Is a pet care plan worth it?

Typically £10.99 a month, or £132 a year, across the 300 plans we hold. The cheapest we have found is £0 a month at Mammal Pet Care in Merton. Plans for dogs cost more than plans for cats, and plans for big dogs more again, because the flea and worm doses are bigger.

It depends what you would have bought anyway. Counting only a yearly booster and two consultations at the same practice's own prices, a plan typically costs £132 against £176 paid separately. Most plans also include flea and worm treatment, nail clips and a discount of 10 to 20 percent on other work, so the plan can still come out ahead if you use those. The regulator found owners were often signed up without ever seeing that comparison, which is why practices now have to publish what a plan includes and what the same things cost separately.

No. A plan spreads the cost of routine care you can predict: vaccinations, check-ups, flea and worm treatment. Insurance pays towards illness and injury you cannot predict, which is where the big bills are. A plan does not cover an operation after an accident, and it is not a substitute for insurance.