Pet insurance provides cover towards the cost of veterinary fees for unexpected treatment as a result of injury or illness. As a veterinary practice, we support the idea of pet insurance as it ensures you have as many options as possible when making decisions about your pet’s treatment.   

There are many different insurance policies available and it is important to read the policy terms and conditions to be sure of what is covered.  Policies will carry varying premiums, levels of cover and excesses.   Preventative treatment such as flea and worm treatment or vaccination are not covered by insurance.

We are unable to recommend any one individual insurance company. However, we can advise on the best type of policies to look for.  We also offer 4 weeks’ free insurance cover for puppies under 12 months to give you time to look around.

When looking for a suitable insurance policy we recommend you consider the following:

• Excess – this is the contribution which the owner must make towards the cost of treatment for each condition each policy year. It is due annually from the policy inception date, rather than per claim or when the condition started.  Additional percentage excesses may be applied as your pet ages or if you opt for a reduced premium.
• Maximum benefit policy – this is the pot of money available per condition usually without a time limit.  However, once this pot has been used up, there is no further cover and that condition will be excluded.
• 12 Month Policy – will cover vet fees for up to 12 months from when a problem was first identified and after that time the condition will be excluded from cover. There may also be a maximum value applied.
• Lifetime Policy – this is the best standard of cover as it restarts each year, resetting the maximum benefit again and therefore can provide ongoing cover for a condition for the lifetime of your pet, (subject to an annual excess and an annual limit of cover).  For instance, long term treatment for arthritis, skin, diabetes, condition, will continue to be covered every year up within the annual maximum benefit, with an excess due on the renewal date each year.
• Pre-existing conditions – all insurance policies will exclude any pre-existing condition which had been identified and noted by your vet at the time your insurance was taken out; they will usually also not cover any illness that occurs within 14 days of the start of cover.

On many policies, if a problem has been identified and noted by the vet, then the first claim must be made within 12 months or it may be excluded from future claims, whether or not treatment was given.  We therefore recommend initiating a claim even if treatment costs are under the excess, in order to establish that this is a claimable condition.

Be aware that if you make a claim with one insurance company and cancel the policy to change to a different insurance company, the new company will usually exclude that condition and any previously noted conditions from your new policy.  Therefore it is important to find an insurance company that you wish to stay with throughout your pet’s life.

It is not just veterinary fees which may be covered by a policy. Additional benefits of insurance may include:

• Third party liability cover if your pet injures someone or damages someone else’s property
• Paying you the price you paid for your pet if they become lost, stolen, or die as a result of injury or illness
• Paying the costs of looking after your pet if you have to go into hospital for emergency medical treatment
• Paying the cost of your holiday if it’s cancelled due to your pet needing emergency surgery close to the date you were due to leave
• Paying the cost of emergency veterinary treatment for your pet if you take them abroad.