Dachshund pet insurance

The dachshund is an enormously popular dog breed here in the UK – indeed, we saw one recent survey that placed them in sixth position in a table of Britain’s most popular breeds.

And it’s not hard to see why these intelligent, characterful little dogs are so much in demand.

Playful and affectionate, Dachshunds (also known as sausage dogs) have bags of energy – and a real sense of fun.

They are also, however, particularly prone to a few health conditions – which is why some insurance is likely to prove very useful to Dachshund owners.

In this article we’ll look at a few common health issues for dachshunds. We’ll also examine the various pet insurance options that can help to keep your beloved little pup in the best of health.

And we’ll suggest a few reasons why you may want to consider lifetime insurance over other types of cover.

The Dachshund: a dog breed famously full of life

These are surely one of the most recognisable and best-loved dog breeds out there.

Small and low to the ground, with little legs, a long back, big, soulful eyes and an almost permanently wagging tail, Dachshunds look the picture of energy, friendliness and mischief in small canine form.

These dogs come in no fewer than six varieties: they can be either standard or miniature sized, while both sizes can come in smooth, long or wire-haired varieties.

Clever dogs, Dachshunds can be quite stubborn – so they may be a best fit for more experienced owners who can devote the time and patience to training them.

Lively, sociable and intelligent, Dachshunds will always require company and stimulus.

They will be happiest in a home environment where someone is always available to give them attention.

If you and the rest of your household want a fun pet who needs plenty of love and affection and will give back the same in return, look no further.

If, however, you’re away from home for much of the day, you might be better advised to look at a more self-sufficient dog breed.

Basset Hounds, French Bulldogs, Greyhounds and Whippets can all be left alone for periods at a time but experts suggest never longer than four hours in any one go.

Why should you consider insuring your Dachshund?

Dachshunds are prone to a few health conditions, some of them due to their very particular shape.

It is quite possible that, at some point during your Dachshund’s life, you may need to get medical treatment for them.

Given this, you may wish to consider some form of insurance to help cover the costs of these medical interventions.

Health conditions that can commonly affect a Dachshund include:

Intervertebral disc disease

The most common back problem in dogs, this is essentially damage to the discs that provide cushioning between the back bones (or vertebrae).

These discs are essential to an active, pain-free life. Not only do they allow movement: they also support the back and absorb much of the impact when a dog is running or jumping.

Dachshunds (both standard and miniature) are particularly vulnerable here, because of those long backs of theirs and the relatively small legs that must take their weight.

How you can help: Plenty of exercise is helpful here, as it produces healthy tissues and strong muscles.

However, Dachshunds should not be allowed to jump up onto, or down from furniture or high places, as this movement can put strain on the intervertebral discs.

And, of course, some suitable pet insurance cover  could be considered here, to help you to finance treatment or surgery that your Dachshund may require.

Heart disease

These lovable little dogs are also prone to degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD), where a leak develops in one of the heart valves.

How you can help: Regular checkups with your vet will help to catch this condition in its earlier stages, before too much damage has occurred.

Your vet would then prescribe a programme of medication, and your pet insurance should be able to cover some of the costs here.

Be aware that pet insurance will not cover for conditions that have already been diagnosed when the insurance policy begins.

As a result, it’s usually worth starting a policy early in your Dachshund’s life, before conditions like this have had a chance to develop.

Dental problems

Dachshunds can also suffer dental problems in older age. This can be painful – but, more seriously, can also lead them to lose their appetite.

A Dachshund who is not eating enough can be at risk of dangerous weight loss, a treatment that may require a special diet or treatment to rectify.

Insurance will prove very helpful here.

How you can help: Clean your Dachshund's teeth every day – or, if they really don’t enjoy this, try feeding them dental treats instead.

Take them to the vet for annual oral checkups, too. Finally, look for a pet insurance policy that features cover for any dental procedures your Dachshund may require.

Want to find out more about our Dachshund Insurance/Dog Insurance Product? 

We’ve listed our key benefits below and you can also take a look at our cover levels, customer reviews and awards.

Ready to get started? Click here to get a quote.

What sort of pet insurance cost might you be looking at for your Dachshund?

This really depends on what sort of insurance you choose. There are four main types of insurance for pets:

Lifetime pet insurance

This is usually the most expensive type of pet insurance policy, but also the one that provides the most extensive cover.

This form of insurance will provide continuous cover for your dog, up to an annual limit for each medical condition.

This type of cover will reset every time your policy comes up for its annual renewal.

What does that mean? Well, say you claimed a large amount of cover for treatment of a certain illness (in a Dachshund’s case, this might be a back complaint) during one policy year.

You might now be approaching your policy limit for that particular condition. But there’s no need to panic: your claims for that condition will reset to zero when your policy renews, leaving you with the full amount of cover for the next year of the policy.

