Have you got a pet insurance for your pet in the UAE?

Dubai: As pet care costs escalate, pet insurance is something many pet owners wish for.

A new pet insurance introduced by Salama Insurance covers sickness and emergency care and provides direct billing at 10 vet clinics on their network across the UAE and 20 per cent co-payment. It covers over 350 breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds and all cat breeds.

The plans in the current Salama Insurance provide pet owners the option of paying monthly or annual premium amounts. They not only take care of regular vet visits but also expenses such as sudden injury or accident, ad for a missing pet, reward for a missing pet and humane euthanasia recommended by the vet.

Pet care costs

Statistics on pet care in the UAE indicate that pet owners shell out a minimum of Dh1,000 when their pet falls ill and needs medical intervention. It is estimated that emergency vet bills in the UAE range from Dh900 and go into thousands of dirhams.

Speaking to Gulf News, Aoun Smadi from Salama Insurance, said: “Pet owners always want to provide the best care for their pets, just as they would for their family’s health. An affordable pet insurance plan will provide them peace of mind. We have designed this insurance as an instant, affordable and convenient solution that offers flexibility, direct billing option, higher insurance limits among other benefits to people who love their furry friends.”

How it works

Luke Craven of Yalla Compare, a digital platform where the new insurance plan is available, said several pet insurance schemes in the past were discontinued as they were not financially feasible. “Now the insurance provider has worked out the expense systematically and priced it in a manner which is a win-win for all. The cost of the insurance, which can be paid in monthly or as a one time annual fee, will differ, going by the breed, size, age and species of the animal.”

What is on offer?

The insurance has three packages – bronze, silver and gold, with a co-insurance pay of 20 per cent and is already live on the digital platform. A pet owner can fill in all details about the pet and get a quote on different packages and premiums for pets from eight weeks old to 10 years of age, said Craven.

Once subscribed to an annual plan, and depending on the package, the insurance will cover vet fees, medical treatment, cost of medicine, diagnostics, advertising costs for a missing dog, reward amount, liability cover if the animal is involved in damage or injury of a third party, preventative care and euthanasia.

Pet owners can read the document and go through the fine print to understand details on exclusions, inclusions for the package they choose.

Prices are clearly calculated on the age, breed and gender of the animal.

Highlights of the pet insurance

• One can subscribe to the insurance online.

• Direct billing at 10 vet clinics across the UAE.

• Choice of Bronze, Silver or Gold package with a vet fee limit of Dh10,000, Dh20,000 and Dh30,000 respectively.

• Also covered is advertising for a missing pet and a reward fee, the limit for which is Dh750 in the Silver and Gold Package.

• Euthanasia recommended for sick or old dog covered for Dh750 in silver and gold package.

• There is preventative treatment of up to Dh400 covered in the gold package.

• Pet owners can expect a reimbursement of 80 per cent with a co-insurance fee of 20 per cent per visit.

• Third party liability cover of up to Dh20,000 is available in the gold and silver packages.

What are prerequisites?

* Pet must be owned by a person with a valid Emirates ID and resident visa in the UAE.

• Pet must be at least eight weeks old in age and not exceed 10 years of age to be eligible for a cover. In case of a pet that is in the ongoing cover, insurance will cease to be valid from its 11th birthday.

• Pets must be micro-chipped, must have undergone mandatory vaccinations and also a yearly dental check-up to be eligible.

• Insurance claim is active from day one of the cover but in case of a new insurance, the claim for an illness cannot be made before 14 days of the start of the policy or the first 48 hours in case of accident after issue date.

• Hereditary conditions are not covered and pre-existing conditions are not covered.

• Policy covers all expenses at the vet that comprises consultation fee, examination, diagnostic screening costs, medicines and nursing care.

There is a detailed list of exclusions on the website and explanations on cancellation of policy