Dog insurance

"Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit,
you would stay out and your dog would go in."

- Mark Twain

We all know the saying that dogs are not just for Christmas. They are as big a commitment and call on our time as children are. When they are puppies they need constant attention whether through feeding or toilet training. When they are adolescents they need guidance with behaviour and training to make them socially acceptable. When they are in their senior years they need regular health checks and a safe and cosy home. In return, your pet dog will give you all the fun times, love and company you could want, and they don't answer back!

Insuring your pet dog will enable you to guarantee your dog's health and well being without the worry of big vet's bills should they require treatment. Some dogs are less hardy then others. They may be a particular breed that has become very popular and prone to ailments. Other dogs will need ongoing treatment as they get older, if you haven't insured them, the cost of the treatment and subsequent medicines will not be covered unless a policy was already in place.

It is estimated that 16million of us have pets in our house holds but only 1 in 3 have insurance in place. If your dog attacks the postman then you are liable. If your dog causes a road traffic accident then you could be liable if a claim is lodged against you. You could be paying a premium of less then £10 per month, with an option of policy endorsements to increase your level of cover.

Vaccinations

The only real answer to the four major killer diseases in dogs is prevention by vaccination. After the initial puppy vaccination, an annual health check and booster vaccination is recommended by veterinary surgeons:

Distemper -Hardpad

This causes affected dogs to cough and have a discharge from the eyes and nose. Pneumonia often develops and vomiting and diarrhoea usually follows. If the dog lives, nervous symptoms such as fits or twitches are frequent. The pads of the feet become thickened and hard.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis

This affects the liver. In severe cases, the first signs may be that the dog is off its food, is depressed and collapses, with recovery being unlikely.

Leptospirosis

This affects the liver or kidney often causing severe and fatal disease in the dog. It is also infectious to humans.

Canine Parvovirus

This affects the bowels causing a sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhoea often with blood. As death is usually due to dehydration, prompt replacement of fluid is critical.

You may be interested to know that the list of breeds which caused the most owners to claim inlcude

• Labrador

• Retriever

• English cocker spaniel

• Rottweiler

• Alsatian

And the breed who caused the least claims include;

• Yorkshire terrier

• Standard poodle

• Welsh Springer spaniel

• Flat-coated retriever

• Beagle