UK pet insurance pays out all-time high of £775m in 2017
New research has found UK pet insurance companies paid out a record £775m in 2017, with claims up by 10 percent on 2016.
Research by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) showed that the most expensive claims paid out included £30,000 for a dog suffering with seizures, a Golden Retriever with a fracture racking up a pay out of £10,000 and a cat with bowel trouble costing the insurers £9,600.
The ABI said despite the rise in the number of claims and cost of payouts many pet owners did not have pet insurance with 67 percent of dogs and 84 percent of cats uninsured. The average payout was slightly more modest at £757 however for those animals needing surgery that figure almost doubled up to £1,500.
Joseph Ahern, general policy advisor at the ABI told media not taking up insurance is putting owners “at risk of having to fork out thousands to cover the costs of vet treatment because there’s no NHS for animals”.
