Is your dog covered for vet bills?

Your dog is an irreplaceable part of your family, so it makes sense to get pet insurance that protects them from whatever might be around the corner.

Your dog is an irreplaceable part of your family, so it makes sense to get pet insurance that protects them from whatever might be around the corner. You never know when your pup could get injured or become ill, and vet bills can be extremely pricey if you don’t have comprehensive insurance that covers every outcome.

After all, the last thing you want when you might already be worrying about your dog is to be faced with a massive vet bill because your dog’s illness or injury isn’t catered for by your insurance. Here’s a few of the most common ailments that can affect dogs and how much they can cost at the vet’s; if these aren’t covered by your insurer, could it be time to check your policy?

Ligament/tendon injuries

Ligament injuries such as tears or ruptures are one of the most common reasons behind a trip to the vet’s, particularly if your dog is energetic and likes to run around a lot. Unfortunately, if the ligament injury is a bad one, such as a cruciate rupture, then these can cost a lot of money if your dog isn’t insured.

Treatment for ligament injuries will depend on the size of your dog. For breeds that weigh less than 10kg, a more conservative treatment plan usually is prescribed, which includes anti-inflammatories and rest. If this is not successful after a few months, then surgery might be needed to help get your dog back on its feet.

For larger dogs, there are usually different types of surgery that can help them recover – after the operation is done, your dog will need strict rest and pain relief while it recovers, which should be at least a few weeks.

The average cost for ongoing treatment for a cruciate rupture to a medium-sized dog was £2184. This rose to £2485 for larger dogs and £1908 for smaller breeds.

Lumps

Another common ailment your pet might get ill with a short-term problem like a lump – sometimes these are benign and don’t require any treatment, whilst other times they might need to be removed. The cause of the lumps can range from anything to abscesses, cysts, warts and skin tags to cancerous growths such as Mast Cell Tumours and Melanomas.

It’s impossible to know what type of lump your dog’s got until you get it checked by a professional, and the last thing you want to do is leave something like this to chance – so be sure to get it checked as soon as you notice it.

For a medium sized dog, the cost of treating a lump is £594 – £1369 on average. For smaller dogs this is £529, and £558 for larger dogs.

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is the medical term for stomach flu, an illness which can be particularly nasty for your dog to deal with. It results in symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea and general lethargy, and varies in how serious it might be for your pet.

Sometimes, gastroenteritis can be treated simply with anti-sickness medication or antibiotics – if this is the case, it’s likely that your dog has simply eaten something it shouldn’t have, and no further treatment will be needed.

Occasionally, however, gastroenteritis can be serious enough that your dog might need to given life-saving fluids and treated in intensive care to help it get better again. Aside from being extremely worrying, this can be very costly too, so make sure your insurance covers it!

Treating Gastroenteritis costs an average of £673 for small dogs, £666 for medium-sized dogs and £621 for larger-sized dogs.

Otitis/ear infections

One of the most common ear infections caused in dogs is known as Otitis, which where the dog’s outer ear and ear canal becomes inflamed and painful. Your dog will usually display symptoms like itching, scratching and head shaking if it’s struggling with an infection, and more severe cases can result in discharge or blood coming from the ear itself which, as you can imagine, can be very painful for your dog.

You might also notice that your dog is having trouble keeping stood up straight and walking strangely (this is because your dogs ears help it to stay balanced) or may even be stood with it’s head cocked to one side.

It’s important that you get ear infections seen to quickly; they are often very unpleasant for your pet to deal with and can get worse quickly if you don’t get them treated.

A trip to the vet’s for Otitis costs an average of £472 for smaller dogs, £608 for medium-sized dogs and £545 for larger dogs.

Skin allergies

The three most common types of skin allergies seen in dogs are flea allergies, food allergies and environmental allergies. Because there’s no cure for skin allergies, treatment will usually be based around ruling out whatever is triggering the allergy.

Flea allergies can be treated simply with flea treatment, and food allergies can be avoided by simply changing your dog’s diet appropriately. If the environment is triggering your dog’s allergy, it might be best to avoid walking them in parks and fields when the pollen count is high and rinsing their coats after you’ve walked them.

Whilst not as serious as ailments such as tumours, skin allergies can be really irritating for your dog to deal with and can have a detrimental affect on its quality of life, so will require treatment to help as soon as possible. Symptoms of skin allergies include rashes, skin infections, excessive itching, weepy eyes and dark, thickened skin where your dog has been itching.

Ongoing treatment for large dogs with skin allergies costs an average of £755. For smaller dogs it’s £554 and for medium-sized dogs it’s £594 – £701.

 

The ailments and illnesses listed above are just a few of the conditions that your dog might become ill with during its lifetime, and it’s likely that they might be affected by more than one of them.

At Cover My we know much people love their pets, which is why we provide comprehensive, great value pet insurance that can not only keep your dog safe and healthy, but also guarantee you peace of mind that your pet will always get the help and treatment it needs, when it needs it.

To find out more about our comprehensive pet insurance that covers everything from vet fees to complimentary treatment, visit our pet section or give us a call on 0800 980 5134.

*Treatment costs taken from all treatment costs paid in 2018 for policies underwritten by the RSA and total claims for dogs received by Animal Friends Insurance in 2019.

First Vet

CoverMy has partnered with FirstVet to provide free video consultations to its insurance customers

Did you know that FirstVet offers video calls with experienced, UK registered vets? You can get a consultation within 30 minutes using their app

✓ Included free as part of your pet insurance policy
✓ Help, treatment and if you need it, a referral to your local vet
✓ Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

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