Pets Don’t Have to be Expensive
According to a recent survey, pet owners in the UK spend a total of £94 million a week on items they need to give their pets the care and attention they need. You can cut down on this expense in several ways.
There is no national health insurance for pets and a visit to the vet can soon add up to a large amount of money. About 40% of the costs of being a dog owner are in the area of veterinary bills for the health of the dog. There are about 13 million dog owners in the UK and only about 12% of them have pet insurance. A simple incident causing a ruptured ligament could run you as much as £2500 in vet bills alone.
Having pet insurance cover can help save you money when you need to take your dog or cat to the vet. It will also cover you in the event that your dog causes injury to another person or their property. There are many different types of pet insurance policies and it is well worth your while to take a look at some of these to help save you money on pet care. Grooming, however, is not covered under these policies, nor are vaccinations and de-worming procedures. These alone can run you about £400 per year.
The premiums you pay for pet care insurance are based on the type of pet you own, how old it is and the area in which you live. There are different levels of cover and like buying other types of insurance you can save on the premiums by purchasing your policy online. Tesco is one of the pet insurance providers that offers a 20% discount just for buying online. Using a comparison calculator to help you find competitive prices on insurance cover. You do have to make sure you read all the details because the lowest priced policy may not be the best one for your needs.
When you set out to buy a pet if you want to save money stay away from the pedigree animals. Not only are they costly to buy, but the upkeep for these animals could cause you financial difficulty. The pet insurance for a mongrel is about 40% less than that of a pedigree and the day to day costs amount to about 30% less. This is because you won’t need to buy any special foods and these animals seem to be healthier.
Consider taking a rescued animal into your home. You usually only have to give a donation to the charity handling these animals instead of having to pay the full price that you would to a breeder or pet store. These animals often have all their vaccinations in place and have been spayed or neutered before you receive them which saves you a lot of money.
If you do have to bring your pet for vaccinations, don’t postpone them because this could lead to illness in the future and cost you a lot more money. When you pet does become ill, consult a veterinarian pharmacist to obtain medication before you visit the vet. Chances are if this is a common illness the medication will work and is far less expensive than a visit to the vet.
Tags: de-worming procedures, insurance providers, vet fees, health insurance, dog causes injury, GBP, pet costs
