An article earlier this year on the Moneyextra website highlighted the importance of having your pet adequately protected with insurance, especially now in with vets bills creeping up.

In London, average prices for veterinary fees have gone up by about 15% over the past year. In the rest of the South-East, they have risen by 10%. And the remainder of Britain has seen typical increases of around 6-8%.

However, according to research organisation Defaqto, less than a third of Britain’s seven million dogs and only 17% of cats have adequate financial protection in the form of pet insurance.

Halifax Pet Insurance recently revealed that during the last five years, us Britons have spent £2.6 billion purchasing cats and dogs. It also showed that owners underestimated the cost of vet bills by a shocking 103%.

Your dog could be heading for a pet insurance claim if he eats too much chocolate this Christmas. Tesco Pet Insurance is warning dog owners to make sure that their dog does not eat large quantities of chocolate as it can cause many nasty side effects and can even be fatal.

Chocolate baubles on your Christmas Tree and selection boxes wrapped underneath are an easy target for a wily dog. Sadly, large amounts of chocolate can be toxic to your four legged friend causing agitation, breathlessness, diarrhoea, hyperactivity, vomiting, increased urination, epileptic fits and even death.

The company are warning dog lovers to be on the alert particularly over Christmas time, and keep chocolate well out of the way of their pets.