With their absolutely adorable, wrinkly, short muzzled faces and curled tails, Pugs are one of the most popular historical pet breeds and when it comes to dogs with incredible personality, we at Emerald Life think you can’t find any better than a pug!
Several uniquely challenging aspects of the pug breed though mean it is always a wise decision for owners to attain appropriate insurance to cover their pug throughout their lifetime.
Pugs are known to have several recurring health issues, inherrently related to their breeding and as such usually require higher numbers of vet visits and susbequently, higher vet bills.
“Research suggests that Emerald Pet Insurance offer excellent value for money and are very competitively priced for the high levels of cover provided. Even taking into account the optional extras. When these are removed, they are even more competitively priced.”
– Thatsinsurance.com
Many insurers will use this as a basis to be cautious when offering policies to insure a pug. Whilst most insurers will sell an owner a policy, they may end up paying more than they would for another breed. That said, purchasing pet insurance should still be something to consider as it helps protect the Pug as well as your finances.
Pugs make absolutely adorable companions – being especially loveable and playful when younger. As they age though, it is important to be covered for any potential medical conditions they may develop.
Keep reading to find out all the information you need to know about insuring your pet Pug, including why it is important, how to make sure you have the best deal and why EmeraldPet Insurance is a good option for your dog.
Table of Contents
Why Purchase Insurance for Your Pug?
As alluded to above, Pugs are well known for suffering various common health conditions that would not necessarily exist in a mixed breed dog. Breathing problems in particualr are common with pet Pugs because of those simply adorable squashed noses. and it is not unusual for these squashed faced dogs to visit the vet often because of breathing difficulties.
These breathing difficulties are a pre existing condition for the breed generally and are refered to as ‘brachycephalic’ by vets. Commonly, brachycephalic issues are common in other breeds with squashed faces as well such as the French Bulldog.
It manifests especially so in older Pugs and is a condition which can develop over the lifetime of the breed. Pugs are all personality: originally bred to sit on the laps of Chinese emperors, they adore attention and are incredibly affectionate.
Being smaller and often, ambitiously full of energy, comes with its trade-offs though, and Pugs often require intervention from a vet. These visits for your Pug can end up being quite an expensive experience as even regular healch checkups can have large costs with major treatments and sugeries running into hundreds and even thousands of pounds. Having appropriate pet insurance in place is a nice safety net to have.
Whilst insurance wont help avoid potential illnesses from occuring or avoid your Pug’s accidents, it will mean that you can financially cope if the vet suprises you with a massive bill. For a small monthly fee, you can cover a lot of these vet fees and the associated care and training all the time from when you have your cute Pug puppy throughout the pet’s life.
Starting to look for insurance for your pet is one thing, but you need to ensure you have a level of cover to help you in all claims scenarios. There is little point in purchasing insurance if you find out at a later day you are not entitled to claim on the plan you have purchased for your pet in certain circumstances.
Whilst you can pick and choose some benefits, there are elements of cover which should be available on any policy to cover your Pug. Despite the relative affordability of pet insurance generally, we here at Emerald Life find that many dog owners will avoid purchasing cover, even if they are looking and want it!
Some misconceptions range from the insurance being too expensive to not providing appropriate cover in times of need, both of which are more often than not incorrect. It is important to purchase insurance appropriate to your needs and at the right level for your Pug as well.
Pet insurance is there to remove the financial burden when your Pug needs care but it can also provide cover for a range of other scenarios including diet treatment, additional treatments, ongoing care and training and overseas insurance. We find that as Pug owners want to make sure the unique health requirements of their pet are met by their insurance policy, owners often want to guarantee the best level of care when utlising your pug’s pet insurance policy.
How to Find the Best Pug Insurance
When you’re shopping around for the best Pug insurance, there are some things worth remembering:
Pre-Purchase of Policy
Oftentimes, insurance companies offer lifelong policies amongst their range of coverage. However it is worth investigating ‘per-illness’ policies which are usually at a lower price. Many of our customers at Emerald Life find that pugs are often too old and either uninsurable or would cost over the odds to cover in all circumstances.
Secondly, even though it is not universal, many insurance companies will ask owners to give their pet a health examination with a vet before offering policies to an owners pet.
What Cover is Available?
Just as your Pug is not the same as another owner’s Pug, not all pet insurance policies are created equal. Often you’ll find that some companies might offer more benefits in their standard polices than a competitor.
For Pug owners, some things to consider are checking if your desired policy is right for you – does it cover the range of options you want? IF you see an accident only policy, this means that the plan will cover against injuries from accidents, but not issues surrounding illnesses of your pet and not the visits you might make to a vet.
If you’re looking for a level of cover which might be more rounded, look out for a policy that combines accident and illnesses, just like the standard pet insurance policy from EmeraldPet.
It is also worth a check to see if your prospective policy provides continual care which will provide cover for ongoing treatment when you renew the policy. Some insurers will may not extend this coverage unless you pay more so it is important to find a continual policy to save you the hassle of reviewing a policy every year in order to ensure continued care.
