Never forget that pets need love and companionship too - providing only the barest necessities will not result in a satisfying relationship between you and your pet.

After the above needs have been taken care of, you should give some thought to what you would do if you found out that your pet needed either a very expensive operation or was diagnosed with an ongoing illness. Could you afford to pay for this? By buying pet insurance, your fears could be overcome and you don’t have to pay the earth to buy peace of mind either. Every day Animal Friends Pet Insurance receives calls from people that have had the bad news that their pet has become unwell. They may have just come back from the vet and he has told them the pet’s operation could run into hundreds if not thousands of pounds. They reach for the phone and expect a pet insurance company to take on that condition, but they can’t.

Elaine Fairfax, Managing Director of Animal Friends, explains the position:-

“I know this sounds a cruel scenario but if you were to come home tonight and your house had been burgled and you did not have any insurance to cover it, would you expect to pick up the phone and get cover for this after the event? The answer is no. But some people think that if they are faced with a large vet bill they simply can’t afford they can get this covered even though their pet has been diagnosed previously.  Pet insurance pretty much works on the same basis as any other insurance policy. Even if you can only afford a budget policy, that is better than nothing and is fine for the majority of one-off problems."

However, if you can afford it, it is best to take out a lifetime cover policy. This would mean that if your pet were to develop an ongoing condition such as diabetes, arthritis etc, then the insurance company will pay for this throughout the pet’s life. When you are considering lifetime dog insurance or cat insurance look at the small print too. Some lifetime covers will only give you an amount per condition for the pet's life. So if you had a young cat or dog that had an ongoing condition, then there might not be enough money to cover it throughout its life. It is better to go for "per condition, per year" as Animal Friends' lifetime policies offer.

Why not give AFI's team a call on 0844 55 70 300 and they will be happy to talk to you about a policy which will suit your needs and budget.

          Don’t wait until it's too late – buy your pet insurance policy today!