Pet Insurance

We understand that veterinary fees can be expensive.  We all want to give our pets the best possible care.  We know that gold standard care is not affordable for everyone and will work with you to optimise treatments within your budgets.  Pet Insurance can be a good way to budget for the costs of treatment.

With pet insurance, the pet owner pays a monthly premium by direct debit so that if a pet falls sick or is injured, the insurance company will usually pay most of the bill. The cost of the policy depends on your pet’s age and breed, as well as other factors such as your address and even credit history.  Many breeds that are more susceptible to genetic conditions or larger type breeds will have more expensive premiums.  A good estimate for the average cost of veterinary treatment over the life of your pet will be how much your monthly premium is.  Whilst you may be lucky and your dog never needs treatment, some will cost much more.  We like to say that pet insurance is like your car insurance, we hope you never have to use it but when you do, you’ll be glad you have it.

What does pet insurance cover?

Depending on your type of policy, pet insurance can cover the following.

  • Veterinary Fees – excluding routine preventative medicine including vaccinations, worming, neutering, breeding issues and sometimes dental work.
  • Complementary Treatment such as hydrotherapy, laser therapy
  • Third Party Liability
  • Death from Illness (optional extra)
  • Death from Injury (optional extra)
  • Boarding Fees – if you have to go into hospital
  • Advertising & Reward – if your pet is lost
  • Loss by Theft or Straying
  • Holiday Cancellation
  • Quarantine Expenses & Loss of Documents
  • Emergency Repatriation
  • Multi-pet Discount
  • Pet Owner Support Package
  • Pet Bereavement Helpline
  • Legal Helpline

 

As with any insurance policy, there is no one size fits all.  In general, the more expensive policies tend to have more comprehensive cover but not always.  As a general rule there are 4 types of policies, all of which can be advertised in any way.  A premium policy does not necessarily mean premium cover.

Accident only – Usually cover accidental injury and third party only.  Won’t cover illness.

Annual policies – Covers accident and illness for 12 months from diagnosis of a condition.  The 12months cover starts from the first clinical sign of disease.  For an example, if your dog has a sore ear at 6 months old then develops a full-blown skin allergy at 18months, the condition may not be covered.  These policies may be useful in case of a one-off condition but won’t cover for long-term illness.

Maximum benefit policy- Usually covers accident and illness.  These will cover your dog for life but only up to a maximum amount for a specific condition.  Whenever you reach that limit, you are on your own and will be eligible for further treatment costs.

Lifetime policies-  These tend to be on the higher end of the cost spectrum but they will offer a set amount per condition per year for the lifetime of your pet.  This means that the policy renew every year and provided you keep up your premium, all long term illness will be covered.  This is the type of policy we usually recommend.

 

Insurance take homes!

  • If you are considering pet insurance, then ask your vet for advice. Having considerable experience with the full spectrum of pet insurers we will help to guide towards the effective, reliable policies and highlight the risks of some of the others.
  • Insure your pet immediately! It’s amazing what can cause an exclusion on your policy.  For example, A single ear infection detected before you take out your policy could exclude all skin conditions for the rest of your dog’s life.
  • Don’t be caught out by the small print. Read through your policy cover carefully – don’t leave it until something goes wrong. If you see a policy that you like, ask us for our opinion on it.
  • Consider taking out a LIFETIME POLICY but always check exactly what’s covered.
  • Make sure your pet is up to date with all the necessary vaccinations and health checks – claims can be refused if you have missed these. The insurer will want to see your pet’s entire medical notes when you make a claim.
  • It may not be a good idea to switch your policy even if you have never made a claim. Clinical records may have notes on seemingly uneventful issues that can lead to exclusions.  For example, a bout of diarrhoea that you have forgotten about could exclude gastrointestinal disease.  Discuss with your vet before changing providers even if they are cheaper.
  • Be aware of your excess. This is paid directly to your vet before a claim can be made.
  • Although your insurer may allow direct claims, these are always at the discretion of the practice. If you wish to make a direct claim you must discuss this with your vet before treatment. We may need to have treatment preauthorised to ensure the condition is covered and avoid you having an unexpected bill. Sometimes your pet’s treatment costs may fall below the policy excess in which case a claim will not be submitted to the insurer and you will be asked to pay for the treatment.

Check this site for further advice.

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/choosing-the-right-pet-insurance-policy

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