A growing number of pet owners are insuring their animals and claims have nearly doubled in the past six years, with the average claim totalling almost £1,000.

But the pet insurance market can be a minefield of jargon-laden complexity, and multiple options are available with different levels of cover - from ’lifetime cover’ that insures a pet for new conditions across their lifetime, subject to an annual limit and excess; through to simple ’accident-only cover’.

Farmers have been able to insure livestock since medieval times, but pets only began to be insured in 1890, when a Swedish insurance company wrote a policy for a horse.

In 1924, the world’s first dog was insured, also in Sweden.

Today, pet insurance has become a commonplace expense for the owners of the UK’s estimated 21m dogs, cats and rabbits.

In the first weeks of the 2020 lockdown pet insurance firms reported policy cancellations by those looking to cut household expenses, but has been offset by a rise in new pet owners taking out policies during the pandemic.

As an existing policy owner, it may not pay to shop around for the best deal.

A new policy will not cover existing medical conditions and a new insurer could refuse to cover subsequent claims, or might argue that you should have disclosed certain things about the health of your pet.

More worryingly, if you switch to a new insurer you will probably find that your pet’s illness is not covered by them for the first 14 days of the policy.

Most of the major insurance companies have this 14-day rule which, they say, exists to deter fraudulent claims.

You could overlap the old and new policies to ensure a continuation of cover, which may end up being more expensive than simply renewing.

Or you could challenge the renewal quote by researching what other companies are quoting, and then calling your provider and asking for a better deal.

Another alternative is to put aside a certain amount of money every month to cover emergency vet bills to help cushion the impact of a large bill.

But the risk here is that your pet becomes ill or injured before you have saved enough money.

Vets can do more for pets than ever before, as science and technology develop, and treatment costs can quickly mount up.

Many people underestimate the sums of money that may be required.

One way of reducing your pet insurance bill is to avoid dog or cat breeds that attract higher premiums, such as Great Danes, French bulldogs and chihuahuas, or Maine Coon and Bengal cats.

Age is another key factor in the expense of premiums with pets aged over 12 being almost twice as expensive to insure as those aged between four and six.

The decision to insure a pet is as personal as deciding which pet to own and is subject to each person’s animal and financial rationale.

All the dogs, cats and rabbits who are adopted from the ManxSPCA go to their new homes with four weeks’ free pet insurance, and it is then up to their new owners to carry on with the insurance or not.

The border collies, Albie and Skye, are in excellent health and so their insurance policies will not need to exclude any pre-existing conditions. Albie is six and adores to the love of his life, three-year-old Skye, who does not necessarily return Albie’s affections and who is everyone’s best friend (she will do anything for a belly rub!).

As you might expect from this breed, both dogs are energetic and so they will need an active new home, with lots of physical and mental stimulation.

Albie thinks children are sheep and tries to herd them, and so a home with older (or no) children would suit him best, and given the dogs are incredibly bonded they will need to be rehomed together.