Which pet insurance?

[ToadiesCouzin]

We're in the process of getting a Labrador puppy, it's all going well, but I'm unsure which Pet Insurance to go for, could I have some recommendations please? I'm leaning towards Pet Plan, are they worth getting? Their premiums initially seem higher than others, but I'm keen on the fact that they say they will not increase premiums based on prior claims. We had a policy for our cars which doubled after the first year when we claimed, so I'm just wary of ending up with a very expensive policy if we do need to claim. It would also be good to know which insurance providers to avoid if anyone has any horror stories! Thank you!

Sorry, that should say policy for our cats, not cars!

What ever you do, take out a lifetime policy not an annual one. Annual ones are much cheaper but each year is considered “new” so anything you claim for in the previous year will be restricted going forward.
Also if if you change insurance companies during your pets life anything claimed with your previous company will be considered a pre-existing condition and so excluded.
if you’re not going to take out insurance, a general rule of thumb for savings is to start off the twice what you paid for your puppy and add to it every month.

Thank you for the reply @Stillavetjust . We'll definitely take out insurance, and definitely a lifetime policy. We're very conscious that we might be quite tied to our initial insurance provider if we need to claim, so we really want to avoid those providers who put premiums up massively after a claim. If only premiums were fixed like life insurance!

I am with pet plan

I wish I had taken out a higher yearly limit for the life plan but I didn't as we have claimed for about every body part he has. I just hope we don't blow the limit given we are looking at expensive long term medication

They have paid out quickly with no quibbles for every claim so can't fault them.

I always go with a pet plan lifetime policy, never fails to pay out and they work directly with many vets , so apart from paying the excess you dont need to pay anything out.

I always go for a PetPlan lifetime policy, with as much cover as we can afford the premiums for.

I have tried using different insurance companies over the years, but my experiences haven’t been good, whereas PetPlan have always been efficient and paid all my claims without any problems even when I had a dog with an eyewateringly expensive health issue.

The last few times I had to put in a claim, the vet did it online and I had the money in my account within a couple of days.

They are the only insurance company my vets will deal directly with and accept direct payments from as well, which is a bonus if your dog needs expensive treatment, as it means you don’t have to pay and claim it back.

I’ve never bought pet insurance

I reckon I could afford to pay

so far it’s been ok. One emergency visit for a bee sting and one for an ear infection and of course yearly boosters and worming etc

he is 14 nearly 15

I do have public liability for him £20 odd quid a year.

I accept I am in the minority but it’s worked for me.

Tesco for us...we were only with them for two months and they paid a £7k bill and didn't put the monthly fee up by much, even though my dog will have medication for the rest of her life, plus she's 7!
They pay quickly and have never quibbled. We have the Premium police which allows £10k per annum claimed.

Avoid Tesco at all costs. Petplan were ok for a previous pet.

Currently with Many Pets (used to be bought by many) they have been excellent.

Six dogs and three cats over the years, all Petplan with the life cover. All our dogs have been older rescues and some of them have had literally thousands of pounds of claims. Never once have Petplan either argued or delayed payment. The very big advantage of Petplan, because they are so well trusted, is that many vets will allow you to have the treatment for your pet and they will claim direct rather than you having to find the money upfront.

Pet plan
but speak to your vets as some vets will deal direct with certain companies which is much easier

You’re not alone. I have never bought it either. I have always had several animals, so the cost would be prohibitive. This would especially be the case as they get older and insurance companies ramp up the process to hundreds each month per animal. I currently have two dogs and two cats. Also, vets tend to do stuff that isn’t necessary with insured animals. Many additional things require anaesthetics and it isn’t good for animals (physically or psychologically) to have unnecessary stuff done to them. Most animals need little veterinary care in their early years. One of my Standard Poodles (sadly long gone now), I Nick named the bionic Poodle. She suffered bloat and gastric torsion and shouldn’t have survived it, but she did. She of course had major stomach surgery, including having her stomach stapled to her ribs to prevent it happening again. She also had ongoing stomach problems, a knee and cruciate ligament repair (separately, so two separate surgeries). She later developed cancer (Squamous cell carcinoma) and had surgery and ongoing palliative care for that. After I lost her, I totted it all up and the what I would have spent on insurance (excesses, little ailments that cost less than the excess, vaccines etc) and I had saved several thousand pounds paying myself. She died aged 13-years.

