3 October 2011

Brits hit hard by Pet insurance costs

With news that one in five pets has visited a veterinary clinic in the last year, it has emerged that their owners spend up to £326 on average every year taking

With news that one in five pets has visited a veterinary clinic in the last year, it has emerged that their owners spend up to £326 on average every year taking care of the health of their animals. New research reveals some very intriguing results on the state of UK's pet health.

With 37% of pet owners reporting trips to the vets, it seems Winter is the peak season for pet health complaints. The latest survey, carried out by Co-operative Insurance, also says that last summer saw 34% of the total complaints. Spring (16%) and Autumn (11%) are the quietest seasons in terms on pet health problems.

Pet owners take an average of 1.75 days a year off in their job and pay an average of £326 per year when their animals are ill or in need of veterinary attention.

With 60% of pets having required veterinary treatment at least once in their lifetime, one in five (21%) pets have been taken to the vets in the past year alone.

Despite this, 64% of pet owners don't have pet insurance and 29% of them even admit to avoiding taking their pets to the vets because of the cost.

Most common pet illnesses

Surprisingly, pet health problems are similar to humans. Based on the answers of over 5,000 pet owners, the survey unearthed the most common illnesses among animals.

Anxiety, depression, obesity, diabetes, back pain, arthritis and obesity are some of the most common pet health-related problems. In fact, 19% of pet owners admitted to suffering from the same condition as their pet at one point.

The study suggests that this can be related to lifestyle – almost half (44%) of pet owners regularly feed their pets unhealthy treats.

Cold, obesity, anxiety, migraine, thyroid problems and tooth erosion are the most common problems in London, whereas Welsh pets tend to suffer from chest infections and food allergy.