what's the best pet insurance for dogs in the uk?

[cutekids]

HAVE JUST BEEN QUOTED £7.24 FOR DIRECT LINE PET INSURANCE. ANYONE GO ANY BETTER? SEEMS QUITE GOOD BUT JUST WONDERED IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THIS INSURANCE BEFORE I GO AHEAD?

we have a company called Stoneways they are good and I believe competitive on price (they classify our dog as medium when most say she is large!)

Ooh looks much pricier though - is £12.52 for a small or med dog per month - maybe yours is a better buy - check the small print though

I'd love to know because we're having trouble insuring our hound. Most companies either won't insure her at all or quote extortionate prices just because she is 10 this year. Even though she's in great health, still thinks and acts like a puppy and had a clean bill of health from the vet at the last booster/check up appointment.

We use Tesco insurance. Costs about £9.60 pm. Ours is a big dog, so it may be different for you depending on what type/size of animal you are insuring.

Make sure you pick a policy that provides lifetime cover for vets bills. Some of the cheaper policies will only cover vets bills for up to a year, or maximm limit, which means if your pet gets an illness that requires lengthy treatment you may have to pay the bills yourself once the limit is exceeded.

thanks.that's one i've never heard of. how much do you pay per month if you don't mind me asking? D.Line has £65 minimum excess. vet fees cover up to 12 months from onset of condition.payment of pet's purchase price if it dies following an accidental injury. £500 towards local advertising expenses incurred to help get pet back if stolen or strays. this includes a reward of up to £50. payment of purchase price if gets stolen or goes missing and hasn't been found within 45 days.if i have to stay in hospital , up to £500 towards costs i have to pay to have him looked after for more than 4 days in a row. up to £1000 holiday cancellation for expenses can't get back if i have to cancel or cut short holiday because pet goes missing or needs life-saving treatment whilst i'm away or 7 days before i go away.
3rd party liability of up to £1 million for damages caused to someone's property but have to pay first £250. does this sound ok?!

So that means that if your dog had an illness that meant he was on tablets or injections for life, then you would have to pay for them yourself after one year

Yes! Just realized that, Otto. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I can, however, rectify that on the policy quote so I'll go and see how much it costs with the extended treatment.

just a quick hijack... otto, where did you get your nick from???

Serah - what do you mean?

the name, otto.... its my boys name and I hear it so rarely! Just curious!

AVOID TESCO INSURANCE - too many clauses weighted in their favour - e.g. if condition lasts more than 12 months - forget it, if condition has occured before - forget it... get the idea?
I have a cat with an eye condition - it occured 2 years ago and was treated with £15 cream - hence I didn't claim. 2 years later it needs £300 + treatment and "the condition has occured before" lets Tesco off the hook.

M&S insurance has been fantastic for our dogs. They pay out with no problems - and we've had to claim a lot.

I really second what otto says, watch the clauses carefully to make sure it actually helps you throughout the entire life of your dog. It's no good having a payout maximum for any illness which lasts the life of the policy; you'd be stuffed with either a chronic or recurring problem (eg ear infections, diabetes, epilepsy). I'd be looking for a policy which has a max payout per condition, per calendar year at the very least.

I've used M&S in the past as well as Churchill. You get cash back through Quidco too.

Have just sorted this for my Puppy but read somewhere about M&S hiking annual premiums so have gone for Axa. There is a thread in the pet section on Moneysavingexpert that is very helpful and tells you which policies are true for life policies.

We self-insure now (ie, ring-fence some money for the dogs). And have saved £££. Dog insurance just seems a rip-off.

I considered that abra but a friend had a puppy who needed a £700 op before she'd even got round to insuring it as it ate a sock, plus another friend whose puppy ate something in the garden after a week and she ended up with a £280 bill. But what really made me go ahead is the public liability cover, in case the dog caused an accident, though I guess possibly some household insurances may cover that, I didn't look into it.

Yes, you have to weigh up all these factors. We don't live near busy roads, which was a factor with the PLC aspect.

I have M & S Platinum policy. Our puppy developed hip dysplasia. The initial vet bills were paid within days of me sending the claim form no questions asked and he will be covered for any further treatment.

Although its more expensive to get "cover for life" its well worth it. We are expecting our vets fees for this condition alone to top £6,000. He wouldnt have been covered at all if we had gone for a cheap and cheerful one.