Are you being overcharged for your pet medication?

Did you know that you may be paying more than you have to for your pet’s special diet foods, health supplements and medication? Take, for example, Mrs H, whose pet cat Kirby was prescribed a potassium supplement. The 4oz container from her vets cost £62.40. When the product had nearly been used up after a few months, there were problems getting it from her vet who had to ‘order it in’ as it was ‘special’. Desperate, Mrs H found the same product at the same weight for £29.99 online at one of the small number of pet prescription websites that have sprung up in recent years. Luckily for her, the product was a non-prescription item and she ordered it there and then.

You may also find that your usual preventative flea treatments work out cheaper if you look around online too. Companies who offer this sort of service include www.petdispensary.co.uk and www.petmeds.co.uk.
Similarly, when Mrs H asked her vet for some furball paste for Kirby, the cost was £18 for a 20g tube. Online a similar brand currently costs £7.50 for a 70g tube!

Prescription medications
However, even if your pet is on prescription drugs, you may still be able to make savings on the cost of your furry friend’s medications. All you need is a prescription from your vet – however, do bear in mind that he or she may not be happy about you buying the medications somewhere else, because they could well be losing out on making a profit on it.

Legally the vet can charge you to write a prescription and this may be anywhere from £5 up to £15. However, if you ask for a prescription for 6 months’ medications, you may still find it cheaper overall to buy the prescription from your vet and then get the medications online.

When ordering your pet’s medications online, you’ll be asked to supply a copy of the prescription before your order is despatched. It’s a simple process and one that can potentially save you a lot of money.

Special diet foods
It is also useful to note that even if your pet is insured, special diet food is often not covered under a pet insurance policy. Again, going online for special pet diet may work out cheaper than buying it from your vet.

Covering Your Best Friends: A Basic Overview of Pet Insurance

When we consider all the joy that our four legged friends bring into our lives, investing in their health and well being is a small price to pay. The reality is however that the price of keeping an animal safe and healthy is rarely small, especially if emergency veterinary treatment is required. This is why investing in pet insurance is such a great idea as it allows you to spread the cost of caring for your pets over a longer time period and in this way cushions you against the impact of huge vet bills.

There is a vast array of pet insurance products on the market. At a basic level most will offer cover against illness (non pre-existing) and injury.

Depending on your level of cover around 80% of the bills associated with the treatment of an animal will be paid out by basic pet insurance policies. More and more comprehensive pet insurance products are being launched with the express purpose of going beyond this basic level of cover. Some of the things that will most likely be covered by a comprehensive policy include:

• Full Treatment Costs
• Medication
• Extended stays in veterinary centres or ‘pet hospitals’
• Cancer Therapies
• X-ray and laboratory fees

Some policies even go beyond offering the possibility of top level care for pets, to offering ‘pet related care’ in the form of ‘pet life insurance’ to owners. Such policies will pay out a sum of money upon the death of a pet and will also often pay for ‘pet bereavement counselling’ for pet owners.

The rise of comprehensive pet insurance does not mean that you can now insure your pet against just about any eventuality, there are still some things that are excluded from most policies. These include:

• Pre-existing medical problems
• Pregnancy
• Dental problems
• Congenital defects

These general exclusions mean that it will often be necessary to submit your dog or cat (the vast majority of policies cover these two animals) to a medical examination before cover can commence.

In addition to medical emergencies you can also elect to insure your animals on other levels. The most common options are:

• Liability Insurance: Pet owners are legally liable for the actions of their animals. It is therefore increasingly common for dog owners to take out insurance against the possibility of an attack by their dogs in which someone is injured.
• Theft/Loss Insurance: This kind of cover will pay out upon the loss of an animal to help with recovery costs and/or the posting of a reward. In the case of particularly valuable pedigree animals it is also possible to arrange for cover against possible financial loss.

It should be clear from the above that the available options in the field of pet insurance and range from simple emergency cover to complex comprehensive policies. It would therefore be worth your while to carefully determine the level of cover you need and then to shop around for the product, and the price that will best meet your needs.

Summary:

• Basic Pet Insurance Policies offer partial cover against illness and injury
• More comprehensive policies, offering better levels of cover, are increasingly popular
• More and more non-medical policies (e.g. liability and theft/loss insurance are entering the market)
• It pays to shop around for the best level of cover for your circumstances

A Brief Guide to Dog Insurance

Ownership of a dog brings with it many joys and special moments. It can however also bring the unforeseen costs and the resultant anxiety that comes with having to deal with veterinary emergencies. It is because of this that dog insurance is so highly appreciated by many dog owners.

There are many dog insurance products on the market ranging from very basic emergency cover to comprehensive insurance policies. The following types of cover are often included in dog insurance policies:

• Medical Emergency Cover: This will cover you against vet bills arising from illness or injury. Basic policies will only cover a certain percentage of the actual treatment cost while more comprehensive policies will cover the full treatment amount, related testing costs (e.g. x-rays) and medicine. It is important to note that pre existing conditions, pregnancy and congenital conditions will normally be excluded from policies. Your dog may also have to undergo a medical examination before cover can commence.
• ‘Life Cover’: More and more companies are offering insurance products that can only be described as ‘life cover for dogs’. Under the terms of such polices an amount will be paid out when a dog dies. Some policies even offer access to bereavement counselling at the loss of your dog.
• Liability Cover: It should always be remembered that the owner of a pet can be held liable for its actions. Many dog owners find it prudent therefore to take out liability insurance to cover against injuries or damage caused by their dogs.
• ‘Theft/Loss Cover: The costs associated with the loss or theft of a beloved family dog can be immense. A great deal of peace of mind can therefore be gained by taking out a policy that will make the best possible search for your pet possible. This kind of cover will provide resources to fund the search for a missing dog (e.g. through placing ads in local newspaper, or through providing the money for a reward to be posted). In some cover can also be arranged for the ‘cash value’ of very valuable dogs (e.g. pedigreed dogs, breeding males or members of very rare breeds).

The sheer variety of what is available can make choosing the right dog insurance policy rather difficult. It would be prudent to shop around and do a bit of research before making your final decision about which policy, and level of cover, to go with. Some of the things that you may want to consider are:

• Track Record: There are unfortunately many ‘fly by night’ operators in the dog insurance industry. Going with an established player with a positive reputation can help protect you against unpaid bills.
• Recommendations: Recommendations from friends or animal welfare charities can be a significant factor in helping you to decide on the right provider.
• Clarity and simplicity in communication: Do your best to find a company that clearly spells out cover levels and premiums in plain English.

After all that were said it is important to remember that having a good dog insurance policy in place is not an optional extra since it can mean the difference between giving your dog the best and having to make some heart wrenching decisions because you are struggling to afford the cost of treatment.

Summary:

• Dog Insurance will cover you against some of the most common contingencies related to owning a dog.
• Medical cover forms a key component of many dog insurance policies
• ‘Life cover’, theft/loss cover and liability cover can also be arranged
• Dog owners would do well to shop around for the best possible policy, from the best possible provider at the best possible rate