No matter how careful the owner, dogs do have accidents and they do become ill. Each year one in three pets need veterinary treatment. With continued improvements in veterinary science, vets are able to offer far more sophisticated treatment than in the past. Great for the pet and owner, as treatment is likely to be more successful, but not so great for the owner's wallet!

Vet's fees are increasing at over 10% per annum. More and more, the bill comes as an unwelcome surprise to owners, particularly if treatment is ongoing for a period of time or an operation is required. Nowadays, it is not unusual for the total cost to reach thousands of pounds! Most people could not afford this kind of outlay on their own and no-one would want to be faced with having to make a decision on whether or not a treatment can be undertaken because of the cost.

The only real answer is insurance. It is important to insure your puppy as soon as possible. Most insurance policies are fairly comprehensive in the cover they offer. It is important to ensure that you are covered for a reasonable amount of vets fees. As a rule, the higher the vet's fees limit, the higher the premium. Public liability cover is also invaluable and covers you if, for example, your dog runs into the road and causes an accident.

Normally, insurance policies provide at least £1 million of liability cover. Often, there are many other areas of cover, including death or theft and straying so that should the unthinkable happen you have cover in place. Insurance may not be one of the most exciting things about owning a puppy, but as a responsible dog owner it's certainly one of the most important.