3 Reasons to Get Multi Pet Insurance

New Zealand has one of the highest pet ownership statistics in the world, with around two thirds of households sharing their home with both cats and dogs. With lives full of furry friends, it makes sense that many of us are researching multi pet insurance – whether that’s dog and cat health insurance, dog and dog health insurance or cat and cat health insurance.

Despite being a nation of animal lovers, Kiwis’ pets are typically underinsured. Our research shows the proportion of pet owners with insurance is just over one third.

We know that some multi pet households pick and choose who they insure. However, it goes without saying that getting pet insurance for ALL your fur kids provides the ultimate peace of mind in knowing their health is safeguarded. Here’s why you should do it.

What is multi pet insurance?

Multi pet insurance is simply a way of describing putting more than one pet on the same insurance plan. This often works out more economically than taking out a separate plan for each pet, as some insurance providers – like us! – offer discounts for additional pets.

You’ll likely find each pet will have their own annual defined benefit (claim) limit, meaning you won’t be spreading cover among them, and have their own sub-limits if they apply to certain conditions, up to the plan’s predetermined amount. Plus, it means you’ll only be dealing with one insurance provider and one set of policy documents.

Put simply, multi pet insurance can be a more affordable and convenient way to give you fur kids cover.

Multi pet insurance for peace of mind

The biggest reason you’ll want to get dog and cat health insurance for your furry friends is the peace of mind knowing they’re covered in the case of an accident or emergency.

Illness and accidents can happen to anyone

We can try to keep our pet safe from accidents, but we’re only human and they’re only curious. We can keep them fed nutritious food, well exercised and stimulated every way but they’ll very likely still fall ill. Even the most dedicated pet owner can’t foresee and control everything that happens to or around their pets.

Two or more pets together = greater chance of illness

The purpose of multi pet insurance is to give you financial protection in the case of a pet needing veterinary treatment. When it comes to highly infectious diseases like parvo, for instance, it’s not uncommon that ALL your dogs will get sick all at once. That means paying for their treatment all at once!

Reduce heart vs head decisions

Essentially, multi pet insurance gives you peace of mind that you can easily make decisions about your pets’ treatment without the cost of vet bills being the main factor. No one wants to make the heart wrenching choice between getting their pets the best possible vet care versus putting a pet to sleep or giving them inferior care because you can’t afford it.

PS: Need tips on handling a bunch of fur kids in one home? Read our article on running a household containing lots of pets together.

Multi pet insurance for less financial strain

Pet insurance gives you peace of mind that if and when something happens to your pet(s) you don’t have to choose between their life and your finances. Pet cover isn’t just a “nice to have”; for many it’s a necessity as a responsible pet owner.

A little a month vs thousands of dollars

A vet bill can set you back thousands of dollars if your fur kid needs emergency or long term care. An unfortunate incident like your dog swallowing something they shouldn’t or your cat picking up an infection could cost a lot to remedy. In these cases, a quality pet insurance plan would cover the bulk of the costs.

People often think multi pet insurance will cost a small fortune. In fact, you might be pleasantly surprised to find you can get pet insurance for as little as less than a dollar per day per fur kid, depending on the type of cover you choose. Even the most comprehensive plans might be cheaper than you think!

Is self-insuring really reassuring?

Often, people wonder about whether they could “self-insure” by saving what they’d have paid into premiums and keeping it aside for vet costs. This logic is problematic if your pets get sick after only two months of saving, for instance – or if you know that your track record with savings isn’t great! You may also find your pets require treatment that costs several thousand dollars (not uncommon) or even more…

Can you save that much? Read more on this in our piece on pet insurance vs savings.

Still not convinced dog and cat health insurance is the way to go? We spoke to companion animal vet expert and vlogger, Dr Cath Watson about why pet insurance is worth it.

We offer discounts on multi pet insurance

Depending on your policy, PD may give you a healthy discount for insuring more than one pet (excuse the pun) so you’ll pay less when adding additional pets to your plan. We urge you to compare pet insurance plans before you buy, we’re pretty confident that you’ll see PD is the best! No wonder we recently won a Canstar award for outstanding value. Plus, you could get one or more months of cover FREE if you sign up online.

We want lots of Kiwi pets to be able to live happily and healthily together. Why not get a quote today?