Please talk to me about your pet insurance

[CanIBuffalo]

New pet owner here.
I've been on comparison websites but I'd really appreciate recommendations. Tesco, John Lewis and More Than look good. I'm swayed by the high amounts they'd pay out but realistically, what are people's experiences of vet bills for illness/accident? Are they really in the thousands?

I had a £9000 bill last year. I have Pet Plan and they paid the vet directly (which most insurers won't, you usually need to pay yourself and then claim back), and they did not increase the premium to try to claw it back. Their premiums are generally more expensive than other insurers, but you get what you pay for (said with bitter experience of two other pet insurance companies).

I don't have any and probably should. My cat is 4 years old. Last year she was very ill with what the vet thinks was a hidden abscess probably from fighting and being bitten or catching herself on something. I was worried about my cat and the vet bills so I should've got insurance. In the end I paid about £200. I've got a flea and worming treatment scheme so got the consultation free but had to pay for treatment and antibiotics. When I asked for worst case scenario she said a stay in hospital on a drip could've been £200! If I insure her now I might not be covered if that happens again. I try and put £10 a month in a savings account instead. I think when you're worried about your pet the least thing you want is to be stressing about expense as well!

Thanks Name
That's a higher claim than I've seen advertised on comparison sites so I'll look at them via their own site.
I hope your pet made a full recovery.

The only insurance company worth using for animals is Petplan. They do tend to be a little bit pricier than others but they're generally the only insurance company the vets will deal with directly and I've never heard of them rejecting a claim - unlike the others.
My other tip is to get lifetime cover as it means as long as you keep up your insurance renewal, you will be covered for any ongoing problems.

I could manage 200 odd from savings but it's the bills in their thousands I'd really struggle with myuser

Thanks Hodge

Make sure you get lifetime cover for a reasonable amount (yes to thousands) as vet fees can be astronomical.

Have a look at Animal Friends - I have used them for many years. They are very reasonably priced compared to other companies and paid out quickly and with no quibble whenever I made a claim.

Sorry Hodge but that’s nonsense. Vets deal directly with many companies, including Animal Friends via the Pawtal system.

Petplan may have been the best many moons ago but they certainly aren’t now (although they are probably the most expensive).

We have Petplan (in Aus) for our two dogs. After ending up with a $6000 bill and a dead dog I would never have a pet again without insurance. Our beautiful older dog was diagnosed with heart problems recently, we had to pay a $3k deposit against treatment cost when she had to be admitted overnight, the final bill just for that treatment was $5k. We have had 80% of all costs paid, we would have got 90% if she was under 8yo.

Toes

I have Petplan for a pony. And KC insurance for the dog. Touchwood never claimed for the dog but did claim for a different pony via petplan about 9 years ago. Bill was 5k for an op, then a further 3k for a colic and ulcers in pony. Had 2 x excess of £500 to find as it was 2 different claims.

Dog is on a whole of life policy.

I agree with pp, get lifetime cover.

I've had my dog for 13 months, he's 6 and I got him from a rescue centre.
Last month he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism which is a lifelong condition.
Since 4th July I have paid out £400 for blood tests and medication. Blood tests are £120 each time and he needs another this month as they haven't managed to sort out the correct dosage of tablet yet so his bloods need doing monthly until his thyroid levels are stable. After that they need checking every 6 months. Tablets are around £20 per month.

I'm insured with Animal Friends with a lifetime cover. The have paid out £125 so far, after excess, for the initial bloods and tablets. The vets don't deal with them direct so I have to pay upfront then claim back. As long as I put claims in within 90 days then they will pay out which means I put a form in every couple of months instead of after each vet visit.
I've just renewed the insurance with them and its only gone up by £4 per month to £16 per month.
Petplan quoted me £60 when Animal Friends was only £12, however most vets deal direct with Petplan which means you won't need savings just in case.

We went with Tesco on their top policy for lifetime cover. Haven't had to claim but my cats are not even 2 years old yet

I firmly believe that pet insurance is not the insurance to look for the cheapest deal. Quality counts. Especially if (like us) you would struggle to pay a large vets bill up front and then wait for the claim to be paid out.

We're with Petplan for our 7 year old Dalmatian and we have had thousands of pounds paid out over the years for various problems. He was diagnosed with arthritis last year which will obviously be with him for the rest of his life and we now have an ongoing claim for his medication which the vets claim back directly from them.

I've heard so many horror stories about pet insurance not paying out and if you're fairly financially comfortable so this wouldn't be the end of the world then maybe yes, it would be a risk worth taking to go with someone cheaper. It's not an option for us so Petplan it is. Our premiums started at just over £20 a month (I think) and are now on £44 a month, but that's over 7 years so I'm not unhappy with that.

Another vote for petplan lifetime cover here. It's not the cheapest but IMO it's the best and agree with a PP that the cheapest isn't the right one when it comes to pet insurance.
In the last 5 years we have had a fractured pelvis from RTA - £900, broken leg and other injuries from another RTA - £1500, overnight stay with investigations, blood tests and iv fluids - £500ish. Petplan pay the vet direct and any ongoing conditions are covered for life.

I use Animal Friends

Marks & Spencer are also very good and may be slightly cheaper than Pet Plan.

We haven't had any claims for a while (touch wood) but when we did both Pet Plan and M&S paid out directly to the vets without quibbling.

Reiterate all the other recommendations for lifetime cover. I had a cat with an overactive thyroid, who lived for about 8 years with that condition and in that time, he had many scans, tests, an operation and daily medication. The bills were hundreds or thousands every year. These days he'd probably have radiation treatment for it, but it wasn't as widely available then, and that still costs about £2k.

I'd only go with self insurance if you are able to pay out around £2-5k without struggling, could accept euthanisation if you couldn't afford a big vets bill or have multiple pets where the cost of insurance is so much, that if you saved it, it would probably add up quickly and you may end up in front. Sorry, but putting away a tenner a month for vets bills isn't going anywhere near more than the occasional minor illness or injury. If that's all I could afford, I would definitely have insurance.

Also be aware that once your pet has an ongoing condition, or is over about 8 years old, you can't shop around for insurance, you are effectively tied to the same one, or be uninsured.

Tesco, John Lewis and more than are all underwritten by the same company.

I would only ever insure my pets with Pet Plan. They are more expensive initially but you get what you pay for. They do not do what's known as premium loading. You could claim the maximum amount on your policy every year and they will not increase your premiums any more than if you hadn't claimed at all. Other companies will look to recoup their pay outs over the years by increasing your monthly premiums. This is why pet plan start more expensive initially, but over a few years become dramatically cheaper. Some companies (cough animal friends cough) will even try and price you out of insurance if your pet is high risk - just look at the Watchdog reviews a few years back.

I work as an insurance claims processor in a vet surgery. I process 150-200 claims a month and this includes getting pre authorisation for treatment, chasing pay outs, dealing with claim refusals etc. With that, I refer you back to my second sentence.

I went for PetPlan Lifetime as it has such a good reputation and I like the peace of mind.

Whatever you do, make sure you get a lifetime policy as otherwise chronic or reoccurring conditions won't be covered at all after 12 months.

Thanks very much for all your advice. It's really useful. I think Pet Plan sounds as if it's the best bet in the longer term so I'll look into that one ... if I can tear myself away from checking her tummy for loveliness for more than 5 minutes at a time ❤❤❤
Thanks again

perhaps try Which guide op.
Professional advice. or take a stab in the dark.

What is she and how old @CanIBuffalo?

Martin's Money might have advice

As far as I understand, insuring your pet covers insurance for car accidents but read the small print, you may not be covered if it is considered you havent had due care and attention of your pet.