Why you should include pets in your will

FROM housing and feeding to veterinary care; have you thought of who will look after your pet when you’re no longer able to?

News Local Vet columnist Anne Fawcett with her dog Phil. Picture: John Appleyard

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NO ONE wants to think about what happens when they’re gone, but have you wondered who might care for your pet when you’re no longer able to?

Forward planning can ensure their needs – from housing and feeding to veterinary care – can be taken care of. If you’ve written a will, it is important to make sure that your pets are written into it. If you’re not sure, talk to your solicitor or the NSW Trustee and Guardian.

It is helpful to provide alternative contact details to your vet, and any others involved in your pet’s care, in case of emergency. For example, sometimes a client will have an unplanned, prolonged hospital stay. Having a secondary point of contact – whether a family member, neighbour or lawyer – ensures that the best decisions can be made.

It’s important to include pets in a will. Picture: iStock

The NSW Trustee and Guardian has developed a pet emergency card that can be carried in your wallet. If something happens, the card alerts others that you have a pet that needs looking after and includes details of who to contact in case of emergency. These kinds of measures are usually unnecessary, but we cannot predict emergencies. For more about the complimentary pet emergency card, visit tag.nsw.gov.au

Dr Anne Fawcett is a lecturer in veterinary science at the University of Sydney and a vet with Sydney Animal Hospitals Inner West.

Read her blog: smallanimaltalk.com