Don’t get caught out on your pet insurance with pre-existing medical conditions

Sainsbury’s Bank is warning cat and dog owners not to get caught out on pet insurance as a result of pre-existing medical conditions.

Over 10% of cats and dogs suffer from a medical condition before they are three.

By not taking out pet insurance at the time the pet is bought, any illnesses occurring before the it is bought could be considered as pre-existing medical conditions.

These medical conditions and any that are linked can be excluded from the insurance cover.

Worst affected are dogs with over 20% suffering some medical condition before they are 3, including dermatitis and lameness.

According to Sainsbury’s Bank, on average it costs £322 to treat a dog for lameness in its first 3 years of life.

Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager, Joanne Mallon, said ‘Our figures show that many cats and dogs develop conditions early on in life, conditions that will often persist. Unfortuantely, like with private medical care in humans, owners will struggle to get cover for an exisitng condition which may mean paying for veterinary treatment and medication for this condition for the rest of the pet’s life.’

There are many providers of pet insurance, offering a good level of cover at competitive prices – including such as Marks and Spencer, Direct Line and More Th>n.

Many have offers to encourage you to buy their product, for example a discount for buying pet insurance online or 12 months cover for the price of 10 months.

It is therefore worth checking what’s on offer that best meets your pet insurance needs.