Understanding Payout Limits and Deductibles
Deductibles are standard practice with most types of insurance and refer to the amount you pay out of pocked before the insurer will approve a claim. Some deductibles are annual on policies whilst some are per incident.
Some insurers will allow you to select a personalised deductible in order to get a better rate while others will insist on a fixed percentage deductible.
Sometimes, an insurer will place what is known as a payout limit on a pet insurance policy. This means that there is a cap on the yearly amount that your insurer will pay out in claims. This upper limit on claims will depend on the specific type of policy which you choose to purchase for your pet.
With EmeraldPet, your excess will vary depending on the age of your pet.
Pugs under 8 years at the date of treatment:
The first £100 for each condition per period of insurance.
Pugs over 8 years at the date of treatment:
The first £110 plus 15% of the remaining cost of treatment per condition per period of insurance.
How Much Does It Cost To Insure A Pug Dog?
It isn’t simple to predict how much your Pug’s pet insurance will cost because there are a number of variables involved. Some of the main things your insurance ocmpany will consider include:
- Level of cover
- Optional extras
- Age of your pet
- Location the pet is kept
- Deductibles
- If there are pre-existing conditions
Your insurance company will consider include:
- Level of cover
- Optional extras
- Age of your French Bulldog
- Location
- Deductibles
Exclusions
One of the most important pieces of information to focus on in your pet insurance policy is exclusions. It is vital to read these carefully from the company you ask for a quote from as these are the situations that your insurance company will not pay out on a claim.
A pug with Pre-existing conditions is perhaps the classic example of an exclusion within a policy but there are many people who have exclusions on their insurance policies on the basis of other factors.
How to Find the Best Deal?
When on the hunt for the right insurance plan for your Pug, there are such a variety of options on the market it can be almost overwhelming. It is also important to remember that many insurance companies will exclude cover for pugs so, you will need to shop around for one that will.
We at Emerald Life think that shopping around for the most appropriate policy for you is essential and should be applauded as it guarantees the best price for the care you need. There is a lot of misconception about the usefulness of quote engines (usually the first port of call for those searching for a policy).
Contrary to popular opinion, you won’t find the most affordable options on comparison websites as insurers often hide costs and show base cover levels on these sites, avoiding exclusions such as breeds and other loading factors.
That doesn’t mean you should ignore the tools entirely as they are a handy way to get a broad overview of the products available in the marekt. Use thse tools to arm yourself with information about the generally expected level you can expect to pay for the level of cover you want.
Try to avoid buying your coverage directly through comparison websites though and instead contact insurers directly to find the most up to date deals and discounts to suit your needs.
EmeraldPet Insurance Policies
Standard Cover
If you’re lucky enough to own an adorable Pug and you want pet insurance, it is worth contacting us at EmeraldPet. We specialise in cat an dog insurance for accident and illness as standard across four levels of veterinary fees.
Our insurance products are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with cover available for treatments outlined in your policy up to the set fee limit agreed on purchase.
Many customers opt for our standard package which is available over four limits towards vet fees: £1,000, £3,000, £6,000 and £7,500.
Depending on your level of cover, your policy will cover vet care and accidents up to the set limit. We also include complimentary treatments up to 25% of your policy limit such as accupuncture and physiotherapy. Other built-in benefits in the standard pet insurance policy is £200 towards training programmes and £300 towards clinical diets.
Optional Extras
We undersand that some customers need a more comprehensive cover when it comes to their Pug. That’s why we have numerous extras available, including:
- Up to £1,500 per year for a missing pet, including rewards and advertising
- Daily pet-sitting or boarding fees up to £1,500 per year
- Up to £1,500 per year towards accidental or illness-related theft, death, or straying
- Holiday cancellation up to £5,000 per year
- Quarantine costs up to £2,000 per year
- Emergency expenses up to £1,000 per year
- Loss of a pet passport up to £250 per year
- Maximum cover up to £1,000,000 per event
- Legal liability cover if your dog damages someone else’s property
- Legal liability cover if your dog causes injury or death
Is it Cruel to Buy a Pug?
Just as with any pet, a responsible owner of a Pug should not enter ownership blind. Whilst there are health problems associated with Pugs specifically, a responsible owner should ensure they are fully aware of these at the outset.
Many Pugs live incredibly happy normal lives but as they are a riskier breed when it comes to vet visits it becomes more important to ensure they are always going to be provided for health-wise throughout their lifetime.
As this can be an expensive thing with the normal check ups at a vet and treatment potentially costing large sums of money, it is possibly more important with Pugs than other breeds to get insurance to mittigate the expense of dealing with these potential health issues.
Conclusion
Pugs are always the life of the party: Loyal, happy dogs that have some unique and special needs. Providing the best level of care to your Pug is important and insurance is the best way to avoid paying nasty vet fees out of your own pocket.
Shopping around for insurance is worth doing because not every insurer will cover your pug, but remember to read any insurance policy you want to purchase in order to fully understand what exactly is on offer – often like for like isn’t the same once you include deductibles and exclusions.