Owning a pet brings immense joy and companionship, but it also brings responsibilities, such as visits to the vet – which doesn’t come cheap for our four-legged friends.
To help pet owners understand the different rates on the market, Irish Country Living takes a look at the different policy providers and what to look out for if you are considering pet insurance.
Why should you consider pet insurance?
Pet insurance is often overlooked by pet owners, but like humans, animals often get sick and require treatment plans and medical attention can be expensive. Pets are also prone to long-term illnesses, such as diabetes, heart problems or arthritis.
According to the ISPCA, it can cost as much as €2,500 per year to responsibly care for a dog, including food and medical expenses. Most small animals will need yearly vaccines and check-ups; this is excluding any emergency visits.
In 2023, 30% of pet owners had some form of insurance, according to a survey by Petmania. It is very important to read the fine print if you do purchase insurance for your pet as policies have different levels of cover. If you opt against insurance, an emergency fund is a good idea.
What type of cover does my pet need?
It is important to compare the different options on the market to find the one that suits you and your animal best.
For a young, mixed-breed dog, you can expect to pay around €16 per month for your pet insurance policy, according to switcher.ie. Typically, monthly premiums for pet insurance can be as little as €7 for mixed breed cats or over €50 per month for an older pedigree dog. Petinsurance.ie is offering an illness and injury, lifetime policy from €15.52 per month whereas Allianz is offering an annual premium (including levy) for €72 per month.
The price of your policy depends on the age, health, and breed of your pet, plus the level of cover you choose.
Five things to consider
You’ll find several types of coverage options available, but before selecting a policy, here are five things to consider when purchasing.
1 Pet insurance generally excludes pre-existing medical conditions for new customers taking out a policy. That’s why it it always best to get insurance sooner rather than later.
2 If your pet dies before a certain age, your insurer will pay up to €1,000. Age limits depend on animal type.
3 Consider injury and illness treatments, including surgery, prescription drugs, and medical tests. Accidents usually include torn ligaments, bite wounds, cuts, broken bones, swallowed objects and toxic ingestions.
4 Third-party liability only applies to dog insurance policies and typically covers damage or injury caused up to €250,000. This is if your dog is responsible for injury or illness to another person or damage to their property.
Most policy types and levels of cover offer third-party liability, but you will likely have to pay a policy excess. Some policies offer complementary therapy cover for your pets which include physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and behavioural therapies.
5 If you are hospitalised unexpectedly and need your pet to go into a kennel or cattery, some pet insurance companies offer emergency cover of up to €1,000. If you are hospitalised for more than four days, this may be in the form of homecare with a friend.
Case study
A recent trip to the vet with a French bulldog, Axle, saw a fee of €20 being charged for the visit due to the pet healthcare plan he is on, the bill would have otherwise costed €93. The owner paid €30 per month for the plan which includes free vet visits and unlimited veterinary consultations; the €20 charge was for his medication.
Axle, five year old French Bulldog.
This comparison is based on a female, five-year-old Pedigree Border Collie with no underlying health conditions. The dog was purchased for €250 and is microchipped along with having all its up-to-date vaccines. The below pricing is based on the highest Illness and Injury lifetime covers provided by six of the pet insurance companies on the market in Ireland. The cheapest cover on the market is Agria Petinsure at €24.59 per month, this does include a 10% online discount, with this provider you can build up your policy by adding the benefits and cover you want. The most expensive on the market is An Post at €32.45 per month.
There are several pet insurance providers in Ireland with some vets providing their own policy options and plans. The policy prices and coverage vary depending on the age, breed and sex of your animal. It is important to check the policy document and read the full terms and conditions of policy coverage.
Ruby is a mixed-breed rescue and micro chipped.
• Microchip your dog or cat
• Get your insurance policy while your pet is still young
• Buy your policy online (most offer a 10% discount for online applications)
• Use a comparison website like switcher.ie
• Consider a lifetime policy to save you money
• Pay in one installment rather than monthly. This could save you 10%
Comparison of different policy types and coverage on the market
*This graph is only a summary of some of the covers in the insurance policies, for the full details of what the pet insurance quote covers view your policy document. Death from illness or accident coverage is when an insurance company pays up to the stated amount for the purchase price/ market value of your pet if it dies or has to be put down following an accident. This only applies to lifetime and illness time-limited policies.
