New research from Tesco Personal Finance has revealed that us Brits are more concerned about our pets health than our own, with the percentage of pets with health insurance policies almost double that of humans.

The study, conducted last year, showed that while 23 per cent of our pets have health insurance policies, only 12 per cent of people living in the UK have a private health insurance policy.

These statistics are certainly shocking, reinforcing the ideas of an eccentric Brit who cares more about his pet than his own health. Tesco Personal Finance, who carried out the survey say that the results simply show that we love our pets.

However, others are concerned that the results reflect badly misjudged priorities, placing pets higher up in our priorities than ourselves and each other.

Former president of the society of practicing veterinary surgeons, Ewan McNeil, was unsurprised by the results of the survey, saying that it simply reflects a nation with a caring and responsible attitude to our pets.

"We are a nation of animal lovers, and many of us regard our pet as part of the family, I'm not surprised that pet insurance is becoming so popular – people will do everything they can to ensure the best for their pets” he said.

“Veterinary healthcare has made great strides in the last few years offering highly sophisticated treatment for a huge range of animal ailments. Pet insurance helps owners choose the best treatment for their pets without worrying about costs," he added.

Head of Tesco Pet Insurance, Alan Burns, was also unsurprised at the findings, saying that they simply reaffirmed what we have known for a long time-that people in Britain love their pets.

"I'm not surprised by this finding. We have known for a long time that us Brits are pet mad," he said.

Being 'pet mad' is one thing, but is it really necessary to care for pets at the expense of our own health. Surely a person who is taking out health insurance for their dog or cat could take out health insurance for themselves as well, increasing their chances of being around to look after their pet.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury's Pet Insurance have reported a massive increase of 41.3 per cent in the number of people insuring so called 'handbag dogs'. These are the very small breeds of dog favoured by many celebrities, including most famously, Paris Hilton, along with many others such as Kelly Osbourne, Nicole Ritchie and Britney Spears.

Neal Devine, Sainsbury's pet insurance manager, said: "The publicity around celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and their small pedigree pets has fuelled the demand for handbag dogs.

"A pet should never be seen as an accessory and people should not be guided by fashion trends when purchasing a pet.

"It's important that you understand the physical and mental needs of a particular breed, such as how much exercise it needs, when you purchase it, and that your lifestyle enables you to accommodate this.

"Generally speaking, the cost of looking after a pedigree animal is more expensive than for a cross breed. Indeed, the most frequent claim for a small pedigree dog is for cardiac disease, which can run into thousands of pounds."

Considering how expensive it can be to treat a sick dog, perhaps it is no wonder that pet insurance is more common that health insurance. However, those who can afford such luxuries as pet insurance should also be considering their own health insurance which would take some strain off the over stretched NHS and also offer five star treatment in the event of an illness.