pET hEALTH iNSURANCE
With great advances in veterinary medicine, pets are surviving serious illness and injuries that before would have resulted in death. However, this treatment can be very expensive. Pet Health Insurance will cover veterinary costs for illness and injuries your pet may suffer from, and is relatively cheap to take out.
Some Hints:
It is a fact that 1 in 3 pets will require unexpected veterinary attention every year.
Knowing that if your pet does need veterinary attention he or she can have the very best treatment available without having to consider the cost provides great peace of mind. Costs for surgery or other treatment can be considerable, and having a good pet insurance policy in place means that all you need to worry about is your pet’s recovery, rather than how you will pay for it – or even if you can afford it in the first place.
Some Hints:
- Take out your pet health insurance early so that your pet is fully covered and has no ‘pre-existing’ conditions that will be excluded from cover.
- Check if your policy has ‘cover for life’ as well as other important benefits. Cover for life means that the premium will remain the same despite a dog developing for example a skin condition.
- Look beyond just comparing premium costs, and be aware of the limited cover offered by ‘accident only’ policies.
- Ask if your policy allows for direct payments to your vet if required.
It is a fact that 1 in 3 pets will require unexpected veterinary attention every year.
Knowing that if your pet does need veterinary attention he or she can have the very best treatment available without having to consider the cost provides great peace of mind. Costs for surgery or other treatment can be considerable, and having a good pet insurance policy in place means that all you need to worry about is your pet’s recovery, rather than how you will pay for it – or even if you can afford it in the first place.
How do I get Pet Insurance
There are three different companies in the pet insurance market at present here in Ireland;
It is not just valuable pedigree animals that are insured. There are policies for ordinary cats and dogs, as well as horses.
- petinsure.ie,
- 123.ie
- Allianz.
It is not just valuable pedigree animals that are insured. There are policies for ordinary cats and dogs, as well as horses.
What Is covered by health insurance
The cover provided by different insurance policies varies (type of policy and premium):
Typically, a policy:
Typically, a policy:
- Pay for the costs of veterinary treatment for illness or accident,
- Third party liability
- Accidental damage caused by the animal.
- Will reimburse the purchase price of your dog if it dies from illness or accident before a certain age
- Reimburse the costs of recovering the animal if it goes missing.
- Some policies even offer cover for holidays cancelled because your dog needs emergency surgery in the week before the scheduled departure date
What Costs will not be covered
There is likely to be an excess on the policy so you will pay a small proportion of any veterinary bills.
Policies are not designed to cover:
Policies are not designed to cover:
- Day-to-day maintenance and routine health care.
- Treatment for diseases which were already present at the time that the animal was insured will be excluded from cover.
- Vaccinations
- Neutering costs
- Other routine preventive treatments are also exempt under most policies
- Costs relating to an animal which becomes pregnant.
The Cost
The cost of insurance will obviously depend on the type of animal insured and the sort of cover that you require. The average premium will be from €150 - €200 a year.
You may be able to get special discounts on your insurance if your dog is microchipped, you are a pensioner or have more than one animal insured.
Pet insurance has become a competitive market so it pays to shop around. Nevertheless remember that the cheapest company is not always the best value for money.
Look carefully at the policy to see exactly what is covered by the insurance and be sure that it is what you need. Companies with cheaper policies may haggle over the cost of treatment or delay payment on genuine claims. Ask your vet about the claims settlement history of your preferred companies before you sign up.
You may be able to get special discounts on your insurance if your dog is microchipped, you are a pensioner or have more than one animal insured.
Pet insurance has become a competitive market so it pays to shop around. Nevertheless remember that the cheapest company is not always the best value for money.
Look carefully at the policy to see exactly what is covered by the insurance and be sure that it is what you need. Companies with cheaper policies may haggle over the cost of treatment or delay payment on genuine claims. Ask your vet about the claims settlement history of your preferred companies before you sign up.