Are my pets Insured while travelling?
Most Pets are covered under our Business Liability Insurance policy while they are with us. However there are exclusions and limitations to such cover and we recommend that clients consider obtaining their own private pet insurance for cover beyond the scope of our business liability cover. The simplest way to understand this is to compare it to the need for us to take out private travel insurance ourselves when we travel or cruise etc.
Some Pet Transport businesses advertise that they are “Fully Insured” without details. We do not use that term because there are limitations regarding insurance for pets in transport just like there are when we travel. From experience we know that it does not cover everything that most clients think it does.
We are as covered as it is posssible for us to be with a range of insurance policies including Public Liability, Comprehensive Motor Vehicle and other business insurances. Together with Australian Consumer protections, these provide assurance of cover for our customers for any instance that we would be deemed to be liable for. Essentially we would be considered to be liable in the event that our misconduct or negligence has resulted in the sickness, injury or death of your pet but as with all insurances there are exclusions.
The following are not covered by our policy.
The cost of any veterinary bills, death or loss associated with:
- Any pre-existing physical condition including BOAS. This includes whether you or we were aware of the condition or not.
- Any sickness, communicable disease or injury that has not come about as a result of failure, misconduct or negligence on our part.
- The administration of any medicine or treatment (incl. if Veterinary prescribed)
- The action of any third party including Motor vehicle accidents where we or our drivers are not at fault.
In addition the following animals are excluded from cover under our liability policy.
- Livestock such as Pigs, Goats, Cattle etc.
- Working Dogs (please ensure these are covered by your own Business Insurance policies.)
Why are some things not covered?
Largely the reason is that the purpose of a Business liability cover is to protect the business (that’s us) from any claim or liability caused by failure or negligence on the part of our business or our employees. It is not there to offer the client (thats you) a full and comprehensive cover for any and all eventualities that may cause illness or harm to your pets. That is the role of private Pet Insurance which many people choose to have to cover their own pets.
Please be aware that the fact that an animal is in our care at the time that it becomes ill or is injured is not in itself an indication that we would be liable for the sickness or injury. Many issues such as contracting a communicable disease, getting bitten by a snake or passing away as a result of a pre-existing condition could happen at any time and while the pet is in any persons control or even at home. Often when these events occur it is not anybodies fault and nobody can or should be held liable. Our liability only exists where the injury or event is specifically caused by a failure on our part and specifically it does not cover an illness just because the animal was with us when it caught the illness or when symptoms became apparent.
Insurance that would cover all such events is not available in Australia to Pet Transport businesses and to the best of our knowledge no pet carrier or Airline in Australia offers such insurance or cover. Unfortunately we believe that some may give the impression that they do.
In the case of the exclusion of liability for the administration of any medicine or treatment, it would be normal for the owner or prescribing veterinary specialist to accept liability for harm arising from those decisions and to indemnify us from any harm if they have asked us to administer medicines or treatment on their behalf.
In any event that harm is cause by the actions or neglect of a third party, that third party would be deemed to be liable. That third party may have their own insurance to cover a loss or we, or you, may have to pursue them via the court system for any loss incurred. Examples of this would may be where a local individuals dog is unrestrained and attacks your pet whilst we are walking it (provided we have taken due care) or another driver causes a motor vehicle accident potentially resulting in harm to our driver, our vehicles and your pets.
Exclusions related to Livestock and Working Dogs are due to the fact that these are animals typically used to derive or generate an income for the owner and as such would normally be expected to be insured by the owner or party that derives that income from them. Unfortunately that does mean that there would be instances where livestock or working dogs may be regarded by the owner to also be pets but which are excluded by those specific clauses in our cover which are designed to protect the insurer and us against claims related to a loss of income by the owner.
Private Pet Insurance
It is possible for individuals to obtain Pet Insurance for their personal animals through the RSPCA and other specialized insurance providers. These insurances offer cover for many unexpected ailments and situations that would not be covered by our Public Liability or commercial insurances and that would generally apply during transport or while your Pet is in another persons care. However, as with all insurances, it is very important to read the fine print as there is a wide variation in available covers. Some policies are cheaper due to very obvious exclusions and some may not cover your pet during transport or while they are very young. We advise that all clients buying a young animal should discuss insurance with their Breeder prior to purchase.
Because many ailments or issues with your pets are more likely to occur within its first few months we strongly recommend that you have a clear written contract with your breeder, which includes details about their responsibilities in the event your new pet is not healthy. Additionally, ask your breeder whether they hold “Breeder Insurance” or obtain your own Pet Insurance prior to your pet leaving the breeders premises. There are Insurance policies available in Australia that will cover your new puppy or kitten from 6 weeks of age. Further to this it is important to know that if you have purchased your pup from a breeder that they have clear obligations under Australian Consumer law to ensure that your pup is healthy and to offer a remedy to the situation if it is not, in exactly the same way that a warranty applies on any other consumer purchase.
It is our experience that in cases where a young pet becomes unwell during, or shortly after transport from the breeders home, even where it is entirely clear that it is not the transporters fault, that the breeder and or the owner will often blame or unsuccessfully seek compensation from the transporter because they do not have a clear contract between each other or their own appropriate insurance.
