AA Pet Insurance recently marked its second year in business, and the insurer looked back at some of the most unique and surprising claims it has handled during that period.
The firm has more than 5,500 policyholders and had over 2,200 claims over the past two years.
According to the insurer, the most common claims are pets eating stuff they shouldn’t, such as socks and teddy bears.
“What may look like a harmless everyday object to us could look like a scrummy snack to swallow to them, resulting in upset tummies and often costly trips to the vet,” said AA Pet Insurance marketing manager Becky McQuoid.
On separate occasions, two pet dogs ate hair ties. While one may expect the object to pass through the dogs’ system naturally, both cases required surgery, resulting in claims of around $1,500 each.
Meanwhile, a pet dog named Chloe ate her elderly owner’s blood pressure and heart medicines, as well as hearing aid batteries. It took $620 to have the forbidden snacks removed from her tummy, and the bill was claimable from AA Pet Insurance.
Other reported toxic items that were ingested included rat poison, household cleaning chemicals, toxic plants, and medicines meant for humans. Bee stings were also a frequent cause for a visit to the vet, with 23 individual claims.
The most expensive claim AA Pet Insurance paid out was worth $7,907 for a case of hind limb ataxia. Meanwhile, a pet named Dex was the most frequent customer with 16 claims and a total of $3,700 in payouts.
Some pets are naughtier than others, as those named Luna, Charlie and Frankie appeared the most in AA’s claims list. However, this could just be an indication of the popularity of these pets’ names.
But, according to McQuoid, the largest benefit of pet insurance comes from covering the regular vet check-ups, which is included in AA’s comprehensive plan.
“The most common claims that we receive are for routine care. Just like humans, our fur babies need regular check-ups to make sure they are fit and healthy,” she said. “We know how important pets are to our customers. They are members of the family and treated as such, but they never fail to surprise us with their mischief.”