Lifetime cover may considered for any dog that could develop a long-term condition – such as those that affect Dachshunds, as mentioned above.

Maximum benefit insurance

This is the next rung down after lifetime cover.

This type of policy provides cover, up to a specified limit, for each illness or injury – for the duration of your time with the same insurance provider.

However, unlike lifetime cover, maximum benefit is not renewed annually. Rather, it’s a lump sum that you can spend on treatments across the duration of your pet’s lifetime.

This sum is typically divided up between various illnesses or accidents: once you reach a claim limit for one particular condition, you will no longer have insurance against that one, and will have to pay for all further treatment yourself.

In short, maximum benefit insurance sits between lifetime cover – generous cover, at a price – and the two forms of pet insurance we’ll mention next.

These both offer less cover, albeit for a lower annual premium.

Time-limited insurance

As its name suggests, this type of insurance provides cover against your Dachshund suffering an accident or illness – but for a fixed time period only.

Within this timeframe, there will also be a claim limit for each condition, as with maximum benefit insurance above.

This form of dog insurance does have the useful feature that any period of time in which you make no insurance claims will be carried over to the next policy year.

So, if you have seven months of a year’s time-limited policy without any claims, those seven months will be carried over onto the following year’s policy.

Time-limited insurance may not be the best bet for an older dog with an ongoing health condition, as you may quickly reach a given limit set by the insurance provider, who will then not pay out on any further claim.

That’s worth bearing in mind as a Dachshund owner, as these dogs are well known to often enjoy a lengthy old age – frequently living to 12 or 14 years old.

Accident-only insurance

This insurance only covers your expenses – such as vets’ fees – in the event of an accident to your pet.

Illnesses and ongoing conditions are not covered in this type of insurance.

And, with Dachshunds being fairly prone to a certain number of conditions, this might not make the best option in the long term.

If you do go for this form of insurance, it may be better suited to a young Dachshund than to an older dog – younger dogs being perhaps more accident-prone, and conversely less likely to fall prey to an illness.

By the way, if you do have a very young dog, you may be looking around for the best puppy insurance deal.

Most insurance providers will be happy to insure your puppy from around eight weeks of age.

The Purely Pet Promise

At Purely, we’re here to support you. That’s why we offer a 24 Hour Vet Helpline free of charge to all of our customers. Our easy to use online portal ‘Manage My Policy’, enables you to access to your policy 24hrs a day. This provides greater flexibility, allowing you to manage your policy at a time that suits you, so that you can spend more time with your furry friends, and less time managing your insurance. Get a quote

Can you reduce your Dachshund pet insurance premium?

If you’re concerned about the cost of your pet insurance premium, there are some steps you can take to reduce your annual policy charge.

One way of bringing down costs, of course, will be to look carefully at the various types of insurance as outlined above, and think carefully about the best fit for you and your Dachshund.

You may find that a particular policy type will produce substantial savings when compared with a different form of insurance.

However, it’s always difficult to predict what healthcare costs may be awaiting you across your pet’s lifetime, so a policy that seems the most economical now may involve you in bigger costs later on.

Another way in which you may save money is to shop around among insurance providers.

See who is offering the best deal for the particular insurance type you want, and also check which extra features – such as dental cover – are included in each one.

Here at Purely Pets, we have a fairly extensive list of benefits – you can read all about them on our website.

These include, for example, a 24-Hour Vet Helpline which you can contact whenever you have a concern about your pet’s health.

You’ll be put through to a trained veterinary professional, who will listen to your problem and suggest some next steps.

Also be aware that, if you have two or more Dachshunds – or indeed, more than one pet of any description – some insurance providers may offer discounts for multi-pet policies.

Finally, keeping your pet in the best health possible is likely to reduce your insurance costs.

Maintaining good pet health should reduce the risk of needing to make a claim, which in turn may bring down your premium next year.

Steps you can take to improve your pet’s health and wellbeing include microchipping them, keeping their vaccinations up to date, and ensuring that you follow diet and exercise regimes that are appropriate for their breed and life stage.

Contact us to arrange a pet insurance policy

Here at Purely Pets, we have experience in arranging insurance for Dachshunds of all types – as well as many other dog and cat breeds besides.

If you’d like to find out more about arranging insurance with Purely Pets, you have various simple options.

You may want to have a read of our introduction to pet insurance, as well as a summary of the many benefits we offer.

You’ll notice that we only offer lifetime insurance, as we believe that Dachshunds – and all pets! – deserve the most comprehensive cover that’s available.

Within this, you can choose from no fewer than 15 levels of cover, with costs of up to £15,000 covered by your insurance policy.

If you have other questions about your pet insurance premium, you may find our FAQs page useful – or you can easily register for a quote via our website.

We wish you the very best of luck with arranging some Dachshund pet insurance for your sensational sausage dog!

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