Pet insurancePets are dear to us as friends, confidants and companions. Good that we can insure them and ourselves against (almost) all vicissitudes of life. Which animal insurances there are and how meaningful they are, we tell in the councellor.
"Ooops!" "No toys?" "Bad dog?" Do not panic! Most of the damage caused by your pet is covered by insurance. This is either the private liability insurance or the animal owner liability insurance.
What is pet insurance?
Pet insurance protects you from the costs incurred by your pet. Animals, like people, can be insured extensively.
The following types of pet insurance are available:
Pet health insurance: The animal health insurances are available as full, accident or OP insurances.
Pet owner liability: the pet owner liability replaces damages, which your animal causes to third parties. It could be the biting dog, kicking horse or scratching cat.
Animal health insurance
Full pet health insurance are similar to the health insurances we take out as humans. It is the most expensive tariff, but it covers all costs that may arise from the health of the animal: medical diagnoses, medication, surgery costs and other consequential costs for medically necessary measures.
Pet accident insurance cover the costs caused by accidents on or with the animal. with the animal arise. If your four-legged friend is involved in an accident and is injured, the veterinary costs are covered. This insurance is cheaper than a full insurance and makes more sense for expensive and accident-prone animals such as horses than for others, such as cats.
Animal surgery insurance cover all costs and follow-up costs that arise in the course of an operation. If your pet needs surgery, such as for a cruciate ligament injury, the insurance covers the cost of the surgery itself, accommodations at the veterinary hospital, and other related expenses.
What do they provide
In most cases only healthy animals insured. Pet insurance policies have a minimum-. A maximum age for the animal in question. This minimizes the risk for the insurer, who can then offer better conditions for it.
At the same time you pay higher contributions, the older the animal's. This means that you get the most favorable conditions if you insure it as early as possible – in return you pay longer into the insurance.
have animal insurance no lump sum: premiums depend on breed, size, weight, age and the way the animal is kept. Depending on the type of animal, there are also different premiums, which depend on the dangerousness and rarity of the animal.
Most insurance companies have a a three-month waiting period For diseases. If your animal falls ill during this time, the insurance does not reimburse costs.
As an animal owner you also have to Deductible pay attention. This is in many cases 20%. In addition, animal insurers often do not cover the full rate of the veterinary bill. veterinarians are allowed to charge up to three times the rate of the fee schedule for treatments, similar to private health insurance for humans. Consequently, there are no fixed prices. The animal health insurance usually covers a maximum of double the rate. This means that you, as the pet owner, have to pay a large part of the bill yourself anyway.
Private and pet owner liability
As a pet owner, you should purchase insurance that covers claims for damages against you. This includes Personal liability insurance and the Pet owner liability insurance. Whether you need an animal owner liability insurance or whether your private liability is sufficient, depends on the type of animal.
In one private liability are Small animals covered in many cases. Small animals are all animals that are not expected to be a nuisance and are not kept as farm animals. This includes rodents, birds, dwarf rabbits or turtles. This means that damage caused, for example, by your cat sharpening its claws on the door frames is covered. Dogs and cats do not belong to the category of small animals, but are often covered as tame pets in private liability insurances. This applies to all property-. Personal injury.
A Animal owner liability insurance also covers damages caused by the animal to a third party. This is especially relevant for certain breeds of dogs, which, depending on the federal state, are rated as so-called list dogs (better known as fighting dogs). In these cases, the pet owner liability insurance is a mandatory insurance for the owner. However, an animal owner's liability insurance also makes sense for horse owners or owners of other animals that have a greater risk of accidents or that are often in contact with other people. This also includes larger dogs, which are not rated as fighting dogs.
Animal liability with GEV
If you have a personal liability insurance with GEV, you can extend it with a dog liability policy. In addition to the damage caused by your own dog, it also covers, for example, walking other people's dogs or riding other people's horses.
Insuring exotic animals: Is the?
Yes, you can too exotic animals have insured. Due to the wide variety of animals, insurers will only provide you with a quote upon request. For exotic, ie non-native animals, usually higher premiums are due.
At dangerous animals, If you have a dog with a poisonous snake or spider, it is highly advisable to have pet owner liability insurance anyway. As an animal owner, you are obligated to pay damages and the law classifies animals as unpredictable source of danger a. You can not ame that good education and training will protect from harm. You also need to make sure the animal is secured in your absence and can't cause damage. You are also liable for damage caused by the animal in your absence.
What pet insurance is useful?
In most cases, a pet health insurance is financially not useful. This is especially true for comprehensive insurance plans, which can cost 30-100€ or more per month. Instead, set aside money for emergencies that can be used to cover the pet's medical expenses.
It is different with surgery and accident insurances: With low premiums, you can cover the largest cost items such as stays in the veterinary clinic and the operation itself. This is a A good middle course from costs and insurance coverage.
In some cases, such as with list or. fighting dogs, is a pet owner liability insurance is obligatory. Find out what the law is in your state, because there is no nationwide regulation for whether certain dog breeds are dangerous.
Meaningfully is a Animal owner liability whenever the animal is larger, spends a lot of time outdoors and is in contact with people. Accidents can always happen, even to the best dressage horse or the dearest Labrador. Therefore, a liability insurance for the animal is part of a proper precautionary measure.