Pet insurance

I’m with Direct line . Just under £30 a month and they’ve just paid out for the first time in 4 years cover for a dental operation. I do pay the first £80 as excess. They deal direct with the vet . I’m satisfied at the moment. It’s due for renewal in July I presume it will increase because of the claim

Agreed, FannyCornforth - I worked in a vet surgery for a short time and saw at first hand how some of the cheaper pet insurance really wasn't worth the money as there were so many exclusions. Some companies are really bad at paying out too.

It was my aunty who told me years ago when I started having animals to go with PetPlan.
She was one of the top breeders of Maine coons, and she also worked as a veterinary assistant after she retired from teaching.
She made the financial decision not to insure her pets as she had so many cats it wasn’t viable, but she made other arrangements so that she could afford any care in an emergency.
She said that for her it was PetPlan or nothing.
I think, like her, that with cheap insurance you can be in a sort of half way house situation of paying out, but not getting anything much in return.

Yes, obviously you can get pet insurance a lot cheaper - but the level of cover provided will be far less. I always do comparisons when mine is due for renewal, and some companies' top level of cover is far less than others. And given how easily vet bills can rack up these days, it pays to have the best level of cover you can afford.

I think if you compare the cover Fanny has for her pets - whatever happens to them, be it accident or illness, whatever the cost, whatever ongoing medication might be needed, and treated by her local vet not somewhere specified by the insurer- you’d find Benenden’s cover somewhat lacking.

Thanks Fanny and Blondiescot. If per month Fanny, am taken aback at the costs.
It only costs £11 pm per person with Benenden who offer an excellent service fir many health issues.
Just as well we dont have pets anymore, we would go broke.

silverlining48

I am disappointed that no one has given the actual cost of insurance they pay. Just curious.
I don’t have a pet now but when we did we never had insurance for any of our cats over the years. Not sure that anyone did then.
It seems to be taken as read that pet insurance is necessary now.
Just a thought but if it is so expensive ( and May not even be used) it could be cheaper to put aside a similar amount in a separate account and use that to pay for any treatment.

Insurance costs vary depending on the age of the animal, any previous claims etc. I know some people don't take out insurance but do put money aside for potential vet bills, but that won't necessarily cover the cost if it is a huge bill. My friend's cat was recently hit by a car and the final bill was well over £6,000. Also, as I said before, for dogs in particular, it pays to have the third party cover as part of your insurance. For example, if your dog were to knock someone over in the park, injuring them - you could well face a claim for damages. I know some people will have third party insurance through their house insurance or bank, but it pays to check. Personally, I'd never be without pet insurance - my dog is having to go for a heart scan later this month and depending on the outcome of that, we could be looking at ongoing claims which could mount up considerably.

Cat (11 years) - £28
Dog (8 years) - £68

Silverlining I have just checked with PetPlan.

I have the Covered for Life plans for my cat and dog.
It covers up to £12 000 per year per animal.

I pay between £80 - £100 each month for both policies. I’ll have to check.
It doesn’t start off that expensive, it goes up as the animals get older.

They always pay out no questions asked, they also deal direct with the vet, so if you have ongoing treatment the vet deals with it.

I am disappointed that no one has given the actual cost of insurance they pay. Just curious.
I don’t have a pet now but when we did we never had insurance for any of our cats over the years. Not sure that anyone did then.
It seems to be taken as read that pet insurance is necessary now.
Just a thought but if it is so expensive ( and May not even be used) it could be cheaper to put aside a similar amount in a separate account and use that to pay for any treatment.

does insurance also covered post care surgery? mine just got his tplo surgery and it was all covered by the insurance but not the post care. we've bought a lot of things for his speedy recovery and it was so expensive. i even tried a sleeve instead of a cone.

Direct Line - they've been excellent over the years.

Gingster, sorry that predictive text turned yiu into a gangster

Gangster, one year I claimed £15,000. My 6 year old dog became seriously sick overnight, put to sleep 24 days later . During those 24 days he had extensive investigations including the mri scan that identified the inoperable tumour on his spine. A month later our previously healthy 10 year old dog had seizures. Various examinations but eventually brain scan needed. Tumour found in her shoulder. Surgery followed. Having Petplan eased this grim time.

Thanks everyone for your tips and recommendations.
I’m still looking at reviews and a company at a reasonable monthly cost.
Some of the quotes seem exorbitant. 🐶

Many Pets without a doubt. £15k cover and good customer service.

Some vets (and I say some, not all) will only recommend one insurer...for a reason. Some actually advertise that particular insurer in their surgeries. Ask yourself why.

I would definitely talk to your vet. They know best as to who are the best ones, which is definitely the most important thing. They might not be allowed to recommend one but you might get a few pointers. Make sure it’s a ‘whole of life’ policy. Anything less is pointless. I will only ever use Pet Plan. I’ve used them for years and never once had a problem with payouts or claims in spite of having some complicated issues with pets.

Pet plan for our dogs but agree they are expensive as a company. Just something else to be aware of if medical insurance proved too expensive advise get insurance for your dog just in case they cause road accident or biting someone or chewing furniture then the Dogs Trust offer insurance (not medical) for £12.50 a year as a oap covering all your dogs. Some vets also offer insurance schemes for reduced rates for medical issues. You really need to do comprehensive research. (We’ve paid insurance for many many years but claimed next to nothing but obviously a gamble that your dog remains healthy). Good hunting.

Precisely Blondiescot. You want an insurer with a good track record of working with vets, such as PetPlan, rather than questioning every detail of the treatment and taking months to pay. I would be suspicious about the insurer who gave a quote to Elless. The dependable ones don’t have to offer bells and whistles. Why prejudice your pet’s care for the sake of a cheap quote and cash back?

Having worked in a vet surgery for a time, I know from experience that some companies are much better at paying out than others too. You need to compare like for like - lifetime cover is the best and be aware that existing conditions probably won't be covered.

The quote might have been good and you might have got money back, but who was the insurer and how comprehensive was the cover? That’s what matters. I’m always suspicious of companies who try to lure you with cash back, vouchers or similar - somewhere along the line you pay for them.

I was also looking for pet insurance and came across a deal through Topcashback with Asda, their quote was really good and you got £190 back through Topcashback.

Petplan where excellent at paying out and the vets, and referral centre we had to use liased with direct claims, I just payed the excess where necessary.
Couldnt fault them.
My son , and my friend both have petplan, their dogs have illnesses that are dealt with also in this way.

Both our Cavapoos are insured with ManyPets.. quite expensive but provides good, all-round cover, and both the site and the claims process are user-friendly. Touch wood, we've not had to make any claims to date, but are reassured by the reviews we've seen.