Pet Insurance

Marc

Marc

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My parents have just bought a dog and have asked me to look into insurance for them (they're not very good when it comes to computers). I've got a couple of quotes from Tesco & More Than and the main difference in the levels of cover is the vet fees. Basic covers you up to £3,000 or you can get classic/premium for amounts above that and up to £12,000.

Question is, what is the likelihood of any illness costing more than £3,000 in vet fees? Also, when it comes to 3rd part liability, what on earth could a dog do that could cause £1m worth of damage?
 
Vet fees are very expensive and extremely expensive if the pet is referred to a specialist. I made 3 claims last year for 3 different conditions last year - total was over £6,000. (Insurers were LV who paid out within a week of each claim. Sticklers for the paperwork being spot on, but otherwise not a hint of a quibble)

As for 3rd party cover. That part does not actually cost a great deal in terms of premium. Think not so much about the dog doing £1million of damage, but of getting sued for something the dog has done.
 
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arclight said:
Vet fees are very expensive and extremely expensive if the pet is referred to a specialist. I made 3 claims last year for 3 different conditions last year - total was over £6,000. (Insurers were LV who paid out within a week of each claim. Sticklers for the paperwork being spot on, but otherwise not a hint of a quibble)

As for 3rd party cover. That part does not actually cost a great deal in terms of premium. Think not so much about the dog doing £1million of damage, but of getting sued for something the dog has done.
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Makes sense, thanks. Were all 3 claims for the same dog?

Keith W said:
Whoever you go with make sure you get a policy with "lifetime" cover
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Can't see mention of it on the quotes I've seen so far. If not for the lifetime, what would it be for?
 
The term lifetime refers to the illness

So the dog would be covered for the lifetime of