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Paws For Thought - The Cost of Pets · A Little Bit Richer

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Kia: Hi, Kia here. Today, we're talking all about pets: what
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Kia: animals and breeds make great pets, how to get the
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Kia: most out of your pet insurance, and what are the
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Kia: short and long- term costs of owning a pet? I've
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Kia: been wanting to get a pet for ages now, so
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Kia: I'm super excited to learn everything that I can from
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Kia: our amazing guest. Welcome to another episode of A Little
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Kia: Bit Richer, brought to you by my friends at Legal &
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Kia: General. Joining us to discuss all of this is vet
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Kia: Ben Simpson- Vernon. You might have seen his great advice
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Kia: on TikTok: @ ben. the. vet. So welcome, Ben.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Hiya. Thanks for having me.
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Kia: Thank you for coming. So first of all, I'm going
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Kia: to need your advice on this one. Let's talk about
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Kia: the benefits of having a pet. I've been trying to
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Kia: convince my dad for years now that it's time to
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Kia: have a pet in the house, and I think hearing
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Kia: some of your benefits will help, so what's some of
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Kia: the benefits?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: I guess the main thing for most people is just
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: the companionship, and having a pet in your life just
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: brings an extra bit of joy. Obviously, having a pet
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: can have positive effects on your mental health as well,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: and a lot of people report that they feel less
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: anxious when they have a pet around. Can be good for your
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: physical health as well. If you have a dog, you
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: have to walk your dog. You have to get out of the house
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a couple of times a day, so it forces people
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: to exercise. Benefits for children as well, so having a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet to look after can encourage children to be more
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: responsible. For some people, their pets are a lifeline, really.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: We're looking at guide dogs, assistance dogs, so that's a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: whole other level of benefit to those people as well.
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Kia: I feel like I'm going to make sure my dad
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Kia: listens to this, because this sounds great: getting out of
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Kia: the house, feeling better. These are the things that you need,
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Kia: and we know that life can be so stressful, so
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Kia: if you know you've got a furry companion to come
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Kia: home to, that is brilliant. How do you then decide
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Kia: what sort of pet would be right for you? Because
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Kia: I remember growing up, we had fish, and fish were
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Kia: cool, but it don't really do much. They just swim
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Kia: around all day, and I really wanted a dog or
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Kia: a cat or something that just was more interesting. But how
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Kia: do you actually decide what's going to be the right
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Kia: pet to get for you?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Yeah, I think a fish is quite a good entry- level
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet, maybe for a child or if you've never had a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet before, just to get used to some element of
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: responsibility. But I think it comes down to three main
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: things: time, money, and space. So what is your day- to-
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: day life like? How much time do you spend at home?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Have you got time to walk a dog a couple
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: of times a day, or would a cat be better,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: that you don't have to maybe commit quite so much
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: time to? I think space, again, if you don't have
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a garden, if you live in a small flat, getting
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a Great Dane might not be the most sensible idea,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: so you need to factor that in. And money, of
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: course. So there's a huge difference in costs associated with
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: different pets. Obviously, far cheaper to get something like a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: hamster than a large- breed dog. And going back to the
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: time, I think you need to think about: What are
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: your circumstances now, and what are your circumstances likely to
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: be in five, 10 years? Have you got kids now?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Might you have kids in five years? How would a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: dog slot into your life then? So there's quite a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: lot to think about, really.
