Quotes provided by dog and cat insurer Healthy Pets Insurance increased by 53% like-for-like in the first business week of January 2014 compared to December 2013.

Mark Effenberg, Chief Executive of Healthy Pets Insurance, said research and contact with existing and prospective policyholders indicated that while there was inevitably a surge in acquisition of pets over the Christmas break, many were extremely conscious of the increasing cost of veterinary care.

"Veterinary technology and treatment is fast advancing. While this means that much-loved pets are far more likely to survive and recover from illness and injury, this is down to investment in medicines and equipment, the increasing cost of which has to be recovered during the treatment process," said Mark Effenberg.

"Pet insurance has never been more important to pet owners, and as a pet owner myself I'd  strongly recommend families researching both the cost of typical treatments and the types of pet insurance available." 

Healthy Pets, an award winning online insurer, is the biggest independent pet insurance provider in the UK, focussing exclusively on cat insurance and dog insurance. It consistently offers the most competitive prices, and has amongst the highest customer satisfaction ratings.