I have always had dogs and cats and I have never had Pet Insurance. I have considered it in the past, but having repeatedly done the maths, I know I'm much better off without it and would be throwing several thousands of pounds away over the lifetime of a pet if I had it. The only people I have ever known that paid £5000, £6000, for surgery have been insured. So many vets throw everything at an insured animal. They seem to have a scan when and xray would do the job, often have more than one scan (each one requiring a general anaesthetic which adds to the cost and is bad for the animal if not necessarily). Whatever else they do adds up to these huge bills. Whenever it's become apparent that more than routine treatment was required, I have always been asked "is she/he insured"? I say "no" and we move on to discuss the best treatment for the problem. One of my dogs had bloat and gastric torsion (twisted gut), a veterinary emergency. To add to the worry and the cost, it was out of hours. I contacted them and rushed her to the vet at midnight. The vet didn't expect her to survive. She had emergency surgery and was nursed at the vet's on various drips (fluids and intravenous analgesics and antibiotics) for two days after the surgery. Then had the usual follow-up appointment. Thankfully, she did really well. Total cost £1400! Subsequently, she tore her cruciate knee ligament and had surgery for that. Cost £450. Other than these events, all other stuff cost under the cost of an average excess, so there would have been no payout. I currently have a dog who suffers with allergies. He takes daily medication for life. He is reviewed by the vet every 6 months as is required by law (no doubt it would be every 3 months as recommended by the BVA if he was insured). The cost of this ongoing situation is a fraction of the monthly premiums of an insurance policy and that isn't taking account of the excess! IMO Vets do more (not great for the animal) and charge more for insured animals. This of course contributes to what insurance companies charge and their huge profits makes up the rest. Most of my animals have needed very little veterinary care until old age. My understanding is that insurance premiums go through the roof in an older animal!