Saga advocates pet insurance this winter

Posted : 05-01-2006

With meteorologists predicting the coldest weather for a decade, Saga is urging owners to take proper care of their pets this winter, with plenty of love and affection and more importantly, adequate pet insurance.

Saga Pet Insurance is advising owners that as pets are prone to many unfortunate and costly mishaps during the cold weather, adequate pet insurance is essential.

The insurer has encouraged pet owners to clip the hair on pets' paws to prevent the build up of painfull ice balls between dogs' toes from walking in cold water, check the water bowls of pets who live outside to ensure they have not frozen over and buy jackets for short haired pets.

Andrew Goodsell, chief executive, Saga said: "It is apparently going to be a bitterly cold winter this year and although we remember to wrap up warm ourselves we sometimes forget about our pets.

"The freezing temperatures and poor conditions can make our pets very vulnerable during the winter and we should do all we can to keep them as comfortable as possible."

But relatively few people appear to appreciate the potential expense of an injured pet. Treating a cat with a broken leg can cost around £1,000, while cataracts for a dog could exceed £1,500 (based on Saga claims data).

This compares to monthly pet insurance premiums that generally range in the £2 - £5 for cats, and £7 - £10 for dogs and cover costs of treatment for accident, illness or disease, as well as kennel and cattery costs should the owner have to spend more than 72 hours in hospital. Most pet insurance policies also offer the reimbursement of non-recoverable expenses, should the owner need to cancel their holiday.


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