Dog insurance advice

[iDontShareChocolate]

Hello!
Looking to insure our dog but not sure which company to go for.
I have seen people suggest in older threads to go for lifetime insurance and make sure to pick a company that won't mess you around about paying a claim.
There are so many companies out there any guidance would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[LeapinLizards]

I had petplan for years and would highly recommend them. I'd go with them again. I chose them because my dog came from dogs trust & they recommended petplan. And, yes, def get lifetime cover.

[BiteyShark]

The thing with insurance is that certain policies appeal to different people.

I would recommend you read the small print and not just the headline limits etc because not all policies are the same.

Go for the highest life time cover and yearly limit you can afford and I would stay clear of limits for conditions as it's pointless having a £10000 year limit if they cap it at £2000 per condition iykwim.

I went with petplan because they don't bump up the premiums if you claim. Yes it goes up with age but my dog is 2.5 years old and we have made many claims totalling around £5000. My only regret is I went for the £4000 per year limit which I now know is tiny having seen how quickly vet bills mount up. Can't fault them on paying out and very quickly.

If you read back on other threads a few other companies get recommended but I can't comment on them as I have only had petplan.

[pigsDOfly]

Another Petplan fan here. I've recommended them on here several times.

Agree, lifetime cover and the largest payout you can afford; it's terrifying how quickly the price of treatment can mount up.

A company like Petplan might look more expensive than some other companies but as pp says the premiums don't increase because you claim, only with age, which is not the case with some companies. What might seem cheap isn't always so.

You have to do your research and decided what is best for your personal circumstances.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

As all the above advice and also consider the effect of copayment if you have a £2000 bill a one hundred pound excess and a 20% co-payment you will end up paying £480 of that bill.

[missbattenburg]

I went with Bought By Many because they offered slightly higher cover than PetPlan for a similar cost. I have had no problems at all but they are a new company and so this comes with the risk that their business model won't work for them and they will have to pull out or change.

I see PetPlan recommended all the time and never read a bad thing about them.

[iDontShareChocolate]

Thank you everyone!
I will look into petplan and will also have a look at Bought by Many.

I would recommend you read the small print
That's my biggest worry about insurances, not completely understanding the ins and outs and the 'catch'.

[BiteyShark]

Things to look out for on policies if comparing them.

Do they cover dental and if so any conditions to that?. Mine will but I need to have had my vets check his teeth at least once a year which isn't a problem as he goes for a check up every 6 months.

Do they cover other treatments such as hydrotherapy or behavioural issues?

Do they have a list of specialise vets which you can only go to? I wouldn't particularly like that as I would want to go to the one my own vet recommended.

Do they cover holiday cancellations etc?. This may or may not be important to you.

Any clauses on preconditions? For example Pet plan has a 2 week initial period where you aren't covered for illnesses but you are for accidents.

[Gruffin]

Another Bought by Many here. I liked how easy it was to register and that you can claim online. Their website was by far the best. I got their regular cover for my puppy.

[willdoitinaminute]

I use Bought by many. I went for pre existing conditions excluded policy. Ddog was only 2 and had only seen vet for gastro upset after she drank stagnant water (18 months ago) so thought we would be ok. Also after 2 years they disregard preexisting condition if it hasn’t recurred. A few weeks ago dog contracted a viral enteritis that nearly killed her. Having read terms and conditions I didn’t think the policy would cover her so was surprised that my claim was paid in full today.
There is also no excess so the vets bill for over £1000 has been paid in full!
I had read a few reviews regarding claims being turned down re prexisting conditions/illnesses that seemed a little spurious but maybe the reviewers were not giving the full story and had been found out when they had tried to make a claim.

[Judashascomeintosomemoney]

Can’t recommend Petplan highly enough. Yes, it’s not cheap but it is so so reliable. After years of dog ownership (and we tend to rescue a lot of older dogs that are going to definitely need vet care), we have claimed literally thousands of pounds back from them, never once had a problem and they get paid within days of claiming. They are also big enough and reliable enough for vets to not mind claiming themselves rather than you having to pay up front. Helpful when, like us last month, you have an emergency that goes over GBP2k in fees.