Need help with pet insurance...

Cmdr_Bond

I have had pets all my life, up until now I have never bothered with insurance.

However, my wife was insistent on getting a dog and due to the 3rd party liability more than anything else, we need to get him insured.

Also, vet bills for dogs tend to be higher than cats.

I've been looking through various companies - it's a bloody minefield!

Pet Plan come recommended by a lot of people, and while NOT recommended by our vet (because they are not allowed to advise) - they have suggested they are the easiest for the vets to deal direct with. Up to £12k cover per year, underwritten by Allianz

More Than, I'm already with them for home and car insurance, come well recommended. They can deal directly with the vet, if its part of they're preferred vet network. If the closest preferred vet is too far away, they may deal direct with another, but this could cost an additional £200. £12k of cover, but only £4k per condition. underwritten by Royal Sun Alliance

John Lewis, pretty much as More Than, although no individual limit that I can see, also underwritten by RSA


Agria appear to be their own underwriters and offer £12.5k

Then the last on my list so far, underwritten by Great Lakes SE is bought by many.

They're cheap, and have good cover levels like £15k per year. They are also the only one I have found that says they will pay for gene therapy, stem cell treatment or prosthetics - problem is they're new so while thei call centre is getting good reviews, there's very little anecdotal claim dtails. This worries me - but they are tempting.

baza52

wow thats very interesting

Cmdr_Bond

no other input?

elsien

You can get just the third party liability if you don't want all the other bells and whistles and are able to self insure for medical treatment.

Otherwise, if you're after lifetime cover (for example) check the definitions because they can vary.
I've only ever used petplan so can't comment on the others. They are more expensive, but they don't hoik up the premiums every time you make a claim, they cover dental treatment which many don't, and I've not had a claim turned down by them yet although my last dog ended up costing them more than I was paying in.

baza52

Cmdr_Bond wrote: »

no other input?

sorry, was there a question in your post?

stator

PetPlan are the safest option. They pay out most claims and provide good lifetime coverage.


Annual policies are to be avoided, they exclude conditions on renewal. A lifetime policy doesn't.


You also have to consider what might happen if the insurer pulls out of the market. If they stop offering pet insurance you have to switch to another provider and conditions will be excluded again.


For that reason I always recommend PetPlan, the premiums might be higher than other providers but they are the least likely to cause problems.


It's important to find the right insurance when the pet is young and stick with them once the pet has any conditions.

welshmoneylover

Dogs Trust offer 3rd party for £25 a year, well worth it.

After paying dog insurance for years and being denied my claim , I now self insure.