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Kia: I like the fact that you mentioned the financial aspect, because I
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Kia: think pets are great, but what would that look like
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Kia: on your finances? We talk about it a lot on A
3:02
Kia: Little Bit Richer, but your money and budgeting and understanding
3:05
Kia: where it goes does factor into picking what pet. You've
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Kia: shared some incredible advice on TikTok, and you're absolutely killing
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Kia: it, so can you tell us some of the best
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Kia: and worst dog breeds to own? Because I didn't really
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Kia: know that there was a best and worst. I think
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Kia: I'm just aesthetic; I'll just pick one that looks nice, and that's it. But it
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Kia: is worth on knowing the differences between the different breeds,
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Kia: so can you tell us that, maybe your top three
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Kia: for each?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Yeah, and that's where people go wrong, I think. It's
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: picking aesthetics and going by dog that looks cute or
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: that their friends have or they've seen on social media,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: and that can be a really big pitfall. It's often
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: the dog breeds that have a really distinct or unique
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: or exaggerated appearance, the dog breeds that can have more
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: health problems and then more vet bills associated with that.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: I mean, in terms of best and worst breeds, I
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: guess it depends. Different people will give very different answers,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: but my views are very much shaped by my work
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: as a vet. So in terms of dog breeds, they're
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: not necessarily worst dog breeds, but dog breeds that I wouldn't personally get. I
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: think a French bulldog or any flat- faced brachycephalic breed
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: has to be up there. They're lovely dogs. They're obviously
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: extremely popular, and that's for a reason. They've got awesome
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: personalities. They make great pets, but they do have a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: predisposition to a lot of different health problems, so I
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: wouldn't get a French bulldog. Something like a Shar- Pei,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: again, quite an exaggerated breed, and they're very prone to
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: ear infections and skin infections because of all that excess
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: skin. And another one that I wouldn't get, one that
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: surprised quite a lot of people, is the Cavalier King
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Charles Spaniel. But they're really cute little dogs, and in terms
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: of temperament, they're the kind of breed that I would love
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: to have, but almost every Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: develop the same kind of heart disease because of genetics,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: really. Because all of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in this country
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: are thought to be descended from five dogs. That is
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: how small their gene pool is, and so most Cavalier
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: King Charles Spaniels will develop the same kind of heart
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: disease. And I mean, going on to dog breeds that I
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: would get, there are a lot of them that I would
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: consider, but one that I put in my TikTok video
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: was greyhounds, because there were so many of them needing
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: homes that have been retired from the racing industry. So
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: they'd be on my list, and just a mixed breed, like
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a mongrel, really, because they're not so inbred. They can
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: be prone to fewer health problems, so they would certainly
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: be on the list. And I always say you can't
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: go wrong with a Labrador. They're just the best family
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: dog, I think.
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Kia: Hearing your breakdown is really useful because there's things to
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Kia: consider when picking the right breed for you. But I
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Kia: think hopefully, that's given some people some inspiration. So for
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Kia: everyone at home, what are some of the up- front
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Kia: costs that people should be aware of that come up
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Kia: when you actually come to become a pet owner and
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Kia: have your pet?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Yeah, so obviously, there's the cost of buying the animal.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: So if you're getting a hamster or Guinea pig or a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: cat or a non- pedigree cat, then generally, the cost
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: is not particularly expensive. But when you're looking at getting
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a pedigree cat or a pedigree dog or one of
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: these designer breeds of dog, like a cockapoo, the cost
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: can be several thousands of pounds, just to purchase the
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet. And then you've got the costs of having them
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: vaccinated, microchipped, flea and worming treatment, maybe having them neutered,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: so they're the main sort of up- front costs to consider.
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Kia: What about regular costing, things that keep coming up? What are the things
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Kia: that people should be aware of there?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: So particularly looking at the cockapoos and the poodle crosses,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: so the doodles and poodles, many dog breeds have to
6:27
Ben Simpson-Vernon: be groomed regularly. So you might have to factor your
6:30
Ben Simpson-Vernon: dog's haircut into your finances, as well as yours and
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: the rest of your family's. Some of these dog breeds
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: have to have their hair cut every six to eight
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: weeks, and probably at a greater cost than your own
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: haircut, particularly for men, anyway. And then you've got the cost
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: of boarding or doggie daycare if you work long hours
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: or if you're going away on holiday and you haven't got
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: someone to look after your dog. Cost of their food.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: That can range hugely, from budget brands to premium foods.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: And then obviously, vet fees, so your preventative healthcare, so
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: vaccinations, flea and worming. And then when things go wrong,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: if your pet falls ill, people are often shocked by the cost
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: of veterinary bills. I think in this country, because we
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: have an NHS, we're shielded from the cost of healthcare
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: and how expensive it can be, so that is something
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: to be prepared for before you have a pet. Or
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: the cost of pet insurance is something tied in with
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: that as well.
7:21
Kia: If you do want to get a pet, they are
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Kia: amazing. It's just things to consider when actually making that
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Kia: decision. So you touched on it just now: pet insurance.
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Kia: Is it important to have, and if so, what are some of
7:33
Kia: the things to look out for? Because it can be
7:35
Kia: quite a lot, especially if you've not done this before.
