Animal Friends Insurance: Pet Owners Cut out Luxuries to Meet Pet Healthcare Needs

Despite recession, a specialist pet insurer, Animal Friends Insurance, is reporting a 40 percent increase in pet owners purchasing insurance policies to care for the health and wellbeing of their pets.

A startling fact found in research done by Sainsbury’s Finance in September, shows that 1.6 million pet owners have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat in the last five years because of not being able to cover a vet bill. To avoid this unnecessary heartache many are looking into getting lifetime policies for their pets.

As budgets tighten in the recession, families are cutting back on meals out, luxury food items and next year’s holiday. However, it seems that these same families are making a big effort to purchase pet insurance as a precaution.

Elaine Fairfax, Founder and MD of Animal Friends, commented: “More claims are made for pet related illness rather than accidents. Similarly, insurers are reporting that they find claim ratios are 1 in 4 and often as high as 1 in 3 for pets requiring veterinary treatment each year. Another important fact is that veterinary fees are rising faster than inflation and pet insurance claims are made more frequently than other household or car insurance claims.”

“With Christmas just around the corner there will be many new pet owners and it is even more important at a time like this that the annual message gets across: there is a cost to caring for pets.” added Elaine.

Animal Friends are unique in the pet insurance sector as they are a not-for-profit company. All their net profits made from the sale of pet insurance policies go directly to charities which help animals in need. The charities that they provide aid to are worldwide and include Animal Asia, The Born Free Foundation, donkey and horse sanctuaries in Israel and the Gambia along with many others including smaller charities such as Somerset and Dorset Rescue and Woodlands Animal Sanctuary.

The company offers several levels of cover ranging from just a few pounds per month to comprehensive full lifetime policies to help protect pet owners against unforeseen medical expenses for ongoing conditions such as arthritis and to give them peace of mind.

In a recession charitable donations are hit hard too. In response to this, Animal Friends has teamed up with The Mayhew Animal Home, one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, rescuing thousands of animals from cruelty and neglect each year. To help the Mayhew’s important work, Animal Friends Insurance will be donating 5 for every policy sold when a pet insurance purchase is made right until the end of December 08, a buyer just has to give the promotional code MAY1 at the time of purchase to trigger the donation. So whether you phone Animal Friends Insurance to buy a policy - or buy online - mention the promotional code MAY1 and Animal Friends will earmark 5 towards this worthy cause on your behalf. The web site can be found at http://www.animalfriends.org.uk.

In a report in the Dereham Times of Norfolk, David Green, spokesman for the RSPCA said, “The vast majority of responsible pet owners do get insurance. But people often do not appreciate the cost of vet treatment. People are out of touch with what it can cost. Insurance is a relatively small outlay in comparison.”

Web: http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/

High res image can be downloaded from: http://www.clickintopr.com/editors/articleDetail.asp?pjID=555

Animal Friends Insurance is a non-profit making insurance business, which donates 100% of its net profits to animal welfare charities worldwide. The company was founded in 1998 and offers competitively priced dog and cat insurance products. In 2005 Animal Friends Insurance’s managing director, Elaine Fairfax, won the NatWest everywoman Award for achieving the most outstanding success in business. Animal Friends currently insures around 30,000 pets at a 5 million gross written premium.

Read more Pet news at UK Pet Insurance Review

Drizzle the Obama’s “First Dog” in Diamonds

Guest Article from Gothic Dog

According to President-Elect Barack Obama’s news conference, a majority of hits on the Barack Obama web page concern interest in the pending First Pet. Given the intersection of Pet News and Mr. Obama’s impending Presidency, Gothic Dog thought it a perfect time to get their official SpokesDog’s, Gracie, take on the new President, the First Pet, and Mr. Obama’s forthcoming Cabinet selections.

Gracie, self-described as an indulged, and possibly spoiled, chihuahua, insists that she has four paws on the ground in matters relating to the benefit of our country. She first noted her availability for White House duty, if a gorgeous Chihuahua is what the Obama girls are looking for. While Malia Obama is allergic to dogs, Gracie points out her low shedding nature and promises to keep her dander to a minimum.

