PET INSURANCE

We would strongly advise all owners to insure their pets if at all possible. Unfortunately, there is no National Health Service for animals and it is both sad and frustrating if a sick patient is potentially treatable but the restraining factor is the cost of the treatment.

There are many insurance policies available and it is up to the individual to find a policy which best suits their needs (there are many leaflets from many companies in our waiting room - please help yourself). We are able to offer advice on a one to one basis. Currently we can offer six weeks of free insurance (to animals over 8 weeks of age and under 8 years of age) when you have your pet vaccinated with an Intervet manufactured vaccine (our practice uses Intervet vaccines). This is an offer brought to us by Intervet in association with Pinnacle insurance. The practice receives no commission or subsidy from this offer but we have the satisfaction of knowing that if an animal requires treatment or expensive tests, cost will not be prohibitive.

Pit-falls to watch out for when insuring your pet:

• Will you have to pay a percentage of the treatment costs or a standard excess, and how much is the excess?
  
• Will the policy pay out on chronic conditions, i.e. if your pet develops a condition at the age of two will the company still pay out for this condition at the age of seven or fourteen?
  
• Is the annual or monthly payment set for life or does it increase disproportionately as your pet gets older?
  
• Most policies will not pay out for vaccinations although some insist that your pet is upto date with vaccinations. Similarly "elective" surgery such as neutering or routine dental work are usually excluded from the policy.
  
• Will you be paying premiums according to the area of the country in which you live (i.e. regional pricing) or is the policy averaged for the whole of Scotland or Britain and, therefore, are you subsidising people who live in more expensive areas.