its lifetime. This currently resides at £20,000 according to Churchill insurance. Out of this you can expect to pay an average of £790 on Veterinary treatment and that’s if you’re lucky.
It is definitely sensible to take out a Dog insurance policy, as certain breeds are prone to medical conditions, such as, skin conditions which require long term treatment at great expense to the owner. Add to this, the fact that an overweight animal is many times more likely to acquire conditions such as Diabetes, Thyroid problems, Circulatory conditions and Joint problems, to name but a few.
Next we have Cats to consider as they are an equally, if not, more popular pet in the average UK household. They have the tendency to get themselves run over and cost the owner large amounts of money “helping” them back to health. As you can imagine the average Vet makes a lot money from this sort of accident. Costs to be encountered are likely to be (ranking from most costly): Fracture repair, blood tests and general hospitalisation, etc.
The average Cat could live easily into its late teens, so this is a long length of time to go without a Cat insurance policy covering for a lifetime of eventualities.
If you consider the cost of the average pet in the UK and take into consideration the risk factor involved, especially with overweight animals. Can you afford not to have pet insurance?
By: Chris Rowlands