Leading veterinary officers are calling for dog insurance to be made compulsory.
The calls follow a number of dog attacks in recent weeks, including the loss of dozens of sheep in Tipperary recently.
In November, a dog had to be put down after viciously attacking a 9-year-old boy in Co Wexford.
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Gillian Bird, from the DSPCA, says the scope of pet insurance may need to be expanded:
''A lot of pet owners will take out pet insurance some people will take it out when they get an animal first and then they drop the policy and the big problem and it's the same with any health insurance is it only covers certain things and unfortunately a lot of people won't find out what it covers until they actually go to use it.''
