Pet Insurance News Articles

The Government has backed down on plans to force all dog owners to insure their pet against damage caused by it attacking someone else. The climbdown comes just a week after the scheme was announced.

The plan had come under widespread criticism, including a Conservative party poster using the Churchill insurance advert character, dubbing the measure a dog tax. Insurers dubbed the scheme unworkable, saying few firms would be willing to offer cover at affordable rates.

Environment secretary Hilary Benn said "We can rule out compulsory insurance for all dogs. The idea of compulsory insurance was something that was raised with us because of the horrific injuries some very dangerous dogs can cause... We don't want to penalise the vast majority of responsible dog Full Story

The government is planning a scheme by which all dogs in the United Kingdom would have to be insured. The mandatory pet insurance coverage would be designed to pay compensation in the event that the dog attacked a person.

The scheme is part of a package of rules designed to cut down the number of attacks and make it easier to deal with those which do occur. It stems from concerns that with most breeds of dogs, an attack on private property makes it legally difficult to successfully take action against the owner.

Surprisingly insurers don't back the idea. The Association of British Insurers said that while pet insurance can cover such an event, it was unlikely firms would want to offer attack cover to all dog owners. That's because insurers believe the Full Story

This year's bitterly cold winter has made pet insurance even more beneficial according to specialist firms. One company says a customer saved more than £5,000 by being suitably covered before an icy disaster.

PetPlan says a pet poodle belonging to a customer was playing in the garden, slipped on ice and wound up crashing into a patio door, suffering both internal bleeding and a broken spinal cord. The bill for the resulting surgery and aftercare cost a total of £5,600.

The firm also said there are extra risks resulting from the way animals cope with the icy conditions. Dog owners should check the paws while walking their pet to make sure that grit isn't causing Full Story

UK pet owners are being urged to prevent access to medications following a large increase in pet poisoning reports according to Marks and Spencer pet insurance.

The growing problem of pet poisonings has resulted in a 34% year-on-year increase in reported cases to Vetfone, a 24-hour advice line available to M&S Pet Insurance policy holders.

One of the major increases of poisonings has been caused by nicotine based products, such as patches, chewing gum and inhalers. Nictoine becomes toxic to dogs at five milligrams per pound pet bodyweight and a 10mg/lb dose can be fatal.

An indication of the strength of nicotine products is seen when comparing Full Story

The Post Office has today increased it's growing range of financial services products with the addition of a new pet insurance policy.

Underwritten by Axa, Post office pet insurance is designed to meet the real needs of UK cat and dog owners with a comprehensive policy that covers vet bills up to a maximum of £5,000 per condition. With the majority of pet insurance claims under £5,000 most pet owners don't need to pay extra for higher cover limits.

Unlike many policies, Post Office Pet Insurance won't stop paying out after 12 months, so pets can be covered for long-term health conditions. And with no age limit, cats and dogs of all Full Story

Marks and Spencer Pet Insurance is being overhauled with changes designed to give customers greater choice and control over their cover.

A new Premier plan has replaced the existing policy and is available to new customers and existing customers at renewal plus a Standard policy for pet-owners who need a more basic policy but still require the protection of lifetime cover.

Marks & Spencer was the first high street retailer to offer lifetime cover on pet insurance for cats and dogs. This means that even if a pet becomes ill, they will continue to be insured for the rest of their natural life as long as the policy is renewed.

The Premier and Standard policies now include the following extra benefits:

• Vetfone - free and unlimited access to a 24 hr Full Story

Research by Sainsburys Pet Insurance has shown that the cost of owning a pedigree pet can be up to 34% more expensive than a cross-breed.

The supermarket bank found that a pedigree dog owner will typically spend around £537 a year compared with £430 for cross-breeds, and pedigree cat owners £427 compared with £319 for cross-breeds.

Sainsbury's Bank says that one of the main reasons for this difference in expenditure is the amount spent on vet fees. Pedigree animals may incur higher vets bills because certain breeds are prone to various hereditary conditions. In fact, more than 350 inherited diseases have been identified in pedigree Full Story

A survey released by Pet Plan Pet Insurance, the UK's largest pet insurer has found that UK pet owners trust the advice and knowledge of their local vet more than doctors at their local hospital.

The results are released as Petplan is asking people all over the UK to nominate deserving candidates for any of the four categories in the Petplan Veterinary Awards 2006.

The survey undertaken by NOP, asked 1,000 people which professional opinion they trusted most. Over a quarter of all pet owners interviewed said that they trust their vet (26%) more than most human health professionals. People trusted their vet over their optician (24%), hospital doctor (24%) and Full Story

A new study by More Than Pet Insurance reveals that an increasing number of UK pets are suffering from food intolerances and allergies.

Almost 10% of pets suffer from food intolerances, mirroring the trend amongst humans estimated at 40-45% of the population. Contrary to popular belief, food intolerance is likely to be associated with the food that is most commonly eaten. Pets are most often allergic to wheat (e.g. biscuits) and beef; other common allergens include pork, chicken, milk, soy and fish.

Recognising dietary intolerance is difficult for pet-owners as recurring signs are often passed off as minor illnesses. Once diagnosed, healing the problem is not so Full Story