Your Dog, Your Debt and You

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Your Dog, Your Debt, and You

dog insurance We British are a nation of pet-lovers and with 31% of us owning a dog and 26% owning a cat it is easy to see that our animals are important to us. So it follows that we would like to adequately provide for them, we buy them good food, smart collars and leads, doggie treats, squeaky toys and balls - but what about pet insurance? This same survey showed that of the 31% of people who owned one or more dogs, half of that number do not have any form of current pet insurance in place.

If you were to ask people why they don’t have pet insurance it is pretty much a certainty that they would say they can’t afford it. So if you can’t ‘afford’ a few pounds a month for insurance premiums, you won’t be able to afford a big vets bill either. Yet this is what so many pet owners who have decided to go without insurance are forced to do. As a result they can end up with a huge debt, sometimes into thousands of pounds, to pay for unforeseen health care for their pet.

If you are facing a vets bill that has sent you into debt, then contact a reputable debt management service immediately. The interest on debt accrues by the day so don’t put it off a minute longer and choose a professional debt advice service that is a member of the Debt Managers Standards Association (DEMSA) and is approved by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Your debt advisor and you will create a debt management plan based on the incomings and outgoings of your household. Pet insurance is considered a necessary expense, and would be added into the expenditure column of your budget. The next thing your debt advisor will do is to contact your creditor or creditors (including your vet) on your behalf and discuss with them a workable repayment plan to clear off the debt. The amount you pay will come from the difference between your incomings and what you need to spend to live. Pet insurance premiums are factored in to your household expenditure and will not come into the equation, so there’s no more ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’.

Should you owe more than £12,000 you may be advised to enter into an IVA with your creditors and pay a fixed amount over a five-year period. As long as you do not default during that time, any amount still owing after the five-year period is up will be cancelled.

No matter how much or how little you owe, if you feel you are struggling with debt take action now and contact the debt professionals and get the help you need to stop the debt – and stop the worry.