Does My Dog Need Accident Insurance (or More)?

What is pet accident insurance and does my dog or cat need it? If you’re reading this article, it’s probably because you’re doing research that looks at this very question. And it’s a good one. Cat and dog accident insurance is the basic level of pet insurance on offer.

If you’re on a tight budget, or you just want to get your puppy or kitten started on pet insurance and aren’t sure what’s what, it’s a good place to start. Let’s take a look at what’s covered, what isn’t and when you choose this type of cover for your pet.

What is pet accident insurance?

Pet insurance is designed to fill a similar space to that which the government subsidises in our human health care system. This way, when you get a hefty vet bill, you only pay the excess and your pet insurance pays the rest (up to your annual defined limit).

Dog accident insurance is the entry level tier of pet insurance. In other words it helps cover a wide range of basic necessities when it comes to vet treatment bills. As long as these relate to accidents, like injuries for example. As the entry tier cover, it’s the most affordable plan you can choose.

Pet accident, illness and dental insurance

Besides pet accident insurance there are also accident + illness cover as well as accident + illness + dental cover.

As you go from the basic cat and dog accident cover to the next tier you get more cover. That means that in addition to getting injured in accidents (which dogs are prone to) your pet plan also pays towards vet bills for illnesses.

Then you get the top tier cover which provides everything pet accident insurance covers, along with illness cover and dental benefits. Illness cover includes all sorts of illnesses, including hereditary conditions that can be common in many pets.

While you might be keen to start with the most affordable dog accident insurance, it’s worth knowing what pet dental insurance covers. Especially if you have a breed that’s prone to oral health issues, which many are.

What does accidental only pet insurance cover?

Although accidental only pet insurance is the entry level cover, it does nevertheless still include a wide range of offerings. Let’s look at what’s covered and what’s not:

Covered

With a PD Insurance accident pet insurance, you get affordable cover and a $5,000 Annual Defined Benefit Limit. This level of cover includes lots of benefits like prescription medicine, radiology, pathology, surgery, hospital stay overs and more.

Check out our award winning cat insurance and dog insurance plans for a detailed list of everything included.

Not Covered

While the accident pet insurance plan offers robust coverage for accidents, it’s important to be aware of what it doesn’t cover. It doesn’t include cover for illnesses, hereditary conditions, abscesses, gingivitis, or tooth removal and much more.

It’s a good idea to also mosey onto our pet insurance plans to see how your annual defined limit doubles each time you up your plan a notch.

Should you choose dog accident insurance?

When you have a dog it’s good to know that they’re not just our best friends, forever happy with wagging tails. They’re also vulnerable to many accidents, illnesses and dental problems that can range from under the weather to life threatening. And of course, the same applies to cats.

So should you choose pet accident insurance? The choice is up to you, your pocket and your pet.

Ideally you balance these out by choosing the level of cover that’s likely to help pay the type of vet bills your dog is prone to. How can you know this before it happens? There are a few ways to find out…

Does my dog need accident insurance?

Your dog’s temperament, behaviour, breed, health and age are all factors to consider when choosing a pet plan. Here’s a quick look at how these elements can help you decide whether you need dog accident insurance or more:

Temperament and behaviour

Is your dog accident prone? Is it one of those boisterous dogs whose tail is constantly knocking things over and who eats everything they can lay their paws on? Does your dog one to run up to stranger dogs (not always a good move especially if the stranger dog takes fright and bites).

If you answered yes, then it’s a good idea to get them dog accident insurance. Perhaps you want this and more, because after all, dogs may be just as prone to a variety of illnesses as they are to accidents.

Breed

What breed is your dog? If you don’t know, take an educated guess (or do a dog DNA test).

Based off this information you can do a quick search of what illnesses this breed is prone to. You might be surprised to learn that most dog breeds are predisposed to specific hereditary (vs congenital) conditions.

Besides genetic illnesses, there are viral and bacterial illnesses that strike dogs, such as parvo for example. Then there are also a range of chronic illnesses dogs can get, like diabetes in dogs.

Also keep in mind that if your dog develops a chronic illness while you’re on an accident only dog insurance plan, you won’t get cover for that illness in the future.

