Dog Insurance. Is It Worth It?

Why is it worth insuring your dog?

As an Australian Labradoodle breeder, I see every day the enormous responsibility that future owners take on when they decide to adopt a new family member. A puppy is a joy, energy and lots of positive moments, but it is also a huge responsibility – not only for its upbringing, but also for its health. Every dog, regardless of breed, can encounter unforeseen health problems at any time. In such a situation, dog insurance can be an invaluable help. In this article, I would like to present to you why it is worth investing in a policy for your pet and what benefits it brings.

1. What is dog insurance and how does it work?

Dog insurance is a form of protection that helps cover the costs of your pet's treatment in the event of illness, accidents, surgeries, and other unexpected health situations. Depending on the package you choose, the insurance may cover, among others, treatment after accidents, hospitalization, visits to the vet, as well as surgical procedures such as operations to remove foreign bodies or treatment of serious diseases.

Insurance may also cover civil liability (OC) – in the event that your dog causes damage to other people or their property (e.g. damaging things, injuring another dog). Good insurance gives you peace of mind and the certainty that if your pet has health problems, you will not be forced to make treatment decisions based on financial issues.

2. Poisonings and their expensive treatment

One of the most common threats that dog owners face is poisoning. Dogs, especially younger ones, can inhale literally anything they find on the ground – food scraps, poisons, and even dangerous chemicals. If a dog eats something toxic, it is necessary to immediate veterinary assistanceand in many cases also hospitalization.

Costs of treating poisoning they can range from several hundreds of zlotys in the case of treatment in a veterinary office, even after tens of thousands (seriously!) in the case of hospitalization, intravenous treatment, requiring detailed tests or the need for a blood transfusion. In some cases, if the poisoning is very serious, the dog may require hospital treatment for several days, which is associated with huge costs. Insurance can cover these expenses, allowing you to focus on saving your pet's health instead of worrying about how to pay for treatment.

3. Surgeries – When your puppy swallows something he shouldn’t

Puppies, due to their curiosity, can suck literally everything they encounter into their mouths. It often happens that while playing at home or on a walk, little ones swallow objects that should not be in their bodies - it can be a piece of plastic, a stick, a hair band, or even a piece of metal. Ingestion of a foreign body is a common reason for surgical intervention in dogs.

The cost of such an operation, which aims to remove a foreign body from the digestive tract, depends on the complexity of the procedure, but can range from 2,000 PLN to 5,000 PLN. If hospitalization is necessary after surgery, the total cost of treatment may exceed 6,000 PLNIn the case of younger dogs that do not yet understand the consequences of their actions, the risk of swallowing a foreign body is especially high.

In the case of retrievers, which naturally “work with their mouth,” this risk increases.

Lately I've been hearing reports of poisoned sausages, glass, mouse poisons and even Roundup being swallowed. There are some dangers we simply can't predict.

4. Orthopedics, injuries

Dog insurance also protects against the costs associated with them. Orthopedic and surgical cases are among the largest costs. Are you sure you can protect your dog from, for example, tearing a ligament during crazy play with other dogs? And did you know that you have a real influence on the development of hip and elbow dysplasia?

A good breeder tests their dogs for hip dysplasia, pairs only those with the best results, and provides the owner with information on upbringing, diet, and forms of activity. And this is where their role and responsibility unfortunately ends.

The owner has much more to do. Elimination of slippery floors (the most difficult in practice), appropriate dose and type of exercise for the age, diet (both a deficiency of minerals and their excess can be harmful), limiting crazy games (especially with dogs of different dimensions and energy), walking up and down stairs, eliminating long walks (especially those with monotonous movement), etc.

The costs of treating such diseases can be very high, especially if the dog requires constant veterinary care, medications, specialized diets or rehabilitation. In the case of dogs with joint problems, treatment may include not only painkillers, but also rehabilitation and surgery. Cost of treating chronic diseases can amount to tens of thousands of zlotys – especially in the case of surgical procedures.

6. Why is dog insurance a good investment?

Although many dog owners do not initially consider insuring their pet, it is worth realizing that insurance is not just an unnecessary expense, but above all investment in security Your dog. Medical expenses can be huge, especially in the case of emergencies, and a proper insurance policy will help you save not only money but also nerves in difficult times.

With insurance you don't have to worry about unexpected costs related to treatment, surgeries, visits to specialists or rehabilitation. Additionally, many policies offer assistance in the field of civil liability, which may prove useful if your dog causes harm to someone else.

7. How to choose the best dog insurance?

Choosing the right insurance may seem difficult, but it is worth considering a few key criteria:

• Scope of protection – make sure the policy covers the most important aspects, such as accident treatment, surgeries, chronic diseases.

• Insurance sum – pay attention to the limits of payments, which may vary depending on the insurer. It is important that they are high enough to cover the costs of treatment.

• Grace period – this is the time that must elapse from the conclusion of the contract before the policy becomes effective. Make sure it is as short as possible.

The decision to insure your dog is a decision about its future. It is an investment in its health, well-being and safety, which can help you save many difficult moments and unnecessary expenses. Insurance gives peace of mind, which is priceless when our pet goes to the vet. That is why I encourage you to think about this issue and make a decision that will allow you to enjoy the health of your dog for many years.

I undertook to verify the insurance companies because I want future families to have good service, know what they are paying for and be treated fairly, without finding fault with the owner (in order to possibly exclude from the insurance contract). Currently, one of the best insurance companies (acting almost instantly) is Generali. I encourage you to visit the website safe.pl and do a comparative analysis yourself. As a breeder, we have a signed contract with them and you can safely use our code, which guarantees you a discount of up to 20% (CODE: 71476). Perhaps in the future other options will appear, then we will know about it, but at present they have no competition. It is only necessary to remember that the puppy must be insured until it is 4 months old, after that month additional tests are required (to prove that the dog taking out insurance is healthy). It is known that in such a case there are additional costs and greater intervention, because for some tests, such as X-ray, the dog needs to be pre-medicated (in colloquial terms, put to sleep) - do we really want to subject our little one to this?

If you have any questions about dog insurance or need any advice, feel free to contact me. I'm always happy to help!

The author of the text is Edyta Gajewska. Copying, processing, distribution of these materials in whole or in part without the author's consent is prohibited.