Customers of Petpals obviously care for their pets a great deal, and know the importance of making sure they get the proper care and treatment. However, this doesn’t appear to be the case for all pet owners, with the RSPCA recently noting an increase of 57% in the number of pets abandoned by their owners. What is the reason for this?

Expert opinion

According to Sheila Stewart, who runs Capricom Animal Rescue Centre in North Wales, the majority of pets being abandoned by their owners is due to them not taking out pet insurance. This seems ridiculous at first, but bare in mind the cost of veterinary treatment and so it seems a reasonable hypothesis.

The answer?

Pet owners should consider taking out pet insurance so that they can pay for their pet to receive the treatment it needs should it become injured or ill. According to Sheila Stewart of Capricom Animal Rescue Centre it may help reduce the abandonment of pets at their centre.

What to look for in a pet insurance policy

Price should not be the only factor when purchasing insurance. You have to consider the things you need covered as every pet and its owner are different. The following is a list of common features which are omitted from certain cheaper policies:

• Veterinary treatment – This is the most common cause for a claim, with research by moneysupermarket.com suggesting that people are more likely to claim on their pet insurance than on their motor or home insurance. However, some low quality insurers will state in the small print that this is not covered by their policy. Look out for this!
• The excess – Some policies are cheaper simply because the excess is higher. The average excess is around £40-£50, but if you wish to offer to pay a higher excess in order to benefit from a lower premium do so at your own risk, but please ensure that you can afford the excess for the good of your animal.
• Third party cover – Some insurers will not pay out should your pet cause damage to a third party (i.e. damage to someone else’s property).
• Dental cover- Sainsbury’s bank estimates that dental fees for animals cost UK pet owners £28.5 million per year. However, some insurers will not pay out should you make a claim for your pet’s dental care.
• Commercial events- Some insurers will consider your claim invalid if you are making a claim for an injury your pet sustained when in a commercial event. If you are planning on this, make sure the insurer will cover it.
• Holiday cover-If you are planning on taking you pet abroad, only agree to a policy that will cover any claims made in different countries. Many insurers will not cover this.

Please Note: This is promotional content provided by moneysupermarket.com. Petpals does not endorse or advocate any particular brand of pet insurance.