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Owning a pet brings immense joy and companionship, but it also brings responsibilities, such as visits to the vet – which doesn’t come cheap for our four-legged friends.
To help pet owners understand the different rates on the market, Irish Country Living takes a look at the different policy providers and what to look out for if you are considering pet insurance.
Why should you consider pet insurance?
Pet insurance is often overlooked by pet owners, but like humans, animals often get sick and require treatment plans and medical attention can be expensive. Pets are also prone to long-term illnesses, such as diabetes, heart problems or arthritis.
According to the ISPCA, it can cost as much as €2,500 per year to responsibly care for a dog, including food and medical expenses. Most small animals will need yearly vaccines and check-ups; this is excluding any emergency visits.
In 2023, 30% of pet owners had some form of insurance, according to a survey by Petmania. It is very important to read the fine print if you do purchase insurance for your pet as policies have different levels of cover. If you opt against insurance, an emergency fund is a good idea.
What type of cover does my pet need?
It is important to compare the different options on the market to find the one that suits you and your animal best.
For a young, mixed-breed dog, you can expect to pay around €16 per month for your pet insurance policy, according to switcher.ie. Typically, monthly premiums for pet insurance can be as little as €7 for mixed breed cats or over €50 per month for an older pedigree dog. Petinsurance.ie is offering an illness and injury, lifetime policy from €15.52 per month whereas Allianz is offering an annual premium (including levy) for €72 per month.
The price of your policy depends on the age, health, and breed of your pet, plus the level of cover you choose.
Five things to consider
You’ll find several types of coverage options available, but before selecting a policy, here are five things to consider when purchasing.
1 Pet insurance generally excludes pre-existing medical conditions for new customers taking out a policy. That’s why it it always best to get insurance sooner rather than later.
2 If your pet dies before a certain age, your insurer will pay up to €1,000. Age limits depend on animal type.
3 Consider injury and illness treatments, including surgery, prescription drugs, and medical tests. Accidents usually include torn ligaments, bite wounds, cuts, broken bones, swallowed objects and toxic ingestions.
4 Third-party liability only applies to dog insurance policies and typically covers damage or injury caused up to €250,000. This is if your dog is responsible for injury or illness to another person or damage to their property.
Most policy types and levels of cover offer third-party liability, but you will likely have to pay a policy excess. Some policies offer complementary therapy cover for your pets which include physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and behavioural therapies.
5 If you are hospitalised unexpectedly and need your pet to go into a kennel or cattery, some pet insurance companies offer emergency cover of up to €1,000. If you are hospitalised for more than four days, this may be in the form of homecare with a friend.
Case study
A recent trip to the vet with a French bulldog, Axle, saw a fee of €20 being charged for the visit due to the pet healthcare plan he is on, the bill would have otherwise costed €93. The owner paid €30 per month for the plan which includes free vet visits and unlimited veterinary consultations; the €20 charge was for his medication.
Axle, five year old French Bulldog.
This comparison is based on a female, five-year-old Pedigree Border Collie with no underlying health conditions. The dog was purchased for €250 and is microchipped along with having all its up-to-date vaccines. The below pricing is based on the highest Illness and Injury lifetime covers provided by six of the pet insurance companies on the market in Ireland. The cheapest cover on the market is Agria Petinsure at €24.59 per month, this does include a 10% online discount, with this provider you can build up your policy by adding the benefits and cover you want. The most expensive on the market is An Post at €32.45 per month.
There are several pet insurance providers in Ireland with some vets providing their own policy options and plans. The policy prices and coverage vary depending on the age, breed and sex of your animal. It is important to check the policy document and read the full terms and conditions of policy coverage.
Ruby is a mixed-breed rescue and micro chipped.
• Microchip your dog or cat
• Get your insurance policy while your pet is still young
• Buy your policy online (most offer a 10% discount for online applications)
• Use a comparison website like switcher.ie
• Consider a lifetime policy to save you money
• Pay in one installment rather than monthly. This could save you 10%
Comparison of different policy types and coverage on the market
*This graph is only a summary of some of the covers in the insurance policies, for the full details of what the pet insurance quote covers view your policy document. Death from illness or accident coverage is when an insurance company pays up to the stated amount for the purchase price/ market value of your pet if it dies or has to be put down following an accident. This only applies to lifetime and illness time-limited policies.
Read more
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