What pet insurance do you use for your dog?

[camille79]

I have a 4 month old pup and am going round in circles trying to find pet insurance. What should I look for? Is the most expensive always the best? Any personal recommendations for good policies?

He's a collie cross and has his jabs and is in excellent health.

[lankeela]

Each one is different. I would say you have to decide whether you could afford a big vets bill if one came in, and if you could or could borrow the money, then I would not bother with insurance, I would put the money away each month. If however you would struggle to pay a big vets bill then go for a policy with a low excess which might have a slightly higher premium. Look at whether you want all the other things they are offering, most people only want cover for vets bills.

[kita1]

This is worth reading:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut -pet-insurance-costs

[Ava77]

The main thing is to make sure the insurance is for life.

PetPlan is a good one, because if, for example, in your first year you find out your cat has an illness that will require treatment for life - then the policy covers them for life as long as you keep making payments. A lot of the other policies don't do this, and each time you renew it no longer covers illnesses that occurred before your renewal (even if you were insured with them at that time).

[madmaggot]

As well as any possible illness you need to consider the 3rd party element of insurance; what would you do if your dog, for instance, ran barking up to a horse causing it to bolt and throw the rider, crash into a car and you are sued for damages?
Pet insurance policies cover you for varying amounts of 3rd party claim.

[jules77]

Pet Plan for me. More Than and Sainsburys have a decent reputation. You need to weigh up all the pros and cons of each policy. But my advice would be to make sure your vet will claim direct from whichever company you decide to use, so you dont have to cough up in the event of a large bill. Also check if the policy covers a condition for life, or just for 12 months which can be a big draw back if your dog is diagnosed with a condition early in its life it is going to need lifetime medication for.

Friend of mine uses Healthy Pets, which is cheap in comparison to most, and prompt payers in the event of a claim.
http://www.collienet.com/healthy%20pets/1.htm

[thugulike]

Tesco have been wonderful for me. Had a couple of huge claims for a dog a few years ago and they paid up immediately. No good getting cheap insurance if they won't pay.

[fredpuli47]

Read the terms carefully before you sign. Yes, I know that's obvious, but hidden in there you may find very strict time limits for notifying the insurer the moment there's an injury or the moment you first see the vet. And lots of policies have age limits or age limits for certain breeds (particularly big breeds) and other restrictions on treatments..

[fredpuli47]

Curiously, about 3rd party insurance, insurance brokers at Cruft's told me that 3rd party was included in standard household policies. Worth checking, if all that's you needed insurance for, though most people, obviously, aren't that narrow of thought.

[karenmac60]

My vet recommended that instead of taking out an expensive insurance policy that I might never use - open a bank account and put the same amount in as you would pay on insurance. That way there's always money there to pay vet's bills and if your dog gets to the end of his life and you haven't used all the money - you haven't lost it all to some big fat cat corporation either.

[camille79]

Thanks everyone for all your great replies. Very helpful, especially the info about just popping cash in a savings account instead!

[ytrewq]

My dogs insurance pays out around �200 per month for my dogs medication. Putting money in a bank account is fine to pay for a one off treatment but if your dog requires regular medication then insurance is brilliant. Just check that your policy will continue to pay for more than 12 months, the cheaper ones don't.