Should you insure your four-legged friend?
Just like humans, our four-legged friends can be protected by insurance. Whether they need emergency surgery, a vaccination, or simply treatment, it’s wise to anticipate this type of crisis situation by taking out pet insurance. While it’s not mandatory, it can still be useful.
France is the European country with the most pets; counting about 12 million cats and 8 million adopted dogs. True life companions, these fur balls are both an important source of joy and a warm daily presence. However, just like humans, they can be victims of unforeseen ailments such as accidents and illnesses, especially during sudden changes in temperature. Helping them, taking care of them, is therefore completely natural. But sometimes, this represents a significant cost, especially if you haven’t taken out pet insurance in advance.
Pet insurance in France, a rare practice
Knowing that on average one in two French households welcomes a pet, including a dog in 25% of cases, the question of pet insurance could be a particularly relevant issue in France. Also called “dog/cat insurance”, this health insurance subscription for pets is not widespread in the area. According to the Syndicate of Insurance Brokers in France (CSCA), the French are also far from the best equipped in terms of animal insurance in Europe. In the UK, the equipment rate in this area is 20%, and up to 80% in Sweden, against only 5% in France. How do you explain?
Insuring your pet is not common in France. According to Laurent Lazard, consultant in strategy and innovation, this phenomenon can be explained in several ways. Firstly, according to him, the French would not necessarily be aware of the sometimes very high cost of veterinary care, which can be applied without dedicated insurance. Furthermore, this subscription is often presented by insurers as a “gadget”, among other available insurance products. Finally, the pet insurance market is not attractive enough for pet owners and there is an insufficient supply of health insurance. According to him, faced with an increase in demand, the market could evolve and give rise to more engaging “pack” offers in France. The latter which include, for example, the total care of animals in rehabilitation or a prevention package with medical visits and vaccines included.
What are the benefits of taking out pet insurance?
However, this insurance can be very helpful when your pet is suffering from a health problem. During a simple routine visit to the vet, the health costs for our fur animals can therefore reach high amounts, depending on the professional’s diagnosis. To prevent these sudden expenses, it is helpful to take out such insurance. And more specifically if your pet belongs to a more fragile breed by nature. Indeed, some dogs, cats or even rabbits are more prone to winter illnesses (colds, pneumonia, etc.).
The coat, build and pedigree partially define their immune response. For example, Cavaliers King Charles and French Bulldogs are dogs that are more prone to developing serious illnesses in their lifetime. If the size of an animal is not decisive for the insurance, it can still have an influence. Like human insurance, there are “gradual” ones, with different degrees of cover, for animals; an economic solution (up to 10 or 15 euros per month), median or complete, with a different coverage and reimbursement rate. The trick is to go to a pet insurance comparison site to compare pet health insurance offers, according to different insurance companies.
Good to know :
With regard to dogs and cats, the subscription to this type of pet insurance is generally done when they are at least two months old and less than eight years old. Also, make no mistake, young pets are often more in need of a visit to a vet than older pets. Taking out insurance for dogs/cats when they are still “little” often allows you to get the most advantageous prices.
Sources: The insurance comparator; Planet CSCA
Content produced in collaboration with lecomparateurassurance.com. No members of the BFMTV editorial team participated in the production of this content.
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