Life & Death
PIA Australia
March 24, 2016
What would you do? Your beloved dog, Buster, is acting very strange, the children have noticed him attempting to be sick outside, while the older child, who has the responsibility of dinner-time has noticed him refusing to eat for the past few days. Assuming he must be feeling under the weather you head off to the local veterinarian for a check-up between ballet classes and swimming lesson pick-up.
After much exploration, x-rays, blood tests and the like, it’s been discovered that Buster has ingested a stone the size of a golf-ball! Surgery is needed immediately before any additional complications arise. The cost can be anywhere from $1,000 – $7,500.
A young family with three children is now forced with the unbearable choice between life and death. As Buster’s health rapidly declines the choice to euthanize is, unfortunately but realistically, one many Australians will be forced to make. With the rising costs of running a busy household, the unexpected high veterinary bill can simply be impossible to pay.
“Each year Australians spend on average $8 billion dollars on their pets, out of this, $1.7 billion dollars is spent on veterinary treatments,” Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia says.
There is no doubt that in situations like Buster pet insurance can be a lifesaver, literally.”
It is well-known in the veterinary world that many pets are sadly euthanized because their beloved owners simply cannot afford to save them.
“Having to make such a choice is simply heartbreaking for the family of the pet,” Crighton says. “It’s also devastating to the veterinarian who knows they are able to save this treasured animal, but are unable because of the associated costs of treatment.”
Crighton is also quick to remind pet owners that many veterinarians do pro-bono work to save numerous pets across Australia due to their owners not being able to afford treatment.
“However it is simply unrealistic that all pets can be saved at the cost of the veterinary clinic,” she continues. “This must be agonizing to veterinarians across Australia to see a perfectly happy and loved animal put-to-sleep purely because of the cost of an operation.”
With pet insurance being so affordable, situations like Buster’s don’t need to be so stressful.
“One of the common comments throughout the industry is that by having pet insurance helped ease the minds of owners during very stressful situations when being faced with the injury or illness of a cherished pet.”
Removing the cost factor allows owners to focus on the health and rehabilitation of their pet, instead of the health of their bank account.
“Pet insurance is a very affordable option that pet owners should take seriously,” Crighton says. “Most Australians have no idea of the huge costs involved when their pet falls ill or has a serious injury.”
Pet insurance pays up to 80% of costs of most conditions based on your level of cover and annual benefit limits. However, there are exceptions and customers are urged to read their Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) when they purchase their policy.
“In many cases they may be pleasantly surprised to have certain cover they didn’t realize they had like Routine Care,” Crighton says. “But it is strongly advisable that people spend a little extra time going through the fine print and understanding what they are covered for.”
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