More importantly, however, Gracie insists that she is a policy hound, so to speak, and would make a much more attractive, and knowledgeable, lapdog to the President than Senator Biden. With Mr. Obama elected and soon to take residence in the White House, the questioning turned to his potential Cabinet selections. Gracie insisted that the best way to evaluate a potential Cabinet member was to, quite simply, assess their “pet issues,” as she put it.

Ms. Gracie rattled off several names which, she maintains, have the “inside track” for Mr. Obama’s Cabinet: Hilary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Tom Daschle, Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar and, perhaps shockingly, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani.

In explaining her evaluation technique, Gracie said: “Hilary Clinton, or some other dreadfully serious person will ask us to believe that this new pet du jour is their most beloved old friend, and trusted confidant. That’s where my recent brainstorming comes in: I decided to do a little digging; to see which of these pretenders to the cabinet positions put their money where their canine mouths are. Are you with me? In other words, let’s find out who really has a companion worthy of the front page, and which of these windbags just trotted over to ‘Rent-a-Pet’ as they set out to campaign for a position as Secretary of the Really Important.”

Gracie continued, urging readers to refrain from trying to read into her comments her political leanings, as she insisted that political leanings “are so bourgeois,” although she did frown upon current First Dog, President Bush’s Barney, biting a Reuters reporter. Gracie added that “one must stay abreast of these things, if for no other reason than to add the occasional bon mot at the martini bowl.”

Gracie first assessed Senator Clinton’s prospects for a Cabinet position. “This one really puts the Tabasco in my kibble, if you catch my meaning. Hilary Clinton. If it wasn’t bad enough that she let her Labrador, Buddy, get run over by a car when she moved to New York, she dumped, and I do mean d-u-m-p-e-d, as in a home-wrecking-Hollywood-actress-broke-up-my-marriage dumped, her cat Socks on Presidential secretary Betty Currie when the Clintons left the White House. As you all know, this Chihuahua is no friend of the cat, but even I have to draw the line when such mercenary use is made of a feline. It’s said that Socks was purchased when the Clintons’ U-Haul arrived in D.C. to soften the former First Lady’s image, and Hilary rid herself of the cat when her image no longer needed such softening or, more likely, she realized that a simple-minded furball spitter wasn’t going to accomplish the impossible. Obviously, she’s out. No self-respecting sensational canine could condone such behavior toward loyal pet constituency. And a word to the chocolate lab named Seamus currently living with the Clintons: don’t cross any streets, and insist on Secret Service protection at all times.”

Gracie then analyzed Bill Richardson. “He has two cats, both tabbys, named Jackie and Squeaky. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the man who has his finger on ‘the button’ and is responsible for protecting our considerable real estate holdings, but perhaps satisfactory for a mere cabinet position. I suppose I could have made a concession if they were named Tank and Anti-Terrorism . . . but Jackie and Squeaky? Good Lord.”

As to Tom Daschle, Gracie insisted that his documented deep love of cats did not bode well for a productive Cabinet performance. On the other hand, Chuck Hagel’s well known love of his Portuguese Water Dog impressed Gracie as a compelling indication of the highest qualification for President-Elect Obama’s Cabinet: dog-lover.

Crossing the aisle, Gracie lauded Richard Lugar’s consistent support of the Animal Welfare Act and the Pet Safety and Protection Act, noting that the support makes him “a safe choice for us dogs.”

Gracie expressed a soft spot for former Presidential-hopeful, Mike Huckabee: “Be still my tiny racing heart. I must just heart a Huckabee. Darlings, this Mike Huckabee has a hunting dog, a Lab, named Jet and a shih tzu named Sonic. This man obviously has a thing for dogs. Any man with a love for dogs can’t be all bad, even if he does appear to be a far-right, fundamentalist-leaning, Christian conservative, who might force me to pray when I go to post-graduate doggie school, and carry a gun, wait, I already carry a gun — a absurdly cute platinum derringer, and waive many of my civil rights.”

