Fumbling Fido can be costly for pet owners
TORONTO, ON July 6th, 2009 – From swallowing shoelaces to playing fetch with a fly fishing lure, leading home, car and business insurer RSA searched the country for the most hare-brained pet mishaps.
Based on the research conducted by RSA, swallowing foreign objects was “paws down” the most common silly injury for dogs and cats.
Clumsy calamities involving our furry friends included:
- a dog that was taken to the veterinarian after swallowing a credit card – the bill came to hundreds of dollars but the vet failed to see the humour when the owner suggested he scan her dog to cover the payment!
- a cat that was acting strange was taken to the vet and it wasn’t until a $500 bill and a trip to the litter box later that the owner discovered the feisty feline had swallowed a shoe lace
- in a game of chase between an airplane in the sky and a dog, the airplane won and the dog careened head-first into its backyard fence
- a clownish canine lost two teeth in a battle of tug of war with its owner’s bathrobe.
“We all have stories of hilarious pet antics but what isn’t so funny is the vet bill that can come later,” said Shelley Toyota, Director Underwriting at RSA. “Our research highlights the importance of making pet insurance accessible for owners. Of the dog and cat owners we surveyed, 98% don’t have pet insurance, despite the fact that a quarter of those say their pet has suffered an injury that resulted in a visit to the vet.”
The research, conducted by Angus Reid, also showed that 55% of pet owners surveyed said they would be likely to get pet insurance if it could easily be added on to their existing property insurance policy.
RSA has launched a new pet insurance product that can be added on to new or existing RSA property policies which will reimburse pet owners for veterinarian medical fees resulting from accidents with their dogs and cats.
To learn more about RSA’s products and services please visit www.rsagroup.ca.
RSA’s pet insurance product is available in all provinces except B.C. and Quebec
This survey was conducted by Angus Reid on June 9, 2009 and surveyed 1007 adults across Canada. Results are based on two-sided tests with significance level 0.05.
About RSA
RSA Canada includes Roins Financial Services Limited, Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada, Quebec Assurance Company, Johnson Inc., Western Assurance Company, Ascentus Insurance Ltd., Canadian Northern Shield Insurance Company and is part of RSA Insurance Group plc. RSA Canada employs approximately 3,000 people and is represented by a large network of brokers across the country. In 2007, the Canadian Group wrote $1.6 billion in direct premiums with assets exceeding $5.5 billion. Internationally, RSA Insurance Group plc employs about 22,000 people and has the capability to write business in 130 countries and in 2007 its net written premiums were $12.5 billion. RSA is a trade name of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada.