Health and age

Another factor that can help you decide whether you want accident only pet insurance or a more comprehensive dog plan is health and age. How healthy is your dog? Remembering that pet insurance can only cover health problems that pop up once you already have a plan.

In other words, choose a level of cover that takes care of their needs now and into the future. If they’re still young and you get them accident only pet insurance you can easily move onto accident and illness insurance. But be sure to do it early enough that it predates any health conditions that could develop.

In other words, getting a more comprehensive plan sooner than later is a wise choice, because pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by pet insurance. Also keep in mind that certain illnesses such as cancer in dogs become likelier as your pet ages.

What types of accidents can dogs have?

Dogs have twice as many legs as us and can get into twice (we’re not counting!) as many sticky situations as we do. For starters, we don’t go around tasting everything we think smells nice. Also, not off the floor.

Of course, that’s not all because there really is no limit to what kind of accidents dogs can have. But to give you an idea, here are some common accidents dogs have that dog accident insurance helps cover:

• Accidental ingestion

Accidental ingestion is consistently among PD Insurance top claim types. Sadly, it’s just something dogs get up to – eating socks, dead birds, rotten stuff they find, poop. Need we say more…

• Bite wounds

Again, while you might get into a debate with a colleague at the water cooler, the same conversation between dogs could end in a bite. sadly, dog bites can lead to infections and so on, racking up vet bills to get pup back on track.

• Poisoning

This often follows on from accidental ingestion because while some objects (like sand) can cause intestinal obstruction, others can be toxic. Out and about you get things like poisonous sea slugs. But even at home, simple household items like raisins and xylitol can cause toxicity in dogs.

• Torn nail

While we mostly tromp around in shoes, dogs walk around barefoot with their claws exposed. This means they can easily get a claw snagged on a carpet, a branch, a fence, you name it and next thing it gets torn.

Additionally, they also often have a dew claw that gets ripped more easily because it’s so delicate. Read what to do if your dog gets a broken dew claw.

Accidents pet insurance protected other pets against

Another way of choosing whether you want your cat or dog covered by pet accident insurance is finding out what other Kiwi pets go through. Our PD customer stories help to do just this.

Many PD pet parents choose to share the trials and tribulations they’ve had with their pets to help raise awareness. Knowing what can happen helps you understand why other pet owners in New Zealand want pet insurance for dogs and cats.

• Broken bones and tummy upsets. Read about two adorable Labrador puppies, Shiloh and Rex who each got into a pickle of their own not long after one another. Just another reason to get discounted multi pet insurance if you have more than one pet.
• Eating raisins, breaking bones and more! They say every dog has its day – well Harvey the miniature Schnauzer had three mishaps back to back!
• Rat bites leading to illness. Poor Herc got bitten by a rat and next thing this meowser came down with cat leprosy as a result.
• Eating heart medication. Hazel is one of those cute puppies who tries everything in life. Sadly she got into a life threatening situation after eating her human family member’s heart medication! Read the survival story of this Rhodesian Ridgeback.
• Eating rat bait. Yet another dog eats something toxic (dogs simply can’t help themselves, so it’s up to us to keep things that can poison pets locked up). Read how Piper was saved by having pet insurance.

As you can see, accidents are common. We’ve only shared some of the open ended number of cases we come across daily. Better to be safe than sorry by giving your pet accident pet insurance at the very least.

Does pet insurance cover accidental damage?

Many pet insurance plans cover accidental damage your pet causes too. This is called third party liability in pet insurance. Some insurance providers offer this type of cover with certain levels of cover. Others offer it as an added cost.

You’ll be happy to know that all three PD Insurance plans have third party liability included. So you get it whether you sign up for pet accident insurance all the way through to comprehensive pet insurance.

Award winning cat and dog plans from PD Insurance

If you’re still deciding whether to get Accident, Comprehensive or Deluxe pet insurance we’ve got a great surprise for you. When you sign up for pet insurance you get one or more months FREE.

Get your cat or dog the pet insurance they deserve so your pocket is protected. The peace of mind you’ll garner from having this safeguard will mean fewer worries and more time and energy to spend on bonding with your pet.

Click below to get a quote for multi award winning insurance today.