Is pet insurance really worth it?

I have always insured my dogs for at least the first couple of years of their lives and the prices got to the point they were unsustainable. My old girl became almost uninsurable by the age of 9 as there were so many parts of her that couldn't be claimed on and her age meant the premiums were very high.


When we had my other dog he was insured for the first couple of years but when the cheapest cover I could get (for a rottie who had never been ill) was £50 a month, self insuring seemed a much better option.


Now, I would aim to insure for the 1st 2 years to see if any genetic conditions or weaknesses came to the fore and then would self insure unless the dog was very sickly. It doesn't help when some companies stop doing pet insurance and any policy from a new provider tends to feature exclusions.

Yes, I have had a few large bills but make sure I always have a credit card with a big limit available. For me, paying £80 a month for 2 dogs cover (£960 per annum) and having to pay the first £100 to £150 of each claim meant that insurance wasn't worth having.


The final straw for me was having treatment over a 2 month period where my renewal was due so the company took 2 excesses off what they refunded as it was over 2 insurance years even though it was only 1 treatment.


I would have to be very unlucky to have 2 dogs with serious injuries/illness. When my dogs weren't insured I took out 3rd party cover through the dogs trust which from memory cost £10 a year. This covered me for any legal or 3rd party costs if anything happened.

Only you cn decide if it is worth it for you.

I have had several dogs who weren't insured and rarely visited the vet with no big bills to pay.

I have had three dogs who were insured.

The first cost Petplan more than I paid in premiums to them.

The second I have not made any claims for in 10 years but I consider £25 per month worth it for peace of mind. If premiums get too high I will reconsider.

The third had a cruciate repair costing £3000. I paid £100 of that and insurance paid the rest.

Her current premium is £313 per year so it will take nearly 10 years to break even if she has no more claims. (Since she is 6 that may never happen)
However, there is a 60% chane that the other leg will rupture in the future so again I consider insurance worth it at the moment.

But my dogs are crossbreeds so premiums are lower than some.

if you can afford an unexpected large bill then maybe insurance is not for you and you could put some money away for bills in the future. But you need to build up a decent sum and £30 a month won't cover it.

If you have limited cash or credit available then what happens if you are faced with the agonising choice of be able to fund a vet bill or pts.

You could insure for a couple or so years while putting money away to build up a fund before stopping the insurance.

Only you know your circumstances.

If you do decide to insure then read the policy document- not the just the policy wording- and pay attention to limitations and exclusions. You need to know exactly what you are buying and then there are no unpleasant surprises.

There are different types of cover

cover for a limited amount/ a limited time per condition.

A set amount per condition until that sum is used up , ven of it is for several years.

Lifetime cover which covers for an amount of vet fees and reistates each year as long as you pay the premiums.

The first is normally the cheapest , the last usually the dearest but premiums and excesses vary from company to company.

Read reviews on the companies before you buy, not after.

I am sorry to be pedantic, but it depends if it's a cat or dog.

If it's a dog, then yes. If it's a cat then no.

We had cat insurance for about 10 years and never claimed on it, because nothing ever cost more than 100 pounds, and the excess was £85.

Spaying, vaccinations, flea drops, worming tablets, and other 'regular' stuff was never included in the pet insurance. And even when one of our cats had an abscess, and had to have an operation and an overnight stay, and anti inflammatories and antibiotics and painkillers, it was STILL only £180. So only £95 over the excess.

We paid £40 a month for our 2 cats, and when the last quote was £53 a month, we decided to cancel it.

2 years on, and 1200 pounds saved later, we have still paid no vet bills for our 2 cats.

Wish we had never bothered getting pet insurance. It's not necessary for cats IMO.

Dogs though.... yes. Dog bills seem to be 3 to 4 times higher.