Pets at home pet insurance

Bramblesmam

Hello, does anyone have any experience of Pets at Home Pet insurance. I have received a very competative quote from them for lifetime insurance for my golden retriever pup. Thank you .

rachie_2011

I've recently taken out pet insurance with Animal Friends. I came across them through comparethemarket

krlyr

Was it for the lifetime or lifetime extra? £4000 cover a year is fairly low for a large breed dog. Golden Retrievers are, for example, more prone to hip dysplasia than some breeds. A hip replacement could easily wipe out your £4000 limit (and then some, if there's any complications) and you have no money for the rest of the year to treat any other illness or injury.
Also they exclude claims relating to "behavioural disorders" which is something worth considering - many policies will offer some money towards a behaviourist which is a handy backup to have should you end up with a behavioural issue. Ditto to excluding prescription diets - many policies will cover it at least for a short period of time, PAH exclude it entirely. They exclude any accidental damage for dogs completely which is another thing that many other policies will offer.

I would possibly be tempted by the lifetime extra policy but there's several things I'm not entirely sure on. Also check out the excesses and exclusions for older dogs - if your pup developed an on-going health issue, you may be tied to PAH for the rest of its life so check what they exclude for older dogs. They do an additional 15% excess for dogs over 6 years old, for example (so for a £2000 claim, you'd paid your £75 excess then an extra £300)

Bramblesmam

Thank you for reply Krlyr, its a minefield and my first time at pet insurance. Have had a dog in the past but she was never insured, (much to our cost when she ruptured both cruciate ligaments). If I was to go for the PAH policy I would go for the lifetime extra (£9000 per year vets cover). I have also had a good quote from Morethan and John Lewis. Can I pick your brains on another matter, we received four weeks free insurance with Petplan (they are too expensive to stay with) Bramble has has a tummy problems and needed to have vet treatment, this is all cleared up now and was nothing more than puppy tummy moving home etc. We have never claimed for this from petplan, our vets have said if we move insurance companies and she has further problems we will not be covered if it started up again. As it is now all cleared up and was nothing other than as I say a puppy tummy do I need to let a new insurer know ? thank you so much for your help.

krlyr

Some insurers ask for info on pre-existing conditions, some ask about vet treatment. I wouldn't personally divulge a tummy bug in the first instance. Again, read the small print - with Pets At Home's policy you might find the tummybug falls foul of one of their exclusions - 5b) "an injury or illness that is the same as, or has the same diagnosis or clinical signs as an injury, illness or clinical sign your pet had prior to or within the first 10 days of your pets cover starting"
However, not claiming for the tummy bug or informing the insurer may not necessarily mean they don't find out, as some insurers do request a full medical history direct from the vet in the case of some claims. If it's on the vet's computer then they may well find out regardless.
Have you tried Axa for a quote, I've got good prices two years running from them (once via Sainsburys, once direct) and they offer about £7000 which is a fair amount.
Petplan do have a good reputation and if you can afford it then it may be worth sticking with them to ensure you definately are covered for any tummy issues. What you may well find is that although their price is higher than some policies at the moment, it doesn't rise so much. The cheaper policies, e.g. with supermarkets, often start very competitively but increase sharply each year - their hope is that you've claimed and become "locked in" regardless of price rise, because if you take the dog elsewhere then their health condition will be excluded as a pre-existing condition. Several people have said that Petplan only tend to do small increases - a friend of mine has just had her renewal in and it's only got up a pound or two a month (and she owns a large breed dog who's had a few claims with them too I think). I've done the cheaper policies in the past and found that come renewal dates, they want £10+ extra a month, despite never having claimed - I'm definately tempted to switch to Petplan myself soon, especially as my dogs are becoming middle aged and perhaps more likely to develop on-going conditions.

Bramblesmam

Thank you, there is a lot to look at....it may be worth staying with pet plan for this year. I will have a look at Axa and see what their quote it. I get your point about the increase in supermarket insurances, they lure you in with a smaller quote this year and then you get a bigger one next year. Thank you so much for your help.

pawsies

Much better off going with a company dedicated to pet insurance specifically as many companies (if you search the boards) are dropping their pet insurance and people are stuck as they can't get more due to pre-existing conditions.

I'd always go for someone who only does pet insurance as they also tend to cover more and actually pay out!

UKTigerlily

I don't think Pet Plan can be beaten, they are expensive but have the best cover. Almost all Vets are happy to do a direct claim as they don't mess around & pay quickly & like someone said they only do pet insurance so won't dump their customers by pulling out. I would avoid Animal Friends, a Vet on here said they won't ever deal with them they're terrible. Axa are good, John Lewis etc too

Hillbilly1

PAH is underwritten by BDML Connect, the underwrite alot of the supermarket policies.

They are pretty strick on pre-existing conditions and so may exclude all GI issues in future.

For the OP AVOID AFI please google their reviews they are awful. I currently have several clients fighting cases with them....

PhiltheBear

Hillbilly1 wrote: »

PAH is underwritten by BDML Connect, the underwrite alot of the supermarket policies.
.

They don't underwrite anything. BDML are an administrator who run the programmes for 'name' insurers.Underwriters are completely different.