Pet insurance claims top $3m
PET insurance claims prove there is an almost unlimited number of things that can go wrong with the four-legged members of Kiwi families, insurer Southern Cross says.
Head of Southern Cross Pet Insurance Anthony McPhail said the strangest cases included that of a Birman cat which fell into a pot of acrylic paint and then tried to clean herself. She was sedated and shaved.
Other memorable claims included an English Bull Terrier which was so keen to get into the back garden that the dog ran straight through a ranchslider.
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier trying to retrieve a stick from the ocean swallowed a large amount of water and a vet had to aspirate the fluid in her lungs and air in her stomach.
Another over-enthusiastic dog, a Tibetan Terrier cross, tried to sample her owner’s wine when the glass fell on the ground and smashed. This resulted in a vet visit to remove glass from her mouth.
All up, SCPI received more than 10,000 claims and paid out more than $3 million in claims in its 2015 financial year.
The biggest canine claim was for pericardial effusion – fluid around the heart – which cost $9232.
The most expensive claim for a cat was $8461 for face fractures and tongue amputation after the animal was hit by a car.
‘‘Pets give owners a lot of pleasure when they’re healthy, but as a responsible owner you have to be prepared to take care of them when they’re unwell and a lot of people aren’t aware that treatment can be very costly,’’ McPhail said.
SPCA spokeswoman Rona Booth said her organisation strongly encouraged pet owners to take out insurance.
She said it often dealt with people whose animals were hurt or sick, and who could not pay the bills.
‘‘There is no Government health cover for pets – if you find out your pet has a $5000 bet bill and you don’t have insurance, how are you going to cover that?’’
However, the vast majority of Kiwi pet owners choose to ‘‘selfinsure’’.
SCPI provides cover for about 14,000 cats and dogs.
Other pet insurance providers include The Warehouse and Pet-nsur.
Policies start from just under $20 a month for cats and a little less than $30 a month for dogs.