Advice on pet insurance please

[Mercythompson]

Getting a rescue westie tomorrow . 18 months old, found as a stray.

Several questions.

Do we declare her as a pedigree? Don't know that she's is a purebred obviously.

Secondly, who would you recommend for insurance, what are the pitfalls, what do we need to look for?

Thanks

With a Westie I'd go for lifetime cover as they often have expensive skin problems . Congratulations BTW .

Hi. I have a website which you might find useful. It provides unbiased independent info about all pet insurance policies available in the UK together with lots of advice. You can find it at www.pet-insurance-surveys.co.uk.

Do you know which vet you want to use? If so contact them an ask, vets often have a preferred insurer and have a better idea of the breed specific cover and pitfalls. I wouldn't declare pedigree without papers

We found our vet through the royal college of vet surgeons website, we went for one that's accredited and a teaching practice that does most stuff in house. It's great but not fancy or shiney! But then I live close to a large city and have lots to chose from. Our closet vet is a chain and is rubbish at insurance advice, it is both fancy and shiney.

Good luck with your westie, they are fab, if stubborn beasts.

I would strongly advise that if in doubt you phone the insurer about what breed to put your dog down as. Most of the websites listed a number of breeds and then also give you an option for crossbreed or mixed breed dogs. If you supply the wrong information your insurance can be declared invalid. In my experience most insurers are not interested in whether or not you have papers but ask you to give your honest opinion as to what breed your dog is. It might be advisable to get your vets opinion to as it is likely your vet will have to verify the breed if you need to make a claim.

In my experience most vets will recommend petplan and many of them have a close relationship with them. However they can be quite expensive which is why many people consider other insurers too.

We've got a shiba inu and took out a lifetime policy with John Lewis when she was a pup. We've recently had to claim for the first time, after 3 years, because she'd developed spay incontinence which was getting worse. The JL helpline was fantastic, invoices are paid within 5 days and the policy also covers upto £250 pa for the special diet she's now on.

My vet had recommended petplan but she's asked to see the policy documentation as she wasn't aware of any policies including prescription diets.