Avoid those big vet bills
January 28th, 2008 Posted in Pets Guide For many pet owners, an injured or sick animal is a burden on a
stretched budget. Two Australian health-care providers, Manchester
Unity and HCF, are offering insurance policies for cats and
dogs.
Big bills for pet owners are not rare, says Dr Max Zuber of
Gladesville Veterinary Hospital in Sydney’s west. “Even fairly
simple surgery may cost a thousand dollars,” he says, quoting $2500
for a dislocated knee and up to $6000 for a hip replacement.
Better nutrition, improved veterinary knowledge and a tendency
to keep pets safely indoors are all helping pets live longer, which
has its own medical and insurance implications.
“There’s an increasing amount of geriatric care that now happens
in animals as well as happens in the human population,” he
says.
Accidents and illness account for the bills that put the
greatest strain on family finances when it comes to pets. Asked
whether money ever affects the level of care owners can afford, Dr
Zuber is unequivocal.
“You bet. All the time and every day,” he says. “We have animals
that owners request be euthanised because they’re unable to face
the veterinary bills.”
He says insurance can help pet owners. “Certainly that does make
it easier for owners to pay those big vet bills when they come and
comfortably be able to authorise what’s the most appropriate care
rather than a second-best or third-best compromise.”
With 63 per cent of Australians caring for pets - more than 3.7
million dogs and 2.4 million cats - it’s a significant market. And
the medical bills for every Bluey and Fluffy total about $1 billion
a year, according to a BIS Shrapnel report.
Generally, with the insurance policies, dental care costs extra
and existing conditions are excluded. Manchester Unity’s Petmate
policy, which is underwritten by PetSure, covers only accidents and
reimburses 80 per cent of expenses. Monthly premiums start at
$12.30 for cats and $14.80 for dogs. For broader protection,
Petmate Executive covers accidents and illnesses. It costs $36.70
for a cat and $41.70 for a dog a month, with a $50 excess. There
are excesses of $100 and $200 for both plans. The company’s PetFit
policy covers preventative care such as vaccinations and heartworm
tests.
HCF has policies, with a choice of a $100 or $200 excess,
provided by Petcover that are 10 per cent cheaper than the normal
Petcover monthly premiums. The cost for a cat is $13.15 a month and
$24.40 for dogs.
Petcover will also deal directly with non-HCF members. The
policies cover up to $7500 for surgery, hospitalisation and medical
supplies.
In some cases, even that may not cover everything. Treating
cancer in a dog can cost more than $10,000 when you include
diagnostic tests, surgery and chemotherapy, says Bill Baker,
practice director for Melbourne Veterinary Specialty Clinic.
His clinic treats cases that are beyond the scope of a typical
vet and so the costs are higher than most pet owners have to face.
Nevertheless, the clinic’s average bill is between $3000 and
$4000.
“The majority of people are paying for all these costs from
their bank account or through loans or credit or whatever means
they have,” he says.
Renae Dickey, managing director at Petcover, says the decision
to offer pet insurance was partly sparked by its popularity in
Britain, where pet policies have been available for 25 years.
“They sell pet insurance in supermarkets over there now,” she
says.
About a quarter of all pets in Britain are covered by insurance.
By comparison, 45 per cent of pets in Sweden are covered. Dickey is
confident of demand for insurance in Australia.
“We conducted some research at the beginning of this year and we
found that 6000 dogs and cats every year are put down because their
owners can’t afford the proper treatment,” she says. Many of the
claims to Petcare are for car accidents, tick paralysis, arthritis
and stomach bugs, but Dickey says a german shepherd owned by her
business partner recently lost a leg in an accident and the vet’s
bills cost almost $10,000.
A study by the Australian Animal Companion Council noted that
owners spent $4.6 billion on their pets in 2005. Food was the
biggest expense, but vet services and products came next at just
more than $1 billion a year. There is an element of self-interest
in all of this for the insurance industry. Numerous studies have
found pet owners are, in general, healthier people. According to
PetSure, pet owners have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure,
deal with stress better and are less likely to feel lonely.
When love isn’t enough
After the financial and emotional toll of losing a previous pet
because of medical problems, Rosa Quinn wanted health insurance for
the family’s first dog, Cleo.
“It’s expensive having a pet,” Quinn says. “We’ve had previous
pets where we’ve had to spend a lot of money when they’ve been
sick.”
One of those pets, a cat named Kiki, suffered from a congenital
liver problem and had to be put down, “so we thought [insurance]
might be the way to go”.
Cleo, now aged four, is a jack russell-fox terrier cross. Since
the middle of last year, Cleo has been insured through Petcover,
one of several alternatives available for pet owners.
The appeal, Quinn says, is the peace of mind. Cleo still
receives annual preventative treatments for illnesses such as
heartworm, and, while nothing can guarantee a pet’s health, Quinn
believes the insurance policy is common sense. “You can get the
best assistance and attendance when you know you’ve got cover.”
So far, the family hasn’t had to make any claims.
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Tags: animals, bet, car accident, cats, cholesterol, dogs, dogs and cats, having a pet, herd, holes, human population, loc, love, medical bills, Pet, pet owners, petco, pets, population, vaccination, vaccinations, vet
