The majority of British pet owners do not have pet insurance, which could leave them with a tough choice if their animal falls ill or is injured, according to More Than.
Animal lovers could be faced with a dilemma unless they buy insurance for their pets, a cover provider has warned.
More Than conducted research which found that more than two-thirds of pet owners have not covered their animal. The study also showed that pets may lose out if people are forced to reduce their spending as a result of the financial downturn.
Two out of three owners said that they would not give up luxuries - like shopping trips or weekend holidays - in order to pay unexpected vet fees. Nearly one in ten said that they would attempt to diagnose and treat their pet with human medicine, despite six in ten admitting they are often unable to tell if their animal is ill.
With a medium-sized dog requiring £10,039 to care for it through its life - not including unexpected vet treatment - More Than advised owners to consider pet insurance as a way of ensuring pets can be kept well at a low cost.
"The best way to avoid nasty surprises is to make sure your animal is insured but currently over two-thirds of the nation's pets are without cover," said the firm's head of marketing Peter Markey. "The report highlights just what a big responsibility owning a pet is and how important it is to make provisions in case the worst should happen."
