When choosing a pet insurance it's hard to know where to begin and with so many different companies now offering cover its easy to get confused. Maybe your wondering is it worth paying thousands in premiums over the life time of your pet when you might not spend this much in veterinary care. But on the other hand, if you do have a very sick or injured animal then pet insurance will save you huge costs in the long run. As you compare different insurance policies you will notice they vary on terms and premium prices so to help you along here are some facts to consider while you shop around:


Waiting periods: Are you covered immediately or does the policy need to be in effect for a period of time before it kicks in? This is an important question to ask your insurer.

Pre-existing conditions: Has your pet ever been treated previously for a chronic illness? If yes the insurer may exclude treatment cover for this problem for the entire duration of the policy.

Insurance company: Best to choose an insurance company that has a good reputation and been around for a while. Ask your vet for a recommendation, they will be able to help point you in the right direction.

Age restrictions: Many pet insurers do not cover pets over the age of 8 years-old. Important to confirm the policy lasts the lifetime of your pet and will not be cancelled when your pet reaches the age limit.

Maximum yearly payout: The amount paid out varies widely with each insurance company so it's good to find out what the limit is on the amount you can collect annually.

Payment procedures: Normally you are required to pay the vet upfront after which you then submit the vet's bill with a claim form to the insurance company. The waiting time for reimbursement is usually a couple of weeks. Find out what the average waiting times are from when you submit the claim to when your check will be sent out.

Different premiums: The more comprehensive/expensive policies cover accident, serious illness, vaccinations and dental care. Cheaper policies usually have a lower level of coverage and look after accidents and illness only. Be sure to ask does the policy cover medicine expenses. It maybe cost more to include this cover but will save you money over time.

Check out our Pet Info section for more information on pet health and wellbeing!

Let us know your favorite recipes so other furries can enjoy them too! Post them here

Yummy Chicken Freezeies

2 cubes beef or chicken bouillon

chicken pieces

2 cups water

Disolve the bouillon in the water.Spoon some bouillon into an ice cube tray and put some chicken pieces in it.Repeat until bouillon is used up.Freeze for about 12 hours.Enjoy!

Hello Petchums,

This is the place to suggest new features and enhancements you would like on Petchums.com. Are you a fan? Share what you woof the best about this site and what you want to see more of

Also meant to say try these rescue centers, i've worked with then personally and highly recommend:

Dogs Aid: 087-2944310 www.dogsaid.ie/
Dogs Trust: www.dogstrust.ie/
Homeward Bound: shirley@homewardbound.ie, 086 1013065, www.homewardbound.ie

Hi Lorna,

This is important information and thanks for briniging it to my attention Lorna, going to write this up properly and post it on the site in Pet Info.

So to answer your questions: Once required time has elapsed following the vaccination for rabies (usually about a month) your vet will do a blood test to confirm the required levels of rabies anti-bodies. If your pet fails this blood test, your vet will have to re-vaccinate and test again.

Your pet's passport will be sent out directly to your vet. Your vet will then enter the details of the rabies vaccination and the blood-test results.
A minimum of six months after the date of the successful blood-test you are free to use your pet passport.

You won't need to repeat this procedure as long as you keep the rabies vaccination for your pets up to date. Make sure your pet is re-vaccinated before the validity of the previous vaccination expires. This means you will never have to do the blood test again!

Information on PETS Passport:

To take your pet abroad on holiday, you must apply for a PETS passport. This passport allows your pet to return to Ireland, without the requirement for quarantine. The PETS scheme consists of a rigid process and timescale of veterinary requirements which can be performed by your local vet.

These are:

• Microchip - Before any of the other procedures for PETS are carried out, the pet must be fitted with a microchip so that it can be properly identified from a national database.
• Vaccination - After the microchip has been fitted, you pet must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your pet has a current rabies vaccination.
• Blood Test - After the dog has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure that the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies.
• Receive PETS documentation - the owner will recieve an EU pet passport.
These steps must be performed in the required order. Once these steps have been completed, there is a 6 month wait, known as the “6 month rule”. Once the last step, a blood test, has produced a satisfactory result, your pet MUST NOT TRAVEL for the next 6 months as it will be refused entry into Ireland until this timescale has passed.

Once the 6 months have passed, your pet is free to travel in and out of Ireland via an approved travel operator.


How much does a PETS passport cost?

The complete process above should cost in the region of €225 - €300. However, this cost should be compared against the other options available to dog owners:

• PETS Passport = €225 - €375 one off cost
• Kennels = up to €300 to €450 each and every holiday
• Pet Sitter = up to €300 to €450 each and every holiday
• Quarantine = €3000 each and every time plus 6 months wait


Veterinary requirements for each journey?

For each and every trip overseas and BEFORE the dog re-enters Ireland, it must be treated against ticks and tapeworm. The dog must be treated against ticks and tapeworm not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before re-entry into Ireland. The vet who completes this simple procedure will “stamp” the passport and give the necessary paperwork to you to be presented to the travel operator. This process MUST be completed as described. Failure to comply with this regulation will involve your pet being placed into quarantine upon arrival into Ireland.

Funny enough I was just having this conversation with a friend of mine, his sister has a house in France and they take their 2 dogs all the time. I'll ask him for details and post them here for you :0

Hello Petchums!

Anyone know if Coconut Oil is safe for pets and does anyone here add to pet food? I spoke to a couple of people who have and they said they noticed huge health benefits such as; glossy coats, healthy skin etc. Any feedback would be great, thanks guys

• 
  She's adorable :) Pity I missed you guys @ Pet Expo, would have be great to meet you both. Big woofs to Hailey

• 
  Congrats Best Dressed Winners! Great costumes, esp the fairy lights. Brilliant!

Totally understand, information overload!! I've added the link for you onto our FB page anyway, you never know

Check out the Indoor vs Outdoor debate:

www.petchums.com/pet-community/groups/vi...+THE+TIME?groupid=13

Its a difficult one to call but some excellent points made here by members

Hey Maya & Malaki, i'm sure someone out there will be able to help you out. No point in spending that much money on something you probably won't use that often. Do feel free to post a message on the petchums facebook page here: www.facebook.com/#!/pages/PetChums/134290572056?ref=ts Happy travels to you both

A pea, who knew!!! That's great info, good to know for future reference

Pet Expo is only a few more days away, can't wait to see all the A-MAZING doggie costumes! Good luck to all the entries and may the best dog win!www.petchums.com/pet-news/alerts-updates...ssed-dog-competition

***Anyone have any make your own costumes idea's, why not post them here***

Hi Gina, how big is the tank? and what type of fish is it?

Arden grange is a fantastic food, it's about £25 per 15kg bag, also check out fish4dogs, 12kg bag is about £28, it cotains 55% fish & packed with lots of omega goodness. Wainrights is one of the best although it does get expensive after a while so maybe check out one of these.

Jez people that's shocking and even more shocking to see other big brand names included in there too. Gonna look into this as we definitely don't want to promote these companies in any way. Let you know what I find.. Thanks Daisy