Do you know, that you can insure your pet? But does it even pay off, what does the insurance cover and what are the conditions?
For a long time, one of my female dogs suffered – apart from other ailments – from panniculitis. It is a degenerative change of the subcutaneous adipose tissue and the subcutaneous fat. I was spending a lot of money for treatment and operations and so I started to think about insuring her. In our case, I decided, that the insurance didn’t pay off. Since it is not a classical health insurance, more about that below. But this doesn’t mean, that it is generally disadvantageous or useless at all. For example, if a dog is hit by a car, or they are injured in any other way that requires a more complicated operation, without insurance, you will often have to make do with nothing else, but to take a loan for the treatment.
The existing insurance covers conditions that require immediate veterinary treatment resulting from an injury or a disease. However, it will not cover permanent, continuous treatment of chronical or long-term illnesses, which used to be exactly our case. The insurance doesn’t even cover regular, routine procedures such as vaccination, regular check-ups and the like. The insurance company will not even pay for the costs of medication and the care connected with medical issues resulting from aging, hereditary disease, inborn defects, insufficient nutrition or a disease caused by parasites, probably not even infectious diseases or illnesses caused by insufficient care. Therefore, they will not pay even for neutering or teeth treatment or any other interventions on the dog’s teeth, costs connected with gravidity and labour in female dogs and cats, and treatment of various skin diseases.
The insurance terms and conditions state, at the time the agreement is made, that the animal has to be healthy, has to get the care it needs and has to be duly vaccinated against rabies. However, this reality is not verified through insurance agents, or by an expert opinion from a vet. However, there is a so-called “protective period”, that is, several days or weeks since the signing of the agreement, in the course of which the insurance may not be drawn yet. At least this way, the insurance company is protecting itself against financial performance for already ill animals.
Another condition of the insurance is a permanent labelling of the animal with a microchip or a tattoo. It is usually enough to state the identification code of the microchip or the tattoo number within the agreement. The limiting factor for the insurance is usually age and in dogs also its weight category. For example, Česká pojišťovna (the Czech Insurance Company) will insure a dog under 40 kg only until 9 years of age, over 40 kg until 5 and a cat until 8 years of age.
You can conclude an insurance even for the death or putting down of a dog. Therefore, we could logically assume, that we will pay for the dog’s insurance for its whole life and with its death, we will get it back either way. But what would maybe not occur to us, that the insurance ceases to exist at a certain age of the dog. In dogs within the category under 40 kg it is at 11 years old, in those over 40 kg only 6 years old. The chance that your dog would die of a natural death from old age during the time, when they are still insured, thereby decreases significantly. The insurance does not apply to the death of a dog or cat caused by an infection, contagious disease, non-contagious acquired diseases, injury, operation, labour damage or acute poisoning. At some insurance companies, you won’t even be able to conclude this insurance without a certificate of origin.
The only type of insurance which I’ve concluded, is the insurance for the damage caused by an animal to a third party. I’ve chosen the insurance for the liability of citizens, which also applies to the damage caused by animals. If you’re living with your animal under a lease, you don’t have to be afraid as much that your dog will scratch the parquets, chew on a chair and the like :). An insured accident means the origin of obligation of the insured, to compensate for the damage caused by the insured dog or cat to another person through an injury or different damage to health, damage to or destroying of a thing. Do you belong among those, who have their pets insured?
Have you ever watched your cat and asked yourself what it might be thinking? It sometimes seems that these furry friends enjoy situations in which you don’t know if they love your or want to claw your eyes out. They only sit and watch you from a...
These special dogs were bred and raised specifically for hunting of puffins and guillemots (water birds). For this reason, they have several very specific and for their purpose very practical physical deviations. For example, they have extremely...
They say there aren’t many activities as relaxing as fishing. And it’s no longer true that fishing is only for men. When my friend told me she takes her dog for fishing, I was really surprised. And I immediately had to question her about how it...
If you like small dogs, it will be easy for you to fall in love with pomeranians. Not only they look like teddy bears with a nice face and look, they will also impress you with their nature. They belong to sociable dog breeds rightfully. Besides their...
Living with dogs is such a natural thing for us dog lovers that we sometimes treat them more like people. We love them, we nurture them but we may sometimes care a bit too much and unintentionally harm our furry friends. Such cases include wrong fur...
Miniature pinscher is also called min pin or German pinscher. There is a great personality with a big heart inside its little body. It is a big warrior,sports dog and a tourist. Perfect sports for this breed are for example dog dancing or agility where...
Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who...
While in the wildlife, their diet depends on natural instincts, rodents kept by humans and other small animals require a regular and balanced diet. What should rodent’s diet include and what should it avoid? What food is dangerous/safe for it? And what...
If you wish to do sports with your dog, you should at first think about if it’s right for you pet, no matter if you want to do it for leisure or top-level. And not only from the point of view of your pet’s nature but also of its physical predispositions.
Have you ever discussed whether a cat or a dog is more intelligent with your friends? Reportedly, scientists already know the answer. In this article, I mention a few facts and observations from a recently published research paper on this topic.
Cats can handle a new human in your family very badly. They are more sensitive to the changes than dogs. Are you interested in what you can do to enjoy this time and not to deal with the problems with your cat?
Are you considering getting a rodent as your new pet but you are afraid it won’t be doing good with your dog under one roof? Don’t be afraid, dogs and rodents can do great together. It is important to teach your dog from an early age that other animals...
