Wow pet insurance is head battering!!

[Wooliewoo]

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So I currently have free pet insurance with the Kennel club until 9th September for my whippet puppy, so I’m busy searching for cover, but seriously it’s a mind field and has got my head battered!

Am I correct in believing Life long insurance is the best?

But the life long insurance quotes also state a variety of this lot? ......

no annual limit? Or an annual limit?
Limit reinstated upon renewal?
Cover renews each policy term?
Unlimited for lifetime of your pet?

Anyone able to explain it to me in simple terms?...... (I’m sure baby brain applies to fur babies too

And anyone use anyone good they’d recommend? Maybe a one that doesn’t hike up their prices at annual renewal, as it’s lifelong I’m looking for.

Petplan was suggested, but they’re far more expensive than others......

Thanks

 

[Kara 1]

Petplan are one of the best insurers and pay the vet directly so you only have to find the excess (usually less than £100)
Lifetime cover is the best ...whippets have really thin skin and if cut will open up like a zip ....but others on here may have other recommendations. ....

 

[JoanneF]

First advice is to get it in place straight away as cover usually has a four week exclusion - so nothing is covered in the first four weeks. Ideally you would want an overlap for four weeks so if you had an issue, the old insurer would pay until the new one becomes effective.

Second advice is to go for lifelong cover. That means that if your dog develops a lifelong condition, the insurer won't stop paying at the end of the current year.

Most policies have an annual limit. That means that when you reach that amount they stop paying. I would always do for the highest level that is reasonably affordable. Limit reinstated at renewal means at the annual renewal date, you get to claim up to that amount again in the new insurance year. I think 'cover renews at each insurance term' is the same thing. Unlimited - sounds like there is no cap on what they will pay so that sounds great but are the premiums for that one a lot higher?

Petplan pay direct to most vets so you don't have the initial outlay and have to claim back.

They all will increase a bit as the dog ages, as the dog becomes a higher risk.

I am with Tesco, it seems ok but I am now going to have to stay with them forever as my dog had to have a mast cell tumour removed earlier this year so changing to another company would mean that wasn't covered any more as it would be a pre-existing condition.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Good luck..

We thought about it again with Murphy but here in NL pet cover is qute new so expensive plus it excludes a lot of things and theres no such thing as life cover ( as far as I could see) it would mean paying an extra 300 -500 euro per year just in case he broke a leg or had an accident.. I have a credit card I could borrow on if that happened so Im sticking to the old fashioned way...Anyway when he was castrated and the bill came out a little higher than expected because of a bleed the vet immedietly offered payment in installments if I wanted to.
Round here they tend to put the animal before the payment..

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Good luck,
I was looking for insurance a few months back but decided in the end to just put money aside and save up just in case anything comes up. Like you say it's absolutely mind boggling!

 

[Caro Perry]

Kennel Club will also pay direct to the vet. They've paid out an awful lot in his first year and now I'm stuck with them for life as any liver or kidney problems won't be covered elsewhere even though they seem to have been caused by a drug reaction rather than anything actually wrong.

They were very slow at paying the claim in Mar- June

 

[Wooliewoo]

Thanks for all your replies so far. I really need the insurance as we couldn’t afford to pull out the money if we needed to.

What kind of costs are involved in vet bills? Looking at policies with different limits attached per condition per year and range from £1000 to £2500, £4000, £12,000 etc

 

[Caro Perry]

Thanks for all your replies so far. I really need the insurance as we couldn’t afford to pull out the money if we needed to.

What kind of costs are involved in vet bills? Looking at policies with different limits attached per condition per year and range from £1000 to £2500, £4000, £12,000 etc

I'm covered for £7500 a year. A vet visit and some initial blood tests were £160. Total bill went into the £1000s within 2 weeks. I have no condition limits other than the overall annual limit and it resets on the policy anniversary

 

[Wooliewoo]

Thank you @Caro Perry ..... I’ve been looking all afternoon and still don’t know which one to go for!

Morethan are by far the cheapest option, however the reviews are shocking!! I’ve yet to get a quote from The Kennel club, but I’m dreading that one! Petplan are coming out at about £31 per month for £7000! There are other insurer options, but I worry in case they are going to be useless!

I’m going to go through it all again tomorrow with fresh head and eyes

 

[WildeM]

I got caught out with My insurance. I bought a policy with cover of 7000, what I failed to notice was it was a maximum of 1000 per condition. One cruciate ligament repair later, I am down £6000 . It is now 9 months since the operation and he is still not right and needs another op not covered because he is maxed out. I will be moving him on renewal but that leg will never be covered elsewhere. I can't afford another big injury so insurance needs to be increased for the rest of him. My boy is only 2 year old and has been in some form of pain for nearly 12 months, it breaks my heart

 

[JudyN]

That's so sad, @WildeM - such a young age for him to have to go through this

I am VERY fortunate that we have enough savings to cover any eventuality (our home insurance covers possible legal costs if, say, our dog should cause a serious accident), so we haven't insured him. It really does seem to be a minefield.