7:37
Kia: There are so many different options. What's important? What do I
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Kia: really need? What can I do without? So what should
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Kia: people be looking for?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: So I think having pet insurance is part of being
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a responsible pet owner. So some people do choose to
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: have a savings pot put to one side, should their
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet fall ill. But I guess you need to think
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: about things like what if your kitten breaks their leg
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: after three weeks of you owning them, and you haven't
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: saved up that savings pot? And that's where insurance really
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: comes into its own, and insurance can vary hugely in
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: cost. A dog breed can have a huge impact on
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: your dog's likelihood of falling ill and also, therefore, on
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: your pet insurance costs. So I went onto a website
8:20
Ben Simpson-Vernon: for a popular pet insurance company and got a quote
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: for a Jack Russell, versus a French bulldog, quite a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: comprehensive policy that covers 7, 000 pounds of vet fees
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: per year. And that came out at 47 pounds a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: month for the Jack Russell, whereas a French bulldog came
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: out at 245 pound a month, so getting on for
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: three grand a year. And that three grand a year that
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: you're paying in your premiums is to get you covered
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: for seven grand of vet fees. So that is the difference
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: in risk, that the pet insurance company is saying, " Your
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: chance of making a claim is so high that we
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: have to charge this amount," So that gives you an
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: idea of how likely it is that a French bulldog
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: is to fall ill or need major surgery. So that's
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: important to factor in, A, from a financial point of
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: view, because you need to be prepared for those costs.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: But also, do you want to have a pet that
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: is that likely to fall ill? There's an ethical consideration
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: there as well. So two main types of pet insurance
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: policy. You can get a lifetime policy, which will cover
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: ongoing health problems. So for example, if your pet developed
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: diabetes, then that would cover that condition, ongoing, whereas an
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: annual insurance policy might be a bit cheaper, but that
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: would only cover a condition like diabetes for a year,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: and after that, you wouldn't have any insurance cover. So
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: bear those kind of things in mind. And then other
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: things to consider would be things like dental cover. So
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: it's very common that a dog or cat might need
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: a few dental procedures in their life, and they can
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: be very costly, and not all insurance will cover that,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: so that is something to bear in mind. And one
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: thing that I should say as well, that really any
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: pet owner, particularly dog owner, should have third- party insurance.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: There's no legal requirement to have it, but that's to
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: cover the costs of, for example, if your dog runs
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: out in front of a car and writes off someone's
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: car. Then that would cover the cost of that, so
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: that, again, is part of being a responsible pet owner.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: But ideally, have cover for your dog's injuries as well.
10:17
Kia: That's a really good point that you make, so it is very important
10:20
Kia: to make. Make sure that you are covered. So if someone's
10:22
Kia: listening, and they're like, " Great, Ben. Love what you're saying,
10:25
Kia: I want a pet, but dogs and cats sound quite
10:28
Kia: expensive," what are some lower- maintenance, slightly cheaper pets that
10:33
Kia: people can have a look at?
10:35
Ben Simpson-Vernon: So yeah, going back to goldfish, that's quite a good entry-
10:38
Ben Simpson-Vernon: level pet, but maybe thinking about a hamster or a
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Guinea pig. It's quite a good pet to start off
10:44
Ben Simpson-Vernon: with. I've had Guinea pigs. I don't have any at
10:46
Ben Simpson-Vernon: the moment, but I've had Guinea pigs for about 10
10:47
Ben Simpson-Vernon: years. We've had multiple rounds of Guinea pigs, and they
10:49
Ben Simpson-Vernon: were awesome. We taught our Guinea pigs to do tricks.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: They love being held.
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Kia: That is incredible.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Yeah, I mean, you can get a lot back from a Guinea pig.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: I think people dismiss them as children's pets. I definitely rate
10:58
Ben Simpson-Vernon: Guinea pigs as pets. Obviously, the up- front costs of
11:01
Ben Simpson-Vernon: getting a Guinea pig or a rabbit are a lot
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: cheaper. You're probably only going to spend 50 pounds, maybe.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: You should still have a financial backup. Particularly, rabbits can
11:13
Ben Simpson-Vernon: still develop health problems that can incur higher vet fees.
11:17
Ben Simpson-Vernon: You should still have means of paying for that or
11:19
Ben Simpson-Vernon: maybe even think about insurance, but generally, the costs are
11:22
Ben Simpson-Vernon: lower than a dog or a cat.
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Kia: That's good. I think Guinea pigs, you're selling it. You
11:26
Kia: can teach a Guinea pig tricks.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: We had our Guinea pigs as ring bearers at our wedding, actually.
11:29
Kia: Ring bearers?
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: Yeah, yeah.
11:32
Kia: You have opened my eyes.
