Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

meggiedude

I have a 6-7yr old cat with an existing Urinary condition (crystals in urine) he has been treated for this and has been on prescription food (avail cheaper online) for a couple of years now. No other real issues other that he eats too much!
I have considered an insurance policy for a while now, but the existing condition has always made me cautious.
Is it right to assume that most or all insurers will take on my cat and cover him for all issues other than the pre-existing one.
I don't want a battle-royal if I need to make a claim.

Are there any to recommend in this type of case??

Thanks in advance

hethmar

Meg, when you complete the application form they will ask for your vets details and details of any condition that your pet has been treated for. They will exclude those conditions from cover.

One of my dogs was disabled at birth - I declared that and they contacted my vet by phone re my dogs general health. They then emailed saying they accepted him except for any conditions relating to his disability (i.e. his back paws)

semers

I've just taken out life cover for my two 5 month old kittens at a premium of £9.48 total. It was with Pet-insurance.co.uk which is a scheme administered and underwritten by Equine & Livestock Insurance Co. Ltd. (Registered in England & Wales no. 294940). Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of it? It looks a pretty reasonable insurance. It doesn't cover public liability so I queried it and the response was that cats are out on their own and independant so in their experience it wasn't something that was necesary for cats. Am I missing something here or is this a pretty good deal?

spookylukey

semers wrote: »

Am I missing something here or is this a pretty good deal?

I think you might be... Google E&L pet insurance and see what comes up. The first link, other than their own website, is reviewcentre.com They get hideous reviews from current customers - http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews57547.html

hethmar

Oh dear semers, all I know is E and L is held to be the worse of the lot. Avoid them. A friend of ours is still trying to get their claim paid after nearly a year. Cancel your policy and quickly get one with one of those companies given above eg AXA, Petplan, Halifax, HSBC, NFU M and S

Kerriebaby

Im with PetPlan, they maybe more expensive than most, but in my experience ( and from my research ) they are by far the best. Pet Insurance is the one thing I point blank refuse to skrimp on, I have three dogs ( all rescues ) and a cat. Together they are about £110 per month. But the peace of mind ( if anything should happen to them ) I know that we are covered, and I wont have to make THAT decision based on finances.

A very good friend of mine ( on another forum ) has two Chow Chows, both have been diagnosed with EPI, and are on expensive lifetime meds, plus regular blood tests, check ups, complications from the root problem, all covered by their insurance ( one is Petplan, the other M and S ) would have cost her thousands of pounds if she hadnt had ins

lowis

cancel your E&L policy, they are CRAP. my vet told me that he refuses to do direct claims with them as they can take 6 months or more (on average) to pay a claim!

Petplan are the best, I have one cat with them, and another cat with AXA (I am yet to see how quick they are in paying out for claims).

LittleMissRolo

Im with Petplan, covered for lifetime should the worst happen and Rolo (3yr old choc lab) gets ill.

I queried everything with the guy on the phone and asked for everything in writing when i called to get the insurance. Im on the silver cover (£6000 bills, £2m 3rd party i think). I've never had to claim and make sure i get her teeth checked by the vet on her annual check up (as this is a requirement in the small print). She's always up to date with her worming tablets/jabs/kennel cough etc.

I agree with other that pet insurance isnt an area where im looking to pinch the £s. You get what you pay for : )

hethmar

I think petplan is the best too but I dont have a policy with them. I was sucked into M and S a few years back and sadly am stuck with them with one of my dogs because we have had claims. My other dog I moved over to Halifax because they offered a fair deal but had I not been budgetted, Petplan would have been what I got for both of them.

melbury

I am with Petguard. I liked the fact that they basically let you choose the cover you require. I didn't want all the fancy add on bits, just the vets fees covered up to a certain level and third party liability.

I thought it was very reasonable for my two dogs.

Sadly we lost our oldest dog a few weeks ago (only 7 years old) and the vets bill came to over £2,000. Petguard sent the cheque out to me this week.

Also, if you go through Rpoints you can get £15 back.