Dr Chris Brown’s former ambassadorship with Medibank Pet Insurance resurfaces
Dr Chris Brown’s former partnership with a major Australian pet insurer has come to light again after the celebrity vet advised pet owners to avoid coverage.
Earlier this week, the 45-year-old Bondi Vet advised fans with furry pets not to take out pet insurance and instead deposit the money into a separate bank account.
But Dr. Brown previously collaborated with Medibank‘s pet insurance as an ambassador in 2011, where he said the plan helps pet owners “take some control over the financial side of owning a best friend.”
“There’s no doubt that pet insurance saves lives,” he said at the time.
On Tuesday, Dr. Brown told the Daily telegram shared the tip to save money by opening a separate bank account for pets. This can be used to pay for things like vet bills for general check-ups, but also the costs of treating injuries or illnesses that a pet may have.
“It all comes down to trying to distribute your money as best you can,” the Dream Home host told the publication.
“It’s about taking care of your health so that little things don’t become bigger. Because that often leads to that impossible decision that people have to make, and that’s the reality: the pet or the finances. And you never want to see people in that situation.”
He went on to say that Australia has very few options for pet insurance ‘because there are so many things that are excluded’ and advised pet owners to put the money they would otherwise spend on insurance into a separate bank account instead.
Dr Chris Brown’s former partnership with a major Australian pet insurance company has come to light again after the celebrity vet urged pet owners to avoid coverage
But it’s not just pet bank accounts that the former I’m A Celebrity host has his eye on. The handsome TV personality also continues to campaign for pet care subsidies, including Medicare for animals.
Chris said his third Drooly Important Pet Census, which he launches on Wednesday, will provide insight into how government can better help address the rising costs of owning a pet.
“That’s why the pet census is really interesting. If we can identify the important role that pets play in our daily lives and the benefits they bring to our communities, why wouldn’t we consider subsidizing pet care? If it has such a positive impact on our health system and saves us money in the long run,” he explained.
Chris developed his own ‘pet census’ in 2016 when he discovered that the mandatory Population and Housing Census, which Australians are required to complete every five years, had removed all questions about household pets.
The 45-year-old celebrity vet first partnered with Medibank’s pet insurance in 2011, saying: ‘There’s no doubt that pet insurance saves lives’
Chris declined to participate in the survey and instead created his own version, which was intended to collect data on pet ownership in Australia.
“I didn’t fill out the Census. I didn’t touch it,” he told Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa at the time.
‘I heard rumors that some family members were being ignored by the census – the hairy members of the family.
“Unlike other years, there is no question about whether you have pets and what kind of pets you have. This year it has been ignored.”
The Survey Monkey form asks participants how many pets they have, what type of pet they have, where their pet sleeps, and what their pet eats.