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: The vicar definitely said that was the first Guinea pig
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: ring bearer. Lots of dogs, but she hadn't had any
11:39
Ben Simpson-Vernon: Guinea pigs before.
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Kia: So if you are someone like me, I feel like I need
11:42
Kia: to take the first step, but I'm not ready for
11:44
Kia: the commitment of a pet. So for someone like me who
11:47
Kia: perhaps wants the fun of what a pet can bring but
11:50
Kia: doesn't want the full long- term responsibility, what are some
11:53
Kia: options available for people like me?
11:55
Ben Simpson-Vernon: So if you've got friends or family with a dog,
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Ben Simpson-Vernon: I'm sure they'll always be looking for people to look
11:59
Ben Simpson-Vernon: after their dog for periods of time, so that's a
12:01
Ben Simpson-Vernon: great idea. Or there are websites. There's one called BorrowMyDoggy,
12:05
Ben Simpson-Vernon: where you can get in contact, via the website, with
12:08
Ben Simpson-Vernon: people that are looking for someone to take their dog for
12:10
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a walk or to look after the dog while they go on
12:12
Ben Simpson-Vernon: holiday. So that can be quite good. But also contacting
12:16
Ben Simpson-Vernon: charities like Guide Dogs. Always looking for people to foster
12:19
Ben Simpson-Vernon: dogs. Often, they'll have the puppies that are in Guide Dog
12:21
Ben Simpson-Vernon: training in a home with people, so you could look after
12:24
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a dog for a charity for a period of time. Or other
12:27
Ben Simpson-Vernon: charities looking for people to foster dogs as well. It's
12:30
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a great option for if you've never had a pet
12:32
Ben Simpson-Vernon: before and you don't really know if it's for you. Obviously, a dog can live for
12:35
Ben Simpson-Vernon: 10 to 15 years, so if you get the dog, and a
12:38
Ben Simpson-Vernon: year or two in, you think, " Actually, maybe this wasn't
12:40
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a great idea," that can be a difficult situation. So
12:43
Ben Simpson-Vernon: fostering a dog for a few months or even a
12:45
Ben Simpson-Vernon: year can be a great trial.
12:47
Kia: I love that. Thank you so, so much. Okay, so
12:50
Kia: if people have decided, " Right, I want to get a
12:52
Kia: pet," there are so many places to get pets. Where are
12:55
Kia: some trustworthy places that people can visit to ensure that
12:58
Kia: they're going to get the right breed?
13:00
Ben Simpson-Vernon: So I guess one thing to consider is: Do you
13:02
Ben Simpson-Vernon: want to rescue a dog? Your up- front costs can
13:05
Ben Simpson-Vernon: be considerably lower if you're rescuing a pet, but obviously,
13:08
Ben Simpson-Vernon: rescuing a dog, there's a bit of unknown about the
13:11
Ben Simpson-Vernon: behavior and everything like that, so you need to factor
13:14
Ben Simpson-Vernon: those kind of things in. And often, charities have quite
13:17
Ben Simpson-Vernon: strict criteria for re- homing, but if you can re-
13:20
Ben Simpson-Vernon: home a pet, that can be a brilliant thing to
13:21
Ben Simpson-Vernon: do. If you're going to get a new puppy or
13:23
Ben Simpson-Vernon: kitten, then it can be a bit of a minefield.