As to Mitt Romney, while his staff is quoted as stating that “his wife owns horses,” Gracie informed us that “any man that doesn’t step up and proudly proclaim his half of the responsibility for pampering our enormous four-legged equine friends is certainly not Cabinet material.”

Finally, Gracie insisted that “while a man can lead a city out of danger and into a new era, apparently that just drains too much energy to curl up on the sofa with a faithful friend. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has no pets. None. Au revoir, mon ami. No doggie . . . no votie.”

Returning to the topic of the soon-to-be First Pet, Gracie told us that she earns her keep as a doggie model for Gothic Dog and Pupscale Couture, she would proudly donate one of Gothic Dog’s luxury chenille and sequined “VOTE” sweaters to the incoming pup. Gracie concluded her remarks by promising that: “If Mr. Obama would like to indulge his family’s new four legged addition, I’ll donate a customized version of our best-selling Bensley’s Skull and Crossbones charm with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Even dogs need to don red, white and blue.”

For more information, call Gothic Dog at 1-310-866-3920 (USA) or visit Gothic Dog’s website at www.gothicdog.com

Contact: Alison Longyear
Phone: 1-310-866-3920 (USA)
Email: press@gothicdog.com

Economy Creating Huge Demand for Pet Care Services

A combination of multiple economic, workforce and demographic trends are contributing to an exploding demand for pet care services, particularly at-home pet sitting and dog walking.

“It’s clear that in this current economic downturn, Americans are working harder and are spending significantly more time at the office than anticipated,” said Paul Mann, CEO of FETCH! Pet Care, part of the $43 billion pet industry. “With the downsizing of companies all across the country, employees are clocking more overtime than ever, and we are the ones caring for their pets as a result.”

FETCH! Pet Care, USA’s largest and most professional at-home pet sitting and dog-walking franchise, which services more than 1,800 communities across 35 states, provides professionally trained pet sitters for owners of any kind of pet, from dogs and cats, to birds, fish, iguanas and more. Caregivers can be hired for ongoing daily services, overnight care, as well as weekends, during the busy holiday season, or on a moment’s notice.

Mann, who founded FETCH! Pet Care in 2002 in the midst of a similar economic recession, knows firsthand how the pet business grows when the economy is down. He points to the following factors contributing to the most recent boom in pet care, which will be a significant contributor to the growth of Fetch! Pet Care as the pet industry expands to $52 billion by 2010:

• Baby boomers, whose children are leaving home, and young professionals, who are prioritizing their careers over raising children, have voids to fill. Because they’re looking to pets to fill a human-type void, they are humanizing their pets and spending lavishly as a result.

• Pet owners make up two-thirds of all households, with the average home having nearly two pets each. There is a lack of professionally trained providers to keep up with growing market demand.

• As companies continue to downsize their employee base, those that remain employed must work harder and those in sales have larger territories to cover and have increased travel demands, thus increasing the amount of time they must be away from their pets.

• More than 5 percent of Americans, or 7.7 million people, are now working more than one job, giving them less time to spend at home with their pets.

Historically, the pet care industry has been dominated by independent pet sitters. Although loving and caring, many of these individuals have run the business as a hobby or don’t possess the systems, processes or procedures to ensure consistent customer satisfaction, which has affected the reputation of the pet care industry. Fetch! Pet Care is unique in that all of its sitters are professionally trained, criminal history background checked, bonded and insured and must follow detailed policies and procedures in order to ensure pets and their owners receive consistently high quality service.

To further differentiate their business and drive more business to their franchisees, Fetch! Pet Care has created partnerships with a series of major corporations and associations, such as AAA and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, who are promoting FETCH! Pet Care’s services to more than 75 million of their employees, customers and members. By adding FETCH! Pet Care services these companies are enjoying “pet-friendly” status in the marketplace and their employees, customers and members are benefiting from special discounts and peace of mind.

“Pets are a huge part of any family,” Mann said. “Instead of boarding up pets in kennels, we give owners the chance to have their animals cared for in their home, where they feel more comfortable and secure.”

Pet Memorials

AliciaTappDesigns Image on Tiles is pleased to announce a new Pet memorial product– Precast stone markers with personalized laser etched marble inserts.

