The credit crunch is affecting every aspect of customer spending, including pet insurance. Petplan recently said they were increasingly concerned with the effect of the recession on pet care in general, and pet insurance in particular.

However, customers have been urged to keep their pet’s wellbeing at heart and not cancel their policies. How would you cope should your pet need veterinary treatment and you don’t have cover? With pet health insurance you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your pet will have acess to the latest veterinary medicine, and only for a few pounds a month.

Clarissa Baldwin from the Dogs Trust says “Sadly we are seeing the results of the deepening recession at some of our rehoming centres, and especially an increase in dogs with medical problems whose owners have been unable to pay for ongoing treatment.  We fully appreciate that it’s really difficult for people not to make cutbacks in their spending, but we would urge the public not to see insurance for their pets’ health as a non-essential.”

It’s not all about money

Being insured not only provides funds to visit the vet, it also saves you from making heartbreaking decisions like having to put your pet to sleep or rehoming it because you can’t afford medical care.  Petplan marketing manager Alison Andrew says “It’s genuinely worrying to us when we hear people talking about cutting insurance as a moneysaving tip because we understand the heartbreak people can suffer if they suddenly find they can’t afford to treat their pet any more.”

So, save yourself headaches and heartaches and get covered right away. You don’t have to go for the most comprehensive cover if you want to keep costs as low as possible. Look for cheap pet insurance and if you buy online you’ll get additional discounts.

If you already have cover in place, then shop around at renewal, compare pet insurance and reduce your premium.