Choose dogs carefully on variable pet insurance costs

Posted : 09-03-2006

The cost of insuring a dog can vary considerably depending on its pedigree, according to Richard Mason from insuresupermarket.com, making adequate pet insurance particularly crucial for those with rare breeds.

Pet insurance premiums for dogs depend largely on the number of claims made by owners for particular breeds. Dogs such as Yorkshire Terrier's and Welsh Springer Spaniel's generally suffer the fewest mishaps, making them among the cheapest to insure at around £6.50 per month.

However, pedigree dogs and rare breeds, such as Bernese Mountain Dogs and St Bernards can be considerably more expensive to insure as they tend to be more susceptible to illness in later life.

Mr Mason from insuresupermarket.com, said: "Pedigrees and rare breeds are the most expensive dogs to insure including Bernese Mountain dogs, Great Danes and St Bernards. But other dogs such as Labradors, Alsatians and Retriever are expensive to insure too. This is because these breeds typically have the most claims made against them."

Mr Mason continued: "Certain breeds of dog are more likely to have medical problems later in life such as Labradors. They often suffer with arthritis and need to have lots of ongoing vet treatment. If you're thinking of getting a Labrador or a similar breed, make sure you've got a good level of insurance. It will cost a bit more but for the peace of mind provided it's really worth it."

To reduce the expense of rare breeds of dog, Mr Mason has called on all owners, particularly pedigree owners to take the maximum cover for vets fees, which is normally around £4,000.

Owners are also encouraged to check their cover does not have a time-limit for cover, does not exclude particular medical conditions and provides third party liability cover, which is particularly important for dogs.


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