Remember, most vets treatment costs less than the excess, so isn’t claimed for. Most animals (if you get the right breeds and if you don’t the cost of insurance will be huge) stay pretty healthy through most, or all of their lives. My 8-year-old Poodle has had a serious health problem (just one). It cost me about £500. Given that dog insurance is only cheap for puppies and rises annually, I reckon I’d be lucky to get 3 months insurance payments out of that figure. Every other investigation/treatment he has needed in his life would have been less than the excess. One of my Siamese cats is 10-years-old. In recent years she has needed a couple of steroid injections in the summer months due to allergies. It comes to less than £70 for the two. Considerably less than one month insurance payment. I understand you have to know you can find the money to pay an unexpected vet fee, but if you can, pet insurance is a crazy expense.

Many Pets were amazing for us. I bought the Fixed for Life policy they used to offer (unfortunately they no longer offer it for new customers) so my premiums will never go up.

AwkwardPup developed immune mediated polyarthitis at 9 months old, they've paid out almost £9k without a quibble over the last year for his treatment & he has now made a full recovery.

Pet Plan. Pay quickly without any problems and whilst the premiums go up every year I don't feel we have been penalised despite claiming up to our policy limit.
I would advise insuring for a limit higher that you think you will need.
We have quickly used up £4000 in a year for a heart condition.

If you ‘self-insure’ ie put money aside or you can afford sudden vet fees, then fair enough, but my dog’s sudden severe illness cost over £20,000 to treat in under 18 months. He would have had to be pts if we hadn’t had decent insurance and he was a young dog. Most things that require specialist treatment at a referral centre/centre-of-excellence are far more expensive than most people could afford and for me, having had that experience, it’s not something I would risk, so I insure for my own peace of mind. I appreciate that it’s a very personal decision though.

My other dog lived to a very old age and while we wouldn’t have put him through any invasive tests or treatments, we were still better off with insurance than without, as they paid out for all his regular treatment for the sort of chronic conditions that elderly dogs get, eg arthritis. You only pay the excess once per year, per condition, so it was still cheaper to insure than try to cover the costs ourselves.

Obviously premiums did go up over the years, but not excessively and never in response to me making a claim.

I switched from petplan to many pets last year and they have been rubbish. My premium has gone up a fortune despite not claiming.
Petplan have never quibbled a claim in all the time I’ve used them (oldest dog is 13) but they are expensive.

Ive now cancelled altogether as I’ve hit £150 per month in dog insurance and I can no longer afford it 😩

Tesco is very good and quick to pay out, I've now switched to many pets and they have been very quick and friendly. This years premium only went up by a few pounds separe claiming for over £400 during the year.

More than were fantastic with all my elderly dogs. Good value and paid promptly.

Thanks for all the advice. Looks like ManyPets would also be worth a look. We're definitely getting insurance, I don't fancy making the decision between spending all our savings on vets bills, or PTS!

My experience of Tesco was rubbish. Weasled their way out of a claim, and if I had read the reviews online first I wouldn't have gone with them, as it was a common theme unfortunately. They were slightly cheaper, but really not worth it.

I have my old dog with Petplan, and others with Many Pets (previously Bought by Many). Petplan are definitely the best, they pay out quickly with no queries and are very easy and helpful to deal with. I have claimed many times and never had any issues.

Our other dogs are with Many Pets. Premiums are cheaper (so far), but they are not as easy for the vet to deal with, and much slower paying out (though they do pay eventually in my experience so far).

Echo previous comments about making sure you have as much cover as possible and conditions are covered for life, not just a year.

for me, insurance has been 100% worth it, even for my old dog with multiple health conditions. For my youngster they have paid thousands for treatment for a freak injury and it will be a long time before my premiums cover what they have paid so far. The peace of mind knowing I don't have to worry about the cost when deciding what treatment my dogs need is invaluable-it doesn't mean you put them through unnecessary or additional treatment, but you can do the best for them that veterinary medicine can provide.

Just did a quote for petplan. Over double what I’m paying for Manypets. Manypets also do a cash back scheme whereby paying slight extra, you get 20% back if you don’t claim.

if you want a Manypets referral code, then message me.