The dog I have in partnership has been Insured with Healthy Pets, as the Pinnacle Insurance kept going up and we had never made a claim

I do not have any of my own dogs insured as no way could I afford the premiums for 4 or 5.

I had an unlucky year from Christmas 2006 to 2007 with Vets fees. Jozi had Mastitis Boxing day, so about £250, then Lexi had an ear infection that took months to clear up, and included ear syringing, total of £535.

Then Jozi (8 years old) had an Epulis on her Gum and a lump on her neck, both needed removing costing about £400.

Now my oldest at 10 would be £35 a month to Insure, so a bad Vet year is only what a years premiums would be.

I have a line of credit set up for emergencies and find it cheaper to put a sum of money away for Vet expenses and pay any unusual bills off using credit. The interest and fees will work out cheaper than Insurance.

I do have a breed that generally has rude health, and as I have bred them all myself I have made all human effort to ensure they are likely to be healthy.