Pet insurance??

Question

I need to get pet insurance for my cat and dog... any good companies that you know of?? or anything i should be careful of?

Answer 1

Tesco offers the cheapest deal but you get less cover, and Petplan offers a very comprehensive deal but you pay about 4 times as much - sometimes even more and it is unlikely that you will use it as the excess is very high.

The main areas to be aware of are:

Some policies only cover a condition for a 12 month period. This means that if your dog develops diabetes - the insurance will cover the condition for 12 months, and then no more.
You will pay much more for a policy that covers a condition indefinately (although the amount paid out for the condition during one year will still be limited).

Different policies also entail very different excess fees. For example, PetPlan would make me pay 100pounds excess on claim for a 10 year old lab, but Tesco would make me pay 60 - that can make a big difference to your budget.

You need to balance up how much you can afford to pay per month with the risks of less cover. For example, can you afford to pay around 60 pounds a month for cover for your dog and cat? If not you will need to look at less comprehensive policies - you could get cover for less than 20 pounds per month (depending on your pet's ages and breeds etc).

Compare the different policies - although some offer huge amounts of cover per condition (like 5,000 pounds per condition per year), is this a facility that you are likely to use? Such huge bills for one condition are likely to be related to very extensive cancer treatments like chemotherapy etc and is that something that you would put your pet through anyway? You may be wasting your monthly premium on a policy you don't use because the excess is so high!

If you choose a policy that does not cover a condition beyond a 12 month period, make sure that you are mentally prepared for the difficult decisions associated with being unable to buy medication for an ongoing condition. Will you put the animal down or will you endevour to meet the costs. Although you can't predict everything, thinking through the possible scenarios will help you to decide which policy is best for you.

Answer 2

don't go just on price. Check to ensure that they will cover for life any disease which occurs as some run out after only a year. Insurance won't cover the first £50 bill, nor vaccinations, spaying, pregnancy etc.Also check that they will still insure the dog once it gets over a certain age.
Any insurance policy is there to make money from the person buying it, not for your benefit.They are gambling that the majority of pets won't need a claim. I personally feel that insurance isn't worth the money. I would put a sum aside every month in a seperate account to be used purely on vet bills. Financially you will be better off that way. But only do so if you weigh up the chance of an accident or illness ocurring and the cost of such an incident. I have never found any insurance company which would be better for me financially since most times the cost of a vet visit is around the £50 or less. In the case of something happening like an accident, then you would have to be able to fall back on your credit card or bank loan. In all my years keeping lots of animals, only once did I have a £2000 bill, but over the years, saved more than this to cover the cost.
Weigh it all up, and make your decision.
My first and last experience with insurasnce was with direct line. One of the dogs developed epilepsy and they refused to pay after the first year. The premium cost more than the medication every month so I cancelled.

Answer 3

Always take care when taking out insurance for anything. The insurance company wants to make a profit, so bear this in mind before signing any agreement.

If you have a local vet that looks after your cat and dog, and you can trust them, they should be able to recommend the best kind of insurance you require, and the best company.

Some home insurance policies include pets, so you may wish to check this out.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

We rushed into insuring our puppy, and are now on the look out for another insurer. the insurance company that we are currently with is good. The payments are low, and have not had any problems with them although since taking out the policy, we've been informed that it is best to take out a life long insurance, which our current policy isn't. It basically means that should your dog suffer from a skin condition or any other life long illness the insurer will payout.

Many insurers do not pay out under these circumstances, so shop around before committing yourself!

Answer 5

I use Direct Line and have found them to be really good, in fact I insure my home and contents with them and my car. I always have pet insurance simply because of the breed of dog I have (German Shepherds) as they can be very prone to hip/joint problems and even though I am very careful where I get them from and always check Dam and Sire hip and elbow scores etc, problems can and do occur and can cost thousands of £££££'s! Shop around for the best insurance company for your needs.

Answer 6

i'm no longer a pug proprietor, yet a canines proprietor with puppy coverage. we've VPI. the element to remember is that with any plan, you will pay finished cost up front and then post a declare for reimbursement. I pay around $30 a month for finished coverage. VPI does have a series volume of money that they pay for each technique, vaccine, etc. so as that they only pay a element of your total invoice. I purely had annual photographs accomplished, and that i paid $a hundred and fifty. VPI will probably reimburse me $seventy 5 or $eighty. That mentioned, final year my canines more advantageous a foul bacterial an infection and had to flow to the Emergency Vet. I walked out with a invoice of on the factor of $1500. i became reimbursed $1200 of that. I had had the coverage for a year at that factor, so $30 x 12 is $360.00. you will see that I made out, enormous time. All in all, i might propose it. purely make particular you examine the nice print and get a coverage which will artwork for you.

Answer 7

Read the contract carefully. It would cost me more per year because I have seven dogs than what I usually spend. Make sure there isn't a high deductible too. Some policies ask for 500 or more. I guess it would be worth your while since you only have two pets. If you keep your dogs on a regular vet routine it may be good for accidents and such.

Answer 8

Be very careful when you sign up for pet insurance a lot of these company's are all very well at taking your payments but when it comes to paying out thats when you see their true colours they dont want to know about ongoing conditions your pet develops as they get older.
good luck

Answer 9

Hi i have my dog insured with marks and Spencer's pet insurance and a lot of people i know have there pets insured with them. give them a go they are quite reasonable as well

Answer 10

Make sure all conditions are covered for life. Some pet insurers will only cover a condition once. If your pet has a related condition (doesn't have to be identical) or has to take ongoing medication, they won't pay for it.