Why your pet MUST get travel insurance
HOLIDAYMAKERS who take their dogs abroad can face sky- high veterinary bills if they jet off without checking their insurance.
Tens of thousands of families now take their pets on holiday in Europe and f urther afield — largely thanks to relaxed rules and pet passports.
But many are unaware they are not covered if their dog falls ill, suffers injury or hurts someone else while they are abroad.
As many as one in three pet insurance policies won’t automatically pay out in these circumstances, it has emerged — leaving owners at risk of crippling vet fees of thousands of pounds.
Beverley Cuddy, of Dogs Today magazine, says: ‘There are huge differences in policies, so if you are taking your dog overseas, check and check again. Otherwise you put yourself at risk of a shock bill.’
In the past decade, once-tough rules governing when pets can be taken abroad have been relaxed.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show 72,000 pet passports are i ssued annually. Most are for dogs.
Dogs can travel to and from the UK to EU countries and other qualifying nations, i ncluding Norway, Switzerland and the U.S. The only condition is that owners take out a passport or medical certificate for their pets and ensure that the animals are given all the required vaccinations and medical checks.
But many could face huge vet bills if they are not properly covered.
In France, it would cost nearly £3,500 for surgery if your pet was hit by a car; nearly £ 1,000 in Germany to treat an inflamed thyroid gland; and £500 to strap a dog’s broken leg in Norway.
Even a bad stomach upset can land you with a bill — in Italy it would cost £170. Many insurers will cover pets while abroad, but it’s vital to check what is covered before buying a policy. There can be huge variations between what is and isn’t included, and wild differences between payouts.
Some, like Petplan, do automatically include overseas vet cover on all t heir standard pet insurance policies and pay out for the full cost of treatment. But Direct Line will only cover the animal if an owner has signed up to its specific Pets Abroad policy. This typically loads an extra £5 a month on to premiums — depending on the pet — but ensures they get the same level of cover as in the UK. Others restrict the size of payouts to cover treatment costs.
So if a £1,000 bill is received, the policy might limit a payout to £200 — leaving you to find the rest. There can also be huge variations between what is and isn’t covered even at the same i nsurer. For instance, Animal Friends’ accident-only policy for dogs will not pay for treatment overseas at all.
But its basic dog policy will cover care worth up to up to £500 abroad, while its higher- end Prime Plus cover will pay out up to £1,500.
Some will also stump up for extras such as advertising and reward costs if your dog goes missing overseas, or cover the cost of flying your pet back if it can’t travel home the same way it came.
Also double- check that other administration costs, such as fees for unexpected quarantine, or the cost of replacing lost or stolen pet travel documents, are covered.
Despite concerns about hefty vet bills, most UK pets are uninsured.
Of an estimated nine million dogs, only 2.4 million are covered, says the Association of British Insurers.
Cat lovers appear even less willing to buy a policy — only 1.2 million out of 7.9 million have done so.
Pet insurers paid out £602 million to cover vet bills last year. This is the equivalent of £1.65 million a day, a rise of nearly 15 pc on the previous 12 months. And the average cost of an individual claim has risen 7 pc to £679. For dogs, this is even higher at £683.
Policies can cost from £7 a month to £ 40- plus depending on an animal’s age, health and pedigree.
Model Isa Randle often takes her five-year-old chihuahua Lucky on holiday and pays £27 a month to Petplan to ensure he is covered in the event illness or injury both at home and overseas.
Isa, from London, says: ‘ Even though Lucky is tiny, I’ve never wanted him to be just a lapdog.
‘Instead, I’ve always been keen for him to run around just like a bigger animal. This means he is more likely to need insurance.
‘Hopefully, he’ll never need to see a vet while we’re abroad, but it’s good to know at least some of our bills will be covered if he does.’
An Association of British Insurers spokesman says: ‘ It’s vital to consider what risks and costs your pet insurance policy will cover. You should contact your insurer if you need information before travelling.’