 

[Wooliewoo]

I got caught out with My insurance. I bought a policy with cover of 7000, what I failed to notice was it was a maximum of 1000 per condition. One cruciate ligament repair later, I am down £6000 . It is now 9 months since the operation and he is still not right and needs another op not covered because he is maxed out. I will be moving him on renewal but that leg will never be covered elsewhere. I can't afford another big injury so insurance needs to be increased for the rest of him. My boy is only 2 year old and has been in some form of pain for nearly 12 months, it breaks my heart

Oh no, god love him the poor thing! And poor you

I’ve spent hours and hours researching and reading! Think I’ve found the right one, but it’s rather more expensive than I’d like to pay each month, but I know I’d rather have it in place than to try and find the money to pay expensive costs. It’s cover for £7000 per year also, but it’s not limited per illness or condition, so fingers crossed it’s the right one to get.

 

[Kara 1]

We always use petplan until the dogs are 9 and then we have pdsa accident and liability insurance for £7 per month and put money away each month in case of any illness ...
My old lurcher girl was insured her whole life 13yrs without one claim ...

 

[Wooliewoo]

We always use petplan until the dogs are 9 and then we have pdsa accident and liability insurance for £7 per month and put money away each month in case of any illness ...
My old lurcher girl was insured her whole life 13yrs without one claim ...

That’s good to know, thank you, it’s probably Petplan I’m going to go with....

I suppose it’s all good if you go 13yrs without a claim.... but I suppose it’s a bit like putting the lottery on every week and never winning, but you have to, just in case!

 

[pongo111]

I find this all mind boggling too.
I wonder if they pay out without question, or it is like car insurance where they always twist the story.
Whilst I want reassurance of cover in place i'm reluctant to pay a high monthly premium as I'd rather just save it ready to pay in case the need comes about.
Back to compare the market....

 

[MrCW]

Be sure with petplan that with any claim that its only the excess to pay and not a % of the bill on top as well.
I was with them some time ago now and had to pay 15% of the bill on top, it may of changed now but from what i hear from other dog owners they are good at paying claims but the monthly premium is high, with any insurance its a gamble to what you can afford each month and hoping you pet stays healthy.
I had a rescue whippet for 11yrs and generally was healthy, they do run about like something possessed sometimes so be careful, my wife said she wished someone would make a whippet coat out of bubble wrap but i would still have another one tomorrow if i could.
I am now with sainsbury and is half the cost, they payout well and good customer support,all i do is pay the excess £99 to the vet with a claim form and they sort it out.
Please post pictures as he is growing up, looks beautiful.

 

[pongo111]

It really looks like a lottery.....It's beyond me. some of the lifetime ones are around 400£ a year ....which makes me think isn't it better to bank that and have it incase of need.

 

[JoanneF]

had to pay 15% of the bill on top

That sometimes happens (with various insurers) when your pet reaches a certain age.

 

[Wooliewoo]

It really looks like a lottery.....It's beyond me. some of the lifetime ones are around 400£ a year ....which makes me think isn't it better to bank that and have it incase of need.

I know what you mean, totally agree, however I believe vet bills can sometimes be thousands of pounds so banking £400 per year may not cover the costs.

Be sure with petplan that with any claim that its only the excess to pay and not a % of the bill on top as well.
I was with them some time ago now and had to pay 15% of the bill on top, it may of changed now but from what i hear from other dog owners they are good at paying claims but the monthly premium is high, with any insurance its a gamble to what you can afford each month and hoping you pet stays healthy.
I had a rescue whippet for 11yrs and generally was healthy, they do run about like something possessed sometimes so be careful, my wife said she wished someone would make a whippet coat out of bubble wrap but i would still have another one tomorrow if i could.
I am now with sainsbury and is half the cost, they payout well and good customer support,all i do is pay the excess £99 to the vet with a claim form and they sort it out.
Please post pictures as he is growing up, looks beautiful.

@MrCW, yes I checked and it’s just the excess to pay, I did notice some insurers were asking for a % to be paid......... I’d heard Sainsbury’s were decent, so I’ll have one more look at them before I decide. But I need to get it in place ASAP.

...... and I certainly will keep posting the pictures and thanks.... he is a beaut.... a little tinker, but he’s gorgeous

 

[Wooliewoo]

Well looked into Sainsbury’s pet insurance and looked good until I read further into the features and benefits, turns out, they will pay out for an illness, for the lifetime of the pet, but only until the policy amount is reached, eg £7000, then it will be excluded. In other words, the policy amount for that illness does not reset each year as it does with Petplan...... so looks like I’m going with Petplan