Belinda Beresford
Like all love affairs, it started with physical impressions. Intelligent brown eyes, long white coat, neat little paws. She wasn’t quite the watchdog I had in mind when I went to the SPCA, but I took her home anyway. About R250 bought me a vaccinated, collared, spayed and microchipped faithful companion.
Less than a year later I could have flown to London and back on the amount of money I had spent on veterinarian fees.
In South Africa, the only way to hedge against such costs is the medical insurance scheme which has cornered the market – Petsure. Other schemes have tried and failed, perhaps because they lived so close to the edge.
According to Petsure MD Shaun Leveton, the average trip to the vet costs R327. The South African Veterinary Association (Sava) recommends a fee of R51 just to look at an animal. Petsure charges R37 a month to cover a single dog at Sava’s rates.
It can be a good bet if you are like the woman who has claimed more than R29 000 in medical bills for her two dogs during the past four years.
Unfortunately for the more avant-garde owner, Petsure does not cover animal psychologists, despite counselling for pets becoming an increasing trend, Leveton says. Neither does it take on more exotic pets like snakes and monkeys as it is not economical for the company.
Leveton says the most commonly insured dogs are German shepherds, followed by Staffordshire bull terriers and then Maltese poodles. Bigger animals have larger medical bills, simply because their size means they need higher doses of medication.
Certain breeds also tend to have more health problems. For example, boxers have a tendency to breathing problems, and German shepherds have more hip problems.
It also becomes increasingly expensive if you have more than one animal in the house – if one gets sick it tends to infect the others in what can become a merry-go-round of vet visits.
The most common reason for taking an animal to the vet is gastroenteritis, followed by skin conditions.
Leveton says the clichd lonely owner whose animal is their dearest companion does indeed tend to be a more regular visitor to the vet. Owners with families tend to have higher-priority calls on their time and money.
However, it is not only the wealthy who insure their pets. Even those on tight budgets think it is worth investing to keep Fido healthy.
After six years in business, Petsure has about 16 000 animals on its books. Just less than 70% are sterilised, and 87% are vaccinated annually. All animals have to be identified by a tattoo or microchip to prevent impersonation at the vet.
Sava president Dr Anthony Erasmus attributes the dearth of animal medical aid schemes in South Africa to the small markets, and the inherent high costs associated with such medical aid businesses. Leveton says high costs meant only about 12% of South African pets go to the vet.
Although pet insurance is in its infancy in South Africa, it is a buoyant industry in the United States and the United Kingdom where, Leveton adds, the development of pet medical aids provided a “huge boost” to the veterinary industry. Sava recommends pet insurance as “an affordable way to ensure responsible pet care and pet ownership”.
While there is no other pet medical aid, some vets have introduced in-practice insurance schemes, although Sava frowns on them. Some emergency situations can also be covered by household insurance. Santam will contribute up toR200 to vet bills if your pet is hit by a car, and will provide up to R1-million of cover if the animal attacks someone.
Petsure pays according to Sava’s guideline fee schedule which is issued annually. Leveton says 1997 saw a 15% increase in these recommended fees, with a 10% increase the year before.
In future his company plans to vary the premiums according to the breed of dogs, and also to offer owners higher excesses for lower premiums.
Leveton wants to change the mindset where many owners enrol their animals only after receiving a hefty bill from the vet to one where insurance is as routine as vaccination, microchipping and tattooing.