Pet insurance may seem like a luxury until you need it, especially in the Western Cape where snake bite becomes a real danger in summer and anti-venom costs sky rocket.
Snake anti-venom now costs around R3 700 a vial. Puff adder and cobra bites require between three to six vials for effective treatment, which means it would cost between R11 000 and R22 000 just for the anti-venom. You would still have to pay for the veterinary treatment, hospital admission and possibly ventilator use.
Pet insurance: important questions to ask
Even if you have pet insurance, 1st for Women advises asking the following questions:
🐶Who is the underlying insurer?
🐶What is the excess (upfront amount payable) per claim?
🐶Is there a waiting period?
🐶 Do you cover common breed conditions?
🐶Do you apply sublimits within your annual maximum cover?
🐶Sublimits could be applied to things such as consultation fees, hospital stay, procedures (x-rays, surgery) and blood tests. Do you have a maximum limit per claim?
🐶Do you offer chronic support care for ongoing conditions?
🐶Must dental care claims come off your routine care benefit?
Pet insurance is available in many forms and with many clauses and exclusions. If you aren’t happy with any of the answers you get when asking the questions above, shop around. Your vet can usually recommend a preferred insurer.
If you’re a dog walker, observe common safety rules especially now when there is a serious shortage of anti-venom.
Keep your dog on a lead when out walking and avoid the hottest times of the day. Keep a keen eye out for snakes, especially puff adders that tend to camouflage themselves extraordinarily well on foot paths. For more info on snakes and pets www.ebervet.com/snakebites-and-p…o-for-pet-owners/
