Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

barksavingmad

Just spoken with Vet, I'm going to speak to the lady who deals with the insurance for some more advice and they think they could word it differently 'if' a claim is made at a later date.
But apparently if Honey gets a dodgy tum in 4 years time and it may mean a special diet for the rest of her years, they can say no to the claim because she had 3 upset tummies in her first year, although non may be related. She just eats anything and everything!!! Nightmare isn't it!

Thanks once again for your advice :T

hethmar

If the vet means a special diet food - that is not so expensive barking. I have both my boys on Royal Canin Vet skin support food - I get it from pet Supermarket online and its only a bit more expensive than normal food - and much better for them. Is your dog on special food already? Have you tried the sensitive digestion foods for her?

barksavingmad

She's been on James Wellbeloved since we've had her, a year now. But when she has her tummy upsets the vet puts her on Royal Canine sensitivity control, the meaty sort rather than dried. She loves it, I assumed that because it said 'vet' on the tin that we were only able to get it there! I'll check out pet supermarket online - thanks you're being so helpful! :beer:

hethmar

Just checked petsupermarket and they do have it in the dry form. Also check vetuk as sometimes they are cheaper.

Viovet have a pack of 12 cans for about £17.

CUDDLER

I've got 2 cats and 1 dog that I know should be insured but am dreading a additional d/debit so am obviously looking round for the best deal - PetPlan has the best cover, has anyone found similar cover i.e. for life but cheaper? My dog cut his foot yesterday and it ended up costing £270, cant be doing that too often, the cover with petplan for the three of them totals just over £50.

daithevet wrote: »

I just wanted to warn you that cheaper is not always better! I'm a vet, and can honestly say that if you're going to get insurance, it definately pays to get a policy that covers FOR LIFE.

The majority of cheap plans will only cover a specific condition for 12 months. So should your pet develop a permanent medical condition such as diabetes or heart disease, the insurance policy will only pay for the first 12 months treatment. Arthritis is a common complication after many fractures, and should arthritis develop (as is usual) several years after the accident, your policy would not cover treatment costs.

So if you just want a policy to cover for one-off treatments, go with the cheapest, but if you want peace of mind, get a policy that covers for life. Bottom line - read the small print, and remember that in general you get what you pay for!

hethmar

Get quotes on the others we mention above - all real lifetime cover
AXA, Halifax, NFU, HSBC, Marks & Spencer.

Milford_Cubicle

I've just taken out Tesco insurance because they'll cover both my puppy and my kitten (pure breed Labrador, 8 weeks and a Moggy, similar age) for £10.50 a month. Are there any other insurers which offer good deals if you're insuring two different types of animal at once? I also got a 40% online discount with Tesco. And Clubcard points.

hethmar

Milford, Tesco isnt a real lifetime policy Im afraid. If you can get onto one of the other insurers (some of the genuine lifetime cover ones are on the post above yours) now before your pets have any illnesses or conditions then it would be wise to do so.

lowis

Hi Milford - be aware that the 40% discount probably won't be applicable to your next annual premium, factor this in to any comparisons.

As Hethmar rightly states, Tesco is not 'For Life' - therefore if your pet develops an ongoing illness that is costly to treat (diabetes, kidney failure, skin condition), your policy will more than likely be inadequate.

Kimberley

essjae wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I've been looking at all the different insurance quotes for my bengal kitten for a couple of days now, and have only just twigged on to the whole lifetime cover issue!

So I've got a few quotes which seem reasonable from the usual suspects, and also one that is a bit more expensive from Pet Protect (about 40 quid more). However, this has a £0 excess.

What would everyone recommend? All provide similar levels of cover - is the £0 excess worth the extra expense? Obviously I'm hoping my kitten won't get ill at all, but claiming once a year would negate the difference in the policy costs....

Did you not get 6 weeks free insurance with your kitten from the breeder? I did and will renew it with Petplan once I have to extend the policy. I will only insure with Petplan no matter how much dearer it is from the other insurance companies. I want the best, not a cheap one that may not pay out on treatment when they come up with an excuse in not to pay. Petplan will pay out no questions asked as long as it has a vet report.