Just wondering about pet insurance in Switzerland. In the US it is available but (as of when we left last year) not widely used. In the UK it seems very common, if not the norm, to have pet insurance.

Does anyone know if it is available in Switzerland? If so, any experiences therewith?

Thanks

www.epona.ch is something I found using www.search.ch and searching for +Tier +Versicherung

assura.ch seems to have something too

There is a discussion of Assura's Animalia insurance plan on the Hundeweb forum:

http://www.hundeweb.org/hundewebd/index.html

(click on 'Forum der Hundefreunde', then 'Forum ansehen', then 'Gesundheit' to find the discussion...)

I looked into insurance for my crew, but given their ages and excluded conditions the premiums would be prohibitive and most of my expected costs would not be covered. Paying out of pocket makes better sense for us.

Surprisingly, I have found vet costs here far less than what I was paying in the States, at least for standard care. Specialist treatment can be quite expensive, though.

The private vets I have used bill monthly, rather than at time of the visit, which makes things easier. The only place I've been to where payment is required at time of service is the Tierspital (University of Zürich Veterinary Hospital and Small Animal Clinic)... and even then, I often am there after reception hours so they send me a bill a month later anyway.

If you choose to go with insurance, just make sure you understand all the fine print and exclusions....

- edited for spelling

One other dog related insurance thing to think about...

Several cantons require dog owners to carry liability insurance, and it's expected that there will be a federal requirement to do so soon.

Some insurers may offer this in conjunction with pet health insurance, or it might be covered as part of your Privathaftpflicht (general private liability insurance) or some insurers may offer a separate policy.

(I believe ZH requires/will soon require a minimum liability cover of 3mio - can anyone confirm this?)

I would imagine the folks at your Gemiende (local gov't office) will tell you what is required when you register your dogs and buy your yearly license tags. (Which, by the way, are rather expensive here... )

just a note re. licence tags - with ANIS chips you don't actually need tags - I don't have any.
my first dog cost 100 francs, second 200 - varies from kanton to kanton...

also dental work for one of my dogs (full k/o, removal, cleaning) cost under 200 francs. Shockingly cheap IMO

Wow - I didn't know that. My mutts are all ANIS chipped, registered in SZ. So, as long as I pay the yearly fee, I can then dispense with the tags?

(Hate those aluminum SZ tags... )

I am SZ too and with my newly-ANISed doggies, there was no tags
They hardly wear collars anyway. Especially in my house

And they are of the alleged "killer" variety. Beware when you see me

Heya

Possibly a truly silly question but are the ANIS chips your talking about the microchips ??

kt

yes. www.anis.ch
About the size of a grain of rice

Awesome news thanks lob - my baby is chipped but some unpleasant neighbours give me greive that I dont put the tag on her correction collar ( it kinda defeats the purpose of the collar then ) - now I can put them back in their box ( with pleasure )

kt

Am I the only one that thinks the name of this chip is a bit misleading? I mean it goes in their neck does it not? By the way, Switzerland seems a bit late to the party on this one, but at least it's going ahead now.

Assura has the animalia.

If you have any specific questions, you can send me details of the animal(s) you wish to insure and I'll let you know how much it costs etc.

Jenny

Is this really the case? My dog was chipped as a puppy and I`ve always bought the tag. So when it`s the law that all dogs have to be chipped, will the tags stop?

I checked with the animal control person at my Gemeinde (Local gov't ofice), who said she thought the tags would still be required even with the chip, as it is proof that I have paid my annual license fee. But, she also said that she didn't know if 2007 tags had been ordered, or not.

So, I guess the answer is... wait and see?

As much as I hate the SZ tags (cheap aluminium that stains white fur, not like the nice brass ZH tags ) - and at the risk of verging OT -

A dog should wear/have a secondary, easily readable identification of some kind. Spending as much time as I do with lost/abandoned dogs, I can't emphasize this enough. The chip requires access to a reader, which some shelters do not have, and if the person who finds your dog is not a pet owner himself he may not even know what a chip is, or how it works. Your phone number on a tag will usually get your dog home to you faster.

The cantonal tag helps, in that if all other identification fails, you can be traced through your Gemeinde...

I'm paranoid, so mine are chipped to ANIS and TASSO, which means two 'I'm chipped' tags, as well as the SZ license tag, and a tag with my contact details. And they sound louder than cowbells.

OK, stepping of soapbox, and getting back to the topic at hand...

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edited for spelling...

Okay... I've just received the official letter from my Gemeinde (local govt) with the FAQ about microchiping, etc.

So the answer to the question of tags is:

It depends on your Gemeinde and Kanton. Basically, the microchip or tatoo is the dog's registration, the tag is/was for the administration of the dog tax. In some Gemeinden both will be necessary - however for the towns where the administration of the tax can be coupled with the microchip or tatoo information, a tag will not be necessary.

"- Braucht mein Hund die Hundemarke noch?

Das hängt von ihrer Wohngemeinde oder ihrem Wohnkanton ab. Grundsätzlich dienen Mikrochip und Tätowierung der Kennzeichnung, die Hundmarke jedoch der Verwaltung der Hundesteuer. Somit ist in einigen Gemeinden beides nötig. Die Gemeinde kann jedoch die Verwaltung der Hundesteuer an die Kennzeichnung per Mikrochip oder Tätowierung koppeln, wodurch sich die Hundemarke erübrigt."

In my Gemeinde in SZ, tags will no longer be required - One new thing, though, is that I now am required to show proof of liability insurance coverage. This will be asked for when I pay the annual tax.

do tell more about liability insurance?

Our Gemeinde (and I assume KT SZ) requires dog owners to carry coverage of 3mio per event... I've checked our Privathaftpflicht (liability) policy with our agent (Winterthur BOX Haushalt und Privathaftpflicht) - our dogs are already covered in the standard BOX policy. In fact, with this policy the number of dogs per household is immaterial. Gott sei dank! (Thank doG ) The agent said that if we needed to up the coverage to 5mio the additional premium cost would only be about CHF 20 or so. Which is good to know, given the current climate....


---- edited for clarity and translation... btw, how do you italicize when editing?

I've asked my chap too. It's worth knowing for next year when I divvy up the next 300 francs...

Does anyone know if normal household insurance covers wear & tear by pets? I have two kittens that tear about the place constantly and I'm sure there'll be some extra scratches on the already-old floor.

Check your policy!

Oooops...

Changed my post because my husband reminded me that our insurer DID cover the pet damage. Winterthur BOX.

How quickly we forget...