Pet insurance 'could save thousands of animals'

By Marianne Straker, Thu 4 Sep 2008 - Published in Pet Insurance

Thousands of cats and dogs a year are being put down because owners do not have pet insurance and they cannot afford veterinary bills, according to Sainsbury's Finance.

Research by the group has revealed 1.6 million people have had to put at least one pet down as a result of financial reasons between 2003 and 2008.

Over half of all vets also say they have had to put a cat or dog down in the past five years because their owners could not afford the necessary medical treatment.

The study also revealed 55 per cent of cats and dogs are not insured.

Commenting on the research, Neal Devine from Sainsbury's Finance said the findings were "disturbing" and "frustrating".

He stated: "In many cases if the owners had taken out good quality pet insurance they would have been able to treat their pet without any problems."

Elsewhere, the Fair Investment Company has claimed pet insurance may be particularly important in the current wet weather as cats and dogs are prone to eat slugs and snails which can cause respiratory and circulation problems.

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