Insurance for puppy

[notfromstepford]

Hi everyone
I'm a new puppy owner and we picked up our mixed breed 6 month old on Saturday.
I just have no idea on what insurance to go for. There is so much choice out there and different options.

Any opinions/advice would be very much welcomed!

My dog is just coming up to 18months old and I got him at 8 weeks.

I went with petplan lifecover for 4K limit per year. If I could go back in time I would have got the 7k or 12k limit.

He has had many illnesses, investigations, accidents and operations. We have been very unlucky (last one he ate a rag which we didn't know about until he was on the operating table having emergency surgery).

Pet plan paid out around £2500 in the first year and this year we will be at almost the same amount once I claim for his last adventure.

Get a life cover no matter who you go with because in our case we would have so many exclusions right now it wouldn't have been worth it if we had gone with just a yearly one.

Get as much cover as possible. I thought 4K would have been plenty but given what I know now I can see how costs can quickly mount up and my vets are 'cheap' compared to some of my friends.

Petplan advertise that their premiums rise based on your address, breed and age of dog but NOT on claims. Mine went up a very small amount in the second year (much less than my house insurance which I have never claimed on to give you a comparison).

They have also paid out quickly, usually within a couple of weeks.

Whilst I can't tell you about other companies as I haven't used them I cannot fault pet plan.

Oh and get the insurance set up quickly. Don't put it off thinking you will get round to it. Most companies have an exclusion period for illnesses when you take it out (petplan is 2 weeks, other companies may vary) so whilst accidents are covered any illnesses or anything you seek advice from the vet in that time would not be covered and would be classed as a preexisting illness.

I also went with Petplan Lifetime (7k cover from memory) based on the recommendations here and elsewhere

I would use petplan, simply for the fact it is the only company that my vet will deal directly with - any other company I would have to pay the costs up front and recoup from my insurance. For me, even though they are more expensive, that's reason enough, plus I believe they pay out more often than any other insurance.
Life cover is definitely worth it too.

I also use a 'healthy pet plan' at my vets, where I pay a small amount each month and that covers all flea and worm treatments, all the needed regular check ups per year and 20% off any further procedure.

Contact your vet and see if they have similar, and ask what company they deal with directly.

And congratulations on your new pup! Do we get to see a picture??

A lot of big charities have deals with insurance companies - mainly PetPlan. This is the Dogs Trust's deal:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/shopping/our-partners/petplan/

My vets has a poster up saying they won't deal with "Animal Friends" insurance. May be worth talking to your vet and see who they recommend. Petplan seems to come out on top a lot of the time.

Wow thanks for the quick responses!
Yes I was wanting to get this sorted quickly - just didn't know where to start!
Yes I will contact the vet - that's something I hadn't even thought about, the paying up front and claiming back thing.

Here are some pics - he's either running round like a loon or asleep so photos aren't great - sorry!

I use BoughtbyMany who I selected over PetPlan just because the cover was a bit higher for the same price (15k instead of 12k). They pay directly to vet also. I had to make a small claim and the process was easy.

I agree with the lifecover option. I switched mine early on from a 7k per condition limit to a lifetime but 15k a year option just because I felt happier knowing that, if he had a long term condition, there was no lifetime limit on how much I could claim.

I have read lots of lots of petplan recommendations, though so they also seem like a good option.

Tesco lifecover. Wouldnt go less so you know the premiums wont skyrocket if he gets Ill. Especially as mine is a bulldog.

Oh bless how adorable - he looks very content what have you named him?

Good luck with everything, petplan paying the vets directly is fantastic. When my boy was a puppy he ingested one of my husbands arthritis tablets and he had to be kept in overnight on a drip amongst other things (thankfully he was totally fine and just a precaution) Petplan paid the vets directly and all I had to do was send them my excess.
I pay just over £30 a month for my dog (lab) I had been quoted as little as £9 with other companies, but that one incident alone if I had taken the cheaper insurance I would have had to shell out over a grand and just pray they would accept the claim and refund me, for peace of mind I am so glad I'm with Pet plan.
I never took the chronic illness cover out tbh as that was over £50 a month, but I'm considering upgrading to that package when I renew now ddog is getting older, as you really can't guarantee what will happen and I would hate it to ever be a choice between treatment and money.

If you go to pps link above through the dog trust, petplan pay 10% of your premium to the charity so that's win-win.

We went Petplan 7k life cover.

Thanks again - this info is really useful and I'll be able to get it sorted today now.

We've called him Flash - well when I say we - I mean our 6 year old has named him. Suits him though and he answers to it already so that's good

Agree with almost everyone else that Pet Plan life cover is a good way to go.

They are not the cheapest but they pay out quickly and I've always received the full amount, obviously minus my share.

They also cover teeth - not cosmetic, as in cleaning but everything else, which I know some companies don't. If a dog needs teeth extracted it can prove very expensive.

Also would add, get the best cover you can afford. It's surprising how quickly the vet's charges can mount up if your dog needs emergency surgery, for example.

He's gorgeous.

Thanks again for the info and thanks pigsDOfly we think he's gorgeous too

Definitely get lifetime cover and compare prices via moneysavingexpert. I have a dog and 3 cats and have found thatbhaung started with petplan now for new animals mipet is coming up a better price