13:25
Ben Simpson-Vernon: I would say it's always a good idea to go
13:27
Ben Simpson-Vernon: on recommendation. If you've got friends that have a breed
13:30
Ben Simpson-Vernon: of dog, and you want to get the same breed, talk to
13:33
Ben Simpson-Vernon: them about their breeder. And then something like the Kennel
13:36
Ben Simpson-Vernon: Club Assured Breeder Scheme is a good idea. One thing
13:39
Ben Simpson-Vernon: that people often don't realize is that being Kennel Club-
13:42
Ben Simpson-Vernon: registered doesn't really mean a lot. Basically, it just means
13:45
Ben Simpson-Vernon: that the dog that you are getting has a lineage that
13:49
Ben Simpson-Vernon: is proven. So they are definitely a Labrador, for example,
13:54
Ben Simpson-Vernon: but standard Kennel Club certification doesn't require any form of
13:59
Ben Simpson-Vernon: health testing. Whereas if you are getting a dog from
14:02
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a breeder who is on the Assured Breeder Scheme, then
14:05
Ben Simpson-Vernon: depending on the breed, there are often health tests and
14:08
Ben Simpson-Vernon: checks that they have to have done on the parents
14:10
Ben Simpson-Vernon: that give you a high chance of having a healthier
14:13
Ben Simpson-Vernon: puppy, so that is an important consideration. So there are
14:16
Ben Simpson-Vernon: some breeds of cat that are prone to particular heart
14:19
Ben Simpson-Vernon: problems, for example. There are responsible pedigree cat breeders that
14:23
Ben Simpson-Vernon: will be doing heart scans on their breeding cats to
14:26
Ben Simpson-Vernon: check for those problems, so thinking about those things. And
14:30
Ben Simpson-Vernon: I think the other thing is just having the right
14:32
Ben Simpson-Vernon: questions in mind when you're speaking to the breeder. There
14:35
Ben Simpson-Vernon: is something called the Puppy Contract, which is freely available
14:38
Ben Simpson-Vernon: online, via the RSPCA, and it is a contract that
14:42
Ben Simpson-Vernon: you can get the breeder to sign, but it can
14:44
Ben Simpson-Vernon: at least be a list of questions to jog you
14:46
Ben Simpson-Vernon: to be asking the right things to minimize the chance
14:50
Ben Simpson-Vernon: that you are going to get puppy from a puppy farm.
14:53
Kia: I think that's really good because there are so many regular costs
14:56
Kia: associated with having a pet that you want to make
14:58
Kia: sure you're getting the right breed, everything is how it
15:01
Kia: should be. So I think knowing about the Puppy Contract
15:03
Kia: is again, a really good one to know. It's free.
15:06
Kia: Okay, so Ben, what would be your three top tips
15:09
Kia: for our listeners when it comes to actually managing pet costs?
15:12
Ben Simpson-Vernon: I think the cost of pet food is one area
15:15
Ben Simpson-Vernon: where if you're really struggling with finance, then that is
15:18
Ben Simpson-Vernon: an area where you can save money, particularly if you
15:20
Ben Simpson-Vernon: have a large- breed dog. You can spend a huge
15:22
Ben Simpson-Vernon: amount on their food, particularly if you're buying a more premium
15:24
Ben Simpson-Vernon: food. Basic pet food from a supermarket has to meet
15:28
Ben Simpson-Vernon: minimum guidelines, so your pet is not going to develop
15:31
Ben Simpson-Vernon: any sort of nutritional deficiency or anything like that on
15:35
Ben Simpson-Vernon: that food, so don't feel guilty about feeding a cheaper
15:39
Ben Simpson-Vernon: food if you can't afford something more premium. Generally, the
15:42
Ben Simpson-Vernon: more premium pet foods will have higher- quality ingredients, but
15:46
Ben Simpson-Vernon: a basic pet food is still going to meet minimum
15:49
Ben Simpson-Vernon: guidelines. Another one I would say is to do with insurance, and there's another
15:53
Ben Simpson-Vernon: common pitfall that I see, where people see that their
15:56
Ben Simpson-Vernon: premiums go up on their insurance, and then they change
15:58
Ben Simpson-Vernon: insurance company. What they don't realize is that in most
16:01
Ben Simpson-Vernon: cases, that new insurance won't cover pre- existing conditions, so bear that
16:05
Ben Simpson-Vernon: in mind, particularly if your dog has a chronic long- term
16:07
Ben Simpson-Vernon: health condition. And then another one would be costs of
16:11
Ben Simpson-Vernon: ongoing medications. So it is often a lot cheaper to
16:15
Ben Simpson-Vernon: purchase medication from an online pharmacy. This is prescription medication,
16:19
Ben Simpson-Vernon: so you can either purchase it from your vet practice
16:21
Ben Simpson-Vernon: or that practice can write you a prescription for a
16:24
Ben Simpson-Vernon: fee. And that medication, not in all cases, but many
16:28
Ben Simpson-Vernon: medications can be purchased online significantly cheaper, and so that
16:32
Ben Simpson-Vernon: can really save a lot of money.
16:34
Kia: Ben, you have shared some incredible tips today. I am
16:38
Kia: leaving with so much knowledge now. I feel like I'm
16:40
Kia: ready to embark on my journey to becoming a pet
16:44
Kia: owner one day. This has been incredible, so thank you
16:46
Kia: so much for coming onto the podcast. Next time on
16:51
Kia: A Little Bit Richer, we're helping you get your dream
16:53
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17:03
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17:09
Kia: Thank you for listening. See you soon.