Dog Insurance Renewal Options

IT_STE

Hello, i am after some advice please. Our renewal price to insure our dog is getting out of hand.

He is an 8yo Staff/Lab with a skin condition that requires approx £500 of medication pa.

We have always been with Sainsburys and now the monthly renewal is £120+.

It seems to be the case that existing conditions aren't transferable between insurers which surely takes the competitiveness out of the market (borderline fraudulent imho).

In an age where we are told to shop around, this only seems impossible with pet insurance.

Is it purely because of age of dog and condition that we have to take their offer or go solo and take the risk?

If there is anyone else who can advise or suggest options we would be very grateful.

sheramber

IT_STE wrote: »

Hello, i am after some advice please. Our renewal price to insure our dog is getting out of hand.

He is an 8yo Staff/Lab with a skin condition that requires approx £500 of medication pa.

We have always been with Sainsburys and now the monthly renewal is £120+.

It seems to be the case that existing conditions aren't transferable between insurers which surely takes the competitiveness out of the market (borderline fraudulent imho).

In an age where we are told to shop around, this only seems impossible with pet insurance.

Is it purely because of age of dog and condition that we have to take their offer or go solo and take the risk?

If there is anyone else who can advise or suggest options we would be very grateful.

Changing insurer will mean the skin condition is excluded but any new illness or condition will still be covered.

Paying £500 for his skin medication plus a cheaper policy elsewhere may work out cheaper than Sainsbury premium.

Be careful a cheaper policy as many cheap ones are cheap for a reason.

Stay away form any connected to E& L - check out the underwriters- who have a reputation of being reluctant to pay out. Animal friends can be very tricky about relating things to a previous excluded condition and paying OOH fees.

Read the policy documents carefully to make sure you know exactly what you are covered for.

Also, check if you could get your pet's medication cheaper online with a vet's prescription. You would need to check how much your vet would charge and how long he would issue a prescription for. It could be three months or six months.

You may have to pay a consultation fee to get a repeat prescription but it might still work out cheaper than buying from your vet.

IT_STE

Thanks for your advice. I understand your points but seems that any change of insurer results in a lack of cover and increase of risk (£££).

I can't believe that this market is so difficult to change provider when there is a previous medical condition. :sad:

KxMx

If you had medical insurance for yourself then it would be exactly the same, and you wouldn't think it strange that it also applies to your dog

We are just used to the NHS.

Any medical insurance is not the same as home or auto and shouldn't be treated as such.

Kim_13

Difficulty in changing insurer is probably exacerbated in your case as a number of insurers have a maximum age at which they will start a new policy. Sadly this tends to be at the 8th birthday.

Bear in mind that at your dog's age, an insurer may have a co-payment element, so you'll end up paying the excess plus a percentage of the treatment cost. Check that you know what the percentage is before going with someone new, as it may vary between insurers.

You may find the MSE guide to pet insurance of interest: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut-pet-insurance-costs

GwylimT

Unfortunately you chose an insurer who increases premiums inline with claims, if you had used a petplan covered for life policy you would be paying around £40.

All insurance excludes pre-existing conditions and symptoms, otherwise people would only insure themselves or their pets when they become ill.