Q: Is it mandatory to buy pet insurance for my dog? 

A: It isn’t mandatory to buy pet insurance for your dog but it is highly recommended. Unfortunately, many pet owners may not realise just how much veterinary care can cost.  

Vet care has advanced substantially over the last few years and now pets can benefit from advanced surgeries and testing, such as MRI scans, bone plating and blood testing that we are traditionally used to seeing in human hospitals. However, as there is no NHS for pets all these treatments and tests need to be paid for.  

 
Many people massively underestimate the cost of medical procedures and so it can be a major shock when their pet becomes unwell. For example, a ruptured cruciate ligament in the knee could cost £3,000 to £5,000 to repair and surgery to remove a corn cob stuck in the intestine can be £2,000 to £4,000, or more if there are complications. 

 
Many owners would, understandably, not be able to find several thousands of pounds should their pet become unwell but this can be the reality if you don’t have insurance. Pet insurance therefore gives peace of mind and means that owners don’t have to compromise on vital vet treatment for their pet.  
 

However, if you feel that pet insurance isn’t right for you, or may struggle to make monthly payments, it may be helpful to make enquiries with your registered vet as some veterinary practices will offer payment plans so that you can pay the vet bills in instalments rather than one lump sum.  

Like all payment services this is subject to strict financial services, so not all practices will be able to offer this service and it will only be suitable in some situations.  

Many charities such as the PDSA and Blue Cross also offer financial assistance for veterinary care for those who are eligible (based on postcode and benefit/income criteria), but these services are in very high demand and have to maintain strict rules about who can access them.  
 

We would always urge anyone considering getting a pet to thoroughly do their research to make sure they can give them the time, money and care they need for the rest of their lives – and we’d like to see pet insurance considered as an integral part of pet ownership. 
 

When buying pet insurance it is important to understand exactly what will be covered as there are many different policies with different levels and lengths of cover. As a general rule, pricier packages often include more cover, but there can be considerable variations between companies.  

The key thing to look at is whether the policy is “lifetime” or yearly. If you get a yearly policy then any conditions, even lifelong issues such as diabetes or arthritis will not be covered when you go into the next policy year. With lifetime cover those conditions will continue to be covered up to the amount allowed per year. Clearly lifetime cover is much better for ongoing conditions, but understandably will cost more. 
 

The other thing to watch out for is the overall level of cover and if that is broken down per condition – £1,000 might sound like a lot but with modern tests and medications that amount could easily be spent investigating a condition, leaving you paying for the actual treatment. Always get the highest level of cover you can afford.  
 

Another aspect to watch out for is if the insurance covers pre-existing conditions if starting with a new insurance provider, or changing your policy, as problems may not be covered if this is the case. Always be honest about your pet’s previous health issues and make sure you understand the exclusions on your pet’s policy before committing.  

Caroline Allen is the Chief Veterinary Officer at the RSPCA where she has worked for over eight years. Caroline spent nearly twenty years as a GP vet in London before she joined the RSPCA. She is a trustee of the BVA- Animal Welfare Foundation. She studied veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge and has a one-year-old rescue dog, a lurcher called Jess.  

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Pet owners are paying for more insurance for the treatment of distressed dogs as they return to work.

An analysis by Defaqto shows that 44% of dog insurance policies now have full cover for behaviour compared to 30% in February last year.

The financial data firms say this is down to an increase in dog separation anxiety, as pets now suffer from being left alone in the house after constant time together with their owners during lockdown.

Many insurers now offer full cover for behavioural therapy recommended by a vet to treat an animal’s emotional distress, maybe owing to separation.

Pet insurance prices range from £6 a month to over £100 a month in the UK. The average cost of “accident only” pet insurance is typically under £110 a year.

Pet insurance provider Scratch and Patch, for example, offers policy prices with behaviour therapy costing £37.60 per month (£451.17 per year) for a crossbreed dog in its Premier Plus account, covering up to £500 in behavioural therapy.

Without behavioural therapy, pet insurance costs from £22.24 to £35.01 a month for different plans.

‘My dog learned to limp so I wouldn’t leave’

When Alice* left her home to get groceries or for work meetings, her dog Nugget would start howling, and pretending to have a limp to make her stay at home.

“He would normally just cry for about half an hour and would lay near the door and not move for hours. I have [home security] cameras so I would look at him through them. It broke my heart”, she said.

“He would have episodes where he’d scream and cry if I even put my shoes on leading him to believe I was leaving my house. He even learned to limp his leg so I wouldn’t leave.”

She spoke about her concerns with the vet, and they informed her of separation anxiety.

Alice said the pandemic has worsened Nugget’s anxiety: “I spent a lot more time home than normally, so he got used to having me around.”

What is dog separation anxiety?

The term dog separation anxiety became more prominent on TikTok during the pandemic. But Malena DeMartini, professional dog behaviour consultant, says this issue has been happening for a very long time.

She tells Mouthy Money: “Separation anxiety in dogs is very much like a panic disorder or a panic attack in humans. It’s really a phobia. By nature, a phobia is very irrational to the people that aren’t experiencing it.

“And it’s really important that people understand that this is not spite. This is not revenge. These dogs are truly petrified about alone time.”

Indicators of dog anxiety include:

• barking or howling
• destruction of exit points and furniture
• trembling, whining
• pacing, salivating, wet paw marks
• standing or sitting frozen at exit points or windows

Insurers offer full cover for dog behavioural therapy. Without the pet insurance cover, normally the prices for this type of issue would be £85 per hour, including a report and aftercare support. A 1:1 Behaviour Consultation can cost £300, according to Behaviour Clinic.

Rise in pet ownership

The number of dog owners has risen sharply during the pandemic in the UK.

Of an estimated 12 million dogs in the UK, about 3.2 million were acquired as puppies during the Covid crisis.

Dog welfare charity Dogs Trust has warned that an increasing number of owners are trying to hand over dogs for adoption since coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

DeMarini adds: “I think there will be a percentage of those people that will realise that they don’t have the capacity to care for that animal when they return to work, so they will give them back to shelters.”

*pseudonym

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