Brazil: Petlove&Co offers staff health insurance plans for their pets

Petlove&Co, Brazil’s largest online platform for pet products and services, is to offer its thousand or so employees an all-new benefit: a health insurance scheme to cover their pets, in line with its traditional health insurance scheme. Announced at the start of April via the press, the policy is a means of building staff loyalty. According to a study conducted internally, 93% of Petlove&Co employees own a pet and 75% have more than two. This mutual insurance policy covers unlimited consultations with the vet, either at the office or at home, vaccinations, access to emergency services, laboratory tests and scans, and funeral services. The package costs between R$50 and R$100 per month (€10-€20). By increasing their contributions, employees can take out a more comprehensive health insurance plan, and have access to cardiologist services as well as acupuncture for their pets. The launch of this policy comes after Petlove&Co’s takeover of Nofaro, a start-up from southern Brazil that provides pet health plans. The company already has 25,000 insured pets and 600 partner veterinary clinics. According to Talita Lacerda, CEO of Petlove&Co, this acquisition will double its number of customers by the end of the year. In Brazil, almost 7 out of 10 households have at least one pet.