Pet Insurance - Is it worth it?

[squirtle]

My dogs Insurance is nearly coming to an end for the year and the premium has gone up from 13.89 a month to just over �18 a month. I have been shopping about looking for an alternative, however even though there are cheaper options...........having read the small print of what they will pay for and what they won't pay for................is it worth having?

I will also ask this question in the Insurance section as not sure which category was best.

Thanks in advance.

[bednobs]

like any insurance, it only becomes "worth it" when you need it. With my pet insurance, i think of a situation where my dog had an accident and i had to chose between paying 1000's for treatment or having the dog put down, i would be glad i had insurance. My friend's dog got bitten by another dog about three weeks ago. She has already had to spend upwards of �600 on getting him treated. He is a young dog, and if she didnt have insurance, she wouldn't have been able to afford it

[sandmaster]

Like most insurance you hope it will be a complete waste of money - you don't want a situation where you need to claim do you? In my case at one time we had two cats, two dogs and two horses. I could not afford to insure them all so I did not insure any of them. One of the dogs once needed an operation which cost �1200 but by then our saving by not paying premiums covered the cost. If you have only one pet it may be worth considering but remember the premium will probably rise again next year. It may be better to just save �18 a month ready for any unfortunate event.

[squirtle]

As you say its like any insurance - you hope you never have to make a claim.

I guess I am just trying to work out what they will actually pay for and what they won't pay for. I need to read and then re read the policy. I know they won't pay for any previous complaints.

I was with Buddies - Gold option But wonder if I should try elsewhere.

If anyone has any suggestions.

[kita1]

This is worth reading (by Martin Lewis the money saving guy off the TV):

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


My present dog was the first one I have insured. He is now 13 and a half and I let the insurance drop a couple of years ago as I figured that he was not going to have anything major now (the average lifespan for his breed is 11 years).

I never claimed off the insurance - over 11 years I probably would have paid over 1,000 pounds - wish I had put it in the bank now!!!!

[foxyflugel]

I am with Petplan for my Great Dane - as I figured if she broke a leg it would cost thousands for it to be pinned!! I wasn't insured initially and my OH purely accidentally caught her tail in the door - that already stuck so was nothing new. We had to have her tail trimmed and shortened and stitched - it cost around �180 - and �90 of that was just for her anaesthetic - so figured it was well worth it - we now pay around �45 per month - but she is on medication for incontinence after we had her spayed and this would be �37 per bottle (1 bottle per month) - so it pretty much breaks even. SHe also had bloat a couple of months ago and it cost around �1100 for her op - so glad we were insured. ALso Petplan have a covered for life policy where if you claim for a condition in one policy year they will still pay out for it for the rest of the dogs life - a lot of insurers (Mainly the really cheap ones) would exclude this condition on renewing the policy - worth every penny!!

[squirtle]

I think I am convinced to stay with it....when i said is it worth it then i meant do they really pay out or will they wriggle their way out of it given the chance. I realised its worth it to give your pet teatment you may not be able to afford, it was how reliable the insurers are that i was questioning.

thanks to each and all for your replies.

[squirtle]

kita1

Thanks for the link its was useful........like you say you would have saved over a �1000............if only we had hindsight. Guess you have been lucky not to have had a sick or injured dog.......

Thanks for your answer

[Ice.Maiden]

When we got our second dog, she wasn't insured when she needed to be rushed to the vets, because I'd been looking at the different packages on offer and hadn't decided.
She swallowed some stones and had to have part of her intestinal track cut away. The bill came to �1000. Ten days later, exactly the same happened again...so it was another �1000, and the poor dog was obviously very poorly after two operations so close together. We insured her immediately afterwards, and it was a good job, because 2 years down the line - she did it again!! It's well worth the money squirtle. You hope you'll never have to make a claim, but if you do, it's better that than being faced with a huge bill.

[caring]

Hi 'Squirtle',

I realise it might be a little late but as I found this I'm sure other people will too so I thought I'd add my thoughts.

I won't repeat what the others have said but I do want to say that it's always best to see what you're not covered for (by reading the policy document before buying). I, personally, see pet insurance as part of the ongoing costs of a pet.

Another thing; don't buy just on price. Looking for the cheapest deal is a false economy because cheaper policies often cover less and have more exclusions. More importantly they generally don't allow for ongoing conditions - so after 12 months the cover stops.

This site allows you to sort and compare some insurance policies without having to enter your details to get a quote http://www.pet-insurance-comparison.net/

I hope that helps