Veterinary treatments can cost as much as £10,000
Insurers are paying out £1.2m every day on pet insurance claims, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Each year up to one in three pets need veterinary care and the cost of this treatment is on the increase. The average UK vet bill is now £300, with some treatments costing more than £4,000, while ongoing conditions can cost up to £10,000 to treat.
The value paid out for vets’ bills in 2012 was £452m, and the average claim amount has increased by 52% since 2007. This is an increase of £207, compared with a £57 rise in the average pet insurance premium (see below).
ABI spokeswomen Linsey White said: “Owning a pet can be rewarding, but also expensive – especially if they need medical treatment. There is no NHS for our pets and even minor medical treatment can cost hundreds of pounds.”
Examples of veterinary treatments and their associated costs include:
- a vets bill for £1,500 to treat a dog who swallowed a marker pen;
- treating a four-year-old cat for a damaged eye and fractured jaw after being hit by a car resulted in a vet’s bill of £1,800;
- an operation on a mastiff dog to remove a snooker ball he had swallowed cost more than £1,000;
- £1,064 to treat a parrot for respiratory problems;
- £951 to treat a corn snake with digestive problems; and
- £293 to treat a tortoise suffering from pneumonia.
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