Pet owners warned not to be caught short on insurance

Sainsbury’s urges consumers to check their pet insurance polices carefully to ensure that they have adequate cover for the treatment of conditions lasting longer than 12 months. This follows analysis of pet polices that shows that 37%of dog insurance policies and 35% of cat insurance policies do not provide cover for conditions lasting longer than a year.

Sainsbury's is concerned that many pet owners won't appreciate the limitations of 12-month treatment policies when they take out the cover. For example, the cover limits be they time or monetary start decreasing from the first clinical symptom or treatment date and not from the date the claim is submitted, 12 months can therefore be reached much sooner than expected. Sainsbury's Pet Insurance does not impose a time limit and provides £6,500 worth of veterinary fee cover per condition regardless of the length of the animal's illness.

As many as 30% of claims can last longer than 12 months and yet over a third of the pet policies on the market won't cover any ongoing treatment beyond that point. The average claim for veterinary costs is around £300 and one in every 26 trips to the vet can result in a bill of over £1,000. Customers with pets who develop long-term or chronic illnesses, including diabetes, arthritis or eczema that require treatment over a long period of time or even for the entire lifetime of the pet, will be left with a potentially huge shortfall to pay.

Conditions likely to last longer than 12 months or reoccur in both cats and dogs:

Diabetes
Arthritis
Eczema / Dermatitis
Heart conditions
Epilepsy
Cushing’s syndrome

Claire Moyles, Sainsbury's Pet Insurance Manager said: “With such a large number of policies not providing adequate long-term treatment for conditions lasting longer than 12 months, pet owners need to make sure that the insurance they choose will provide the cover they need in the event of their dog or cat suffering from a recurring condition.

“It is imperative that people check what their policy covers before purchasing it, as otherwise they could end up having to foot a large unexpected bills. Good quality pet insurance does not need to be expensive because extensive cover at a competitive price can be found by shopping around."

Sainsbury’s, whose award winning pet insurance has been identified as offering one of the best covers for both dogs and cats offers some of the widest range of benefits available at a competitive price. For further information, visit sainsburysbank.co.uk.