ANIMAL FRIENDS INSURANCE TO LAUNCH NEW RANGE OF PET INSURANCE POLICIES

Animal Friends Insurance will launch a new range of pet insurance policies on 6th May 2009. Starting at just £3.27 per month for a dog. Cheaper premiums right across the board will now also be available for customers choosing a higher excess option.

Animal Friends, the UK pet insurer that donates its net profits to support animal charities worldwide, will now offer perhaps the widest range of pet insurance options currently available in the UK – and the most comprehensive.

The policies on offer will include full lifetime cover – giving up to a staggering £40,000 per condition for life – to a unique entry level product, an Accident Only Policy, which starts at just £3.27 per month for dogs.

All new polices – save for Accident Only – will also now include Free Overseas Travel Cover as standard, allowing up to £2000 emergency vets fees cover in EU countries for those who take their pets with them on holiday.

Animal Friends will offer 7 different policy options ensuring there is a product for every pocket and need. To further help pet owners in difficult financial times Animal Friends will offer two choices of vet fee Excess – £49 or £99 – giving customers a further chance of reducing premiums by selecting the higher Excess.

As before, Animal Friends will continue to insure pets at any age, so even older pets can be insured for the first time with premiums being kept low by a method of co-insurance which makes things fair for those who find they don’t have to claim.

Animal Friends Pet Insurance

From the Animal Friends Website:

Animal Friends Pet Insurance is your ethical choice; whether you require a policy for a dog or cat you can get a quote online or call us for your pet insurance quote over the phone. We are the only UK pet insurance business to donate 100% of our net profits to help animal charities worldwide.

Our revew:

Insure your pet and give money to a good cause at the same time. If you are looking for an ethical company to insure with this may be the right choice.

Click here to get a quote from Animal Friends

Common Pet Health Problems and Solutions

Fleas

Fleas are nasty little critters that can infest your home and make your pets miserable. To rid your pets and home of fleas you must attack them from all sides. To combat fleas you have to make sure that you treat your pets and all indoors and outdoors of your home.

You can begin by using a product that prevents the flea pupa from leaving the egg. You can get this type of medicine from your vet. It is usually prescribed in tablet form which is given to your pet once a month. This treatment prevents flea breeding but does not kill fleas. You will want to also use a product which will kill adult fleas; some type of topical insecticide. These types of products are usually in aerosol form. They work by dissolving into the fatty skin tissue of your pet which means your pet will still be protected after shampooing. Some of these products last up to 3 months. You can also use flea powder and flea collars on your cats and dogs. You should also use a flea spray for your home. Make sure it is the kind of spray that takes care of both adult fleas and their larvae. Most of these types of products last up to 7 months. The most important step is to vacuum thoroughly and often. Vacuuming is very effective and should be done daily.

Worms

A person should have their cats and dogs wormed regularly. The reason for this is that worms carried by cats and dogs can be a health risk to other people and animals. There are many different types of worms and parasites that your pet can be infected with. Since young animals have a lower resistance to infection and unborn pups and kittens can be infected while in their mother’s womb. It is important to start worming pups and kittens at about two weeks of age. There are different types of worms, including; roundworms, tapeworms, whip worms, and hookworms. Since all of these types of worms are common in pets it is hard to prevent them from getting infected; but you can control them by worming your pet on a regular treatment schedule. Usually the doses can be giving orally in powder, liquid or tablet form. By using preventive care and making sure that your cat or dog is wormed at least every three to four months you can control infestations.

Ear Mites

Ear mites are very small parasites who infect the ears of cats and dogs and live in the ear canals. Ear mites are highly contagious among animals. Ear mites can be seen using a magnifying glass or by looking at a sample of tissue from the ear under a microscope. These types of parasites are not always easy to see with the naked eye. Unfortunately, if one of your pets has ear mites then the rest of your pets probably do too. Ear mites easily spread between animals. It is also a good idea to use flea products on their bodies as well, such as flea powder or flea shampoo. Ear mites can be found on other areas of the body besides the ears. It is also recommended that you wash the pet’s bedding. The type of treatment for ear mites depends on how severe the infestation is. Your veterinarian can prescribe ear medications with anti inflammatory ingredients which will give your pet relief. If the ear mites are severe you may need your pet’s ears cleaned along with ear medication.

Today with things such as the cost of medical treatment and veterinarian visits for your pets at a all time high and still increasing; a smart move is to buy pet insurance. This will give you piece of mind and the ability to take care of your four legged family members in case of a medical emergency or injury. You can get pet insurance on older pets too. They don’t have to be puppies or kittens to be eligible; as long as you keep the premiums up they will be covered for their lifetime.

So please visit us to see how we can help protect your pet – you can buy online easily too at Pet Insurance by Animal Friends.

How can I save money on my pet?

Our animal friends depend on us for food, water, shelter and love. When money is tight, there is plenty of love to go around, but the other essentials may be a little harder to come by. This doesn’t mean you have to live without your four-legged buddies. Here are a few ideas to try, many of which will save you money in the long run.

How can I save money on my pet?

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