It is not uncommon in tough times for owners to delay seeking treatment for their pets because of their financial limitations. Postponing treatment, however, can create problems in and of itself. Easily treatable conditions can quickly develop into costly problems that could have a detrimental affect on your pets overall health. Having medical aid for your pet not only enables you to budget for your pets’ medical care, but also provides cover and peace of mind should a medical emergency arise.

Elective procedures such as vaccination and sterilisation can be budgeted for, however, many accidents and illnesses are sudden and unforeseen. Some conditions may even become chronic, requiring on going visits and treatment. Consider the pet that is accidentally run over in the driveway, or the puppy that swallows a foreign body or contracts severe gastroenteritis from raiding the dustbin? What about a dog that develops a chronic skin condition or a cat that develops lower urinary tract disease? Often people only consider pet medical aid once these conditions appear and, like human medical aids, pre-existing conditions are excluded from cover. Like any type of insurance, the time to consider pet medical aid is before these conditions have occurred. We therefore strongly recommend putting puppies and kittens on medical aid as soon as you acquire them.

What medical aids exist for pets?

The two pet medical aids in South Africa are:

• Medipet (www.medipetsa.co.za)
• Petsure (www.petsure.co.za)

These medical aids do differ in the services provided so please do your research and ask for advice if you are unsure about anything.