Legend has it that it was King Frederick of Prussia who, in 1789, referring to his Italian greyhound, remarked: “The only absolute and best friend a man has in this selfish world, the only one who will not betray or deny him, is his dog.” Companion animal is more than just a simple expression, different studies have shown that a cat or dog helps to improve the mental and physical health of its owner.
Spain is the second largest EU country in terms of the number of dogs, with 9.3 million (2021 data), second only to Germany (10.3 million). Third place goes to Italy (8.7 million). Spain Spain holds the European leadership per capita, in this case the ranking would be as follows: Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Russia and France. In terms of cats, the per capita list is headed by France, followed by Germany, the UK, Italy, Russia and Spain. The statistics show that Spanish citizens have a preference for dogs over cats. The 2018 figures showed that cats (102.6 million) outnumbered dogs (84.9 million) in the Old Continent.
Europe, a continent populated by cats and dogs
Pet health insurance covers the costs (or part of them) arising from an illness or accident of the pet. In reality, the way it is contracted and how it works is not very different from health insurance for people. There is usually a deductible, as well as a prior examination of the pet to determine its condition and check that the animal is healthy. If it is detected that the pet suffers from a specific illness, the treatment of this illness would be excluded from the insurance.
In Europe, pet insurance insurance was worth 759 million euros in 2022, and is expected to be worth more than 1565 million euros in 2027. These figures give an idea of the magnitude of a sector that is in the process of expansion. The largest markets for pet health insurance are the UK, Germany, France and Spain.
Pet humanization
The pandemic and the lockdown increased the demand for pets. To this trend should be added the phenomenon of the “humanization of pets”. Increasingly we treat animals as members of the family with all that this means. Owners are not only spending more on their furry friends but are also looking for the highest quality products for them.
The world of pets in figures
- More than 10 million tonnes of pet food were produced in Europe.
- In Spain, 27% of households had at least one dog. In the EU, the highest rate is in Romania (45%) and the lowest in Greece (14%).
- 16.7 million cats were living in German households, in France (15.1 million), in Italy (10.0 million) and in Spain (5.8 million).
- In the EU there were 83.6 million cats and 72.7 million dogs.
*All these data are from 2021.
e-Mascotas, the Digital Platform for Pet Insurance and Services developed by Delonia, is an effective tool that facilitates the work of insurance companies and veterinary marketplaces. The client has a digital record of their pet, where the animal’s health care information is centralized.
The solution e-Mascotas offers: location of veterinarians and providers, online appointment, video consultation, service contracting, registration of information in the digital record book, reimbursement of expenses, and settlement of services to the provider, among other functionalities.