The garden stones are made of cast stone, which is a mixture of concrete and aggregate, weather proof and are guaranteed. Garden stones provide a durable, natural method for preserving the memory of a beloved pet. Display the memorial in the garden, on the mantle, next to a photo, under a tree, or wherever you wish to treasure the memories of a pet.

Throughout time and throughout the world people have known the joy a companion animal can bring. Their unconditional love and acceptance is priceless. Alicia Tapp Designs hopes to create for loved ones a lasting tribute that will beautifully express the love and remembrance of a lost animal friend.

http://aliciatappdesigns.com/photo_memorials.htm

Family pets face risk of Bovine TB

Family pets could be at increasing risk from contracting TB as the disease spreads through wildlife and cattle herds.

Cattle herds in the Westcountry are the hardest hit by TB infections, with some areas seeing the number of cases increase by more than a third year on year.

Read the rest of the article here

Dogs are most popular pet

Dogs or cats: it’s an emotive subject likely to start heated debates between cat and dog lovers nationwide. Tesco Pet Insurance conducted a survey to shed some light on the subject.

In a recent poll of pet owners: 58% said they would rather own a dog. While dogs were described as loyal and affectionate, cats are seen by respondents as being lazy and arrogant!

Unsurprisingly, when asked how individuals would choose to spoil their pets, a majority said affection and food. When asked which pet they would most like to spoil, 56% of the poll said their dog while a measly 24% preferred to spoil their cat.

3% of pet owners would spoil their pets with clothing and holidays abroad and for once this wasn’t the opinion of WAGs as the 3% were mainly male respondents.

Janet Wickens, Cats Protection’s Director of Fundraising and Communications said: “According to the most recent figures published by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, the number of pet cats and dogs across the UK is very similar and as the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, Cats Protection is glad to hear that so many people understand and value the companionship and joy that both cats and dogs bring to millions of households.”

“Our survey suggests that we really are a nation of dog-lovers, while cats unfortunately didn’t fare as well. This may be down to characters like Lassie contributing to the reputation of dogs, saving children from the bottom of wells and dragging the unconscious from train tracks. Cats on the other hand are famous for their evil owners such as Blofeld, and Dr. Evil. However, it was interesting to see the strength of responses, which goes to show how much as a nation we care about our pets.”

Allan Burns, Head of Tesco Pet Insurance.

Source

PDSA: All Pets Need For Christmas Is You

Leading veterinary charity PDSA has launched an urgent Christmas appeal which aims to raise nearly £1million to help treat thousands of sick and injured pets over the 12 days of Christmas.

Read the full article here

1.6 million pet owners put animal to sleep due to lack of pet insurance

51% of vets have put down a pet cat or dog in the past five years because the owners couldn’t afford to treat them

• 80% of vets have had an uninsured dog or cat owner decline a course of treatment because they couldn’t afford it
• Research suggests that the problem of pets being put to sleep or not receiving the right medical treatment because of cost could be getting worse

Every year, thousands of pet dogs and cats are being put down because their owners cannot afford the veterinary fees or ongoing medical costs of looking after their animals. New research from Sainsbury’s Finance reveals that 1.6 million people have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat over the past five years because of this. In total, the research shows that 927,000 dogs and 822,000 cats were put down for this reason between 2003 and 2008.

These findings are supported by further Sainsbury’s research amongst vets that reveals more than half (51%) have had to put a cat or a dog to sleep in the past five years because the owner couldn’t afford their pet’s medical treatment.

In addition to this, again because of cost, the research found that there are also many pets with medical conditions who are not receiving the recommended treatment because their owners cannot afford it. Over the past five years, 2.5 million people admitted that they have declined recommended treatment for their pet cat or dog because they simply couldn’t afford the cost. An overwhelming majority (80%) of vets confirmed that they had encountered this problem over the past five years.

Sainsbury’s believes that there are two key reasons for this tragic problem. The first is that veterinary advances mean that the cost of vet fees is rising by around 12% per year. The second is that around 55% of cats and dogs are not insured, so owners cannot rely on an insurance policy to cover all or part of a vet’s bill and without this they may find it impossible to pay. Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance policy will pay up to £7,500 towards a vet’s bill.

Worryingly, Sainsbury’s believes the situation of pets being put down or not receiving the recommended treatment for their medical conditions could be getting worse. Indeed, its research reveals that 10% of vets claim that the number of uninsured dogs and cats they are asked to put to sleep because the owners couldn’t afford the treatment has increased when compared to five years ago, but only 5% think it has decreased. Similarly, 14% of vets stated that the number of owners with uninsured dogs and cats who have declined a course of treatment or operation because of cost has increased while only 6% believe it has fallen.

Neal Devine, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager, said: “Our findings are very disturbing but also frustrating because in many cases if the owners had taken out good quality pet insurance they would have been able to treat their pet without any problems.

“The current credit crunch could compound this situation even further, with as many as one million pet owners looking to reduce their pet insurance cover or do away with it all together. This is a false economy because when finances become tighter, it is even more important to have pet insurance so that you can pay any unexpected vet bills.”

Regionally, the East of England has the highest percentage of past and present pet owners (12.1%) who have had to put down a pet in the past five years because they couldn’t afford the treatment. This is closely followed by the West Midlands (11.3%) and the South East (8.8%).

Steve Dixon, a leading veterinary surgeon, said: “Vets are in business to treat and save the lives of animals not to put them to sleep because of cost. It can be heartbreaking for the vet and pet owner when this happens so we always advise owners to take out insurance to help avoid this situation.”

Good quality pet insurance does not need to be expensive, good cover at a competitive price can be found by shopping around. Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance is designed to offer some of the widest range of benefits available at a competitive price. For further information call 0800 0565758, log on to www.sainsburys.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in a Sainsbury’s supermarket.

Four in ten pets are overweight

26% of dogs and 19% of cats are considered “obese

More than four in 10 (43%) of the cats and dogs seen by Britain’s vets are overweight, according to new research by Sainsbury’s Finance whose comprehensive Pet Insurance covers vets bills up to £7,500. Sainsbury’s Finance is warning that many medical conditions suffered by our cats and dogs are linked to or worsened by being overweight, and that allowing your pet to become overweight could put a strain on the purse strings because of the extra vet fees and medication costs. Furthermore, the Bank warns that those with pet insurance could be risking invalidating their claim as they could be found to have not taken proper care of their pet dog or cat.

The findings, which come from a survey of veterinary surgeons across the country, reveal that they are seeing more overweight dogs than cats, with almost half (47%) of all dogs seen by vets being described as overweight. More than one in four (26%) dogs were considered obese, with 21% being described as slightly overweight. There is also a weight problem amongst cats however, with 19% of them being classified as obese, and 20% considered slightly overweight, giving a total of 39% who are overweight.

Neal Devine, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance Manager said: “We are seeing a worrying percentage of cats and dogs being taken to the vet who are overweight. People often think they are being kind to their pet by giving it treats, but being overweight can influence and worsen many medical conditions in pets, such as osteoarthritis and respiratory disorders, conditions that can be very uncomfortable for the animal.”

Of those medical conditions which can be linked to obesity, osteoarthritis is the one most commonly seen by Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance, closely followed by heart disease or congestive heart failure.

Top five conditions influenced by pets being overweight claimed for on Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance

• Osteoarthritis
• Heart disease / congestive heart failure
• Renal (kidney) problems
• Type 2 diabetes
• Respiratory disorders

“Veterinary and medication costs for long-term conditions such as arthritis can add up to a lot of money over the course of the animal’s lifetime. It is important that pet owners are properly insured by policies with adequate levels of cover, so that to avoid getting hit hard in the pocket.

Good quality pet insurance does not need to be expensive, good cover at a competitive price can be found by shopping around. Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance is designed to offer some of the widest range of benefits available at a competitive price. For further information call 0800 056 5758, log on to www.sainsburys.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in a Sainsbury’s supermarket. Sainsbury’s offers a range of nutritionally balanced foods and snacks for cats and dogs.

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