Guide to pet health and wellbeing

Getting your dog microchipped is one of the best methods to help reunite you with your missing canine friend. All dogs over eight weeks old in the UK are required by law to be microchipped. If you don’t get your dog microchipped, you could face a fine of up to £500. And while pet insurance doesn’t cover the cost of microchipping, you can find out more information here.

Our theft and straying cover can reimburse you for any advertising expenses or rewards you’ve forked out to try and find your missing dog.

And if you’re unable to find your dog at all, we’ll reimburse the price you paid for them – up to the limit set out in your certificate of insurance.

A lack of exercise can also make your dog restless and bored, which can lead to attention-seeking behaviour such as destructive chewing, digging, scratching, barking and whining.

As a minimum, you’ll definitely need a brush, comb and shampoo. The type of brush you’ll need will depend on your dog’s breed and coat. For example, a bristle brush is best for short-haired dogs, whereas a pin brush is suitable for dogs with long, luscious locks.

While pet insurance can cover things like dental treatment and complementary treatment, we won’t cover any grooming or cosmetic treatments. For example cosmetic dentistry, cleaning and descaling of teeth, routine removal of dew claws, parasite control treatments or nail clipping.

Always supervise your dog, whether out in public or in the garden – and keep garden boundaries as secure as possible to prevent your dog from escaping.

If you do insure your dog with us, we’ll provide third party liability cover, which can help protect you if your dog accidentally injures someone or damages their property.

If you’ve got a long trip ahead, make regular stops to take your dog for a walk and let them answer calls of nature.

Taking your furry friend with you? We’ll be on hand to help if anything goes wrong with cover for overseas vet fees and holiday cover available as standard with all our pet insurance policies.

Don't make training last any longer than around 15 minutes at one time, and try to do it in a familiar environment without too many distractions. Take it one command at a time and keep at it. Even if you're struggling, you'll get there eventually.

If you want professional advice or training, you can contact our 24/7 Vet Assistance service – our qualified vet nurses can give you expert training advice and recommend dog trainers.

Most ‘bad’ behaviour starts at home, for example stealing food from the table or chewing on household items. This type of misbehaviour can often be caused by boredom and not getting enough attention, so make sure your dog feels like one of the family.

There are times when your dog’s bad behaviour could be more than just a phase though – and could be linked to a behavioural illness or disorder.

If that time comes, we could help cover the cost of behavioural therapy. And your furry friend will be back to being a good boy (or girl) in no time.

While we don’t cover the cost of microchipping, our theft and straying cover can help out if your cat wanders off.

While we don’t cover the costs of routine and preventative treatments, it’s worth taking measures to ensure your cat’s good health. Such as vaccinations, neutering and treatments to control parasites like fleas and worms.

The best option to protect them is to make sure you have adequate insurance in place. With a choice of time limited and lifetime cover, 24/7 vet support and extra savings and discounts, our cat insurance will leave you purring.

If you live in a rural location and the surrounding environment is safe, make sure you let them out for lots of exercise and fresh air too.

Your cat will do its bit to preen and clean their coat, but you can help too by brushing, washing and de-fleaing it regularly.

When it comes to your cat insurance, we can cover things like dental treatment and complementary treatment. We won’t cover any grooming or cosmetic treatments, for example cosmetic dentistry, dew claw removal, parasite control treatments or nail clipping.

So what are the main grooming requirements for rabbits? Well, for starters, you’ll need to keep on top of their teeth, ears, nails and coat.

Brushing their coat regularly will keep it in the best possible condition – and help prevent matting, hairballs and serious infections like flystrike. It’ll also give you a chance to feel for any lumps and bumps.

If you’re grooming long-haired rabbits, you’ll most likely need to brush their coat every day, and twice a day in warm weather.

Need some more advice on grooming your rabbit? Check out our guide to rabbit health and insurance and we’ll help make sure you’ve got a happy bunny at home.

But how much exercise do rabbits need a day? Ideally, your rabbit should be spending as long as possible each day playing in a large, secure outdoor run or rabbit exercise pen.

If your rabbit doesn’t get enough exercise, it could quickly become bored and overweight – and their muscles and bones could become weak.

Your rabbit will likely spend most of their time running, hopping and jumping in their outdoor run or exercise pen. But what do rabbits like to play with when it comes to toys?

There are plenty of rabbit toys available in pet shops and supermarkets. But rabbits love playing with things like shredded paper and cardboard boxes and tubes, so there’s no need to fork out on expensive toys.

Well the good news is that rabbits are incredibly clever creatures. And that means it’s fairly easy to train them (especially if they’ve been neutered).

It’s quick and simple to litter train rabbits, as they tend to do their business in the same place each time. And you can even train them to do tricks and run agility courses.

So whether you’re planning to keep your rabbit indoors or outdoors, a little training could make your life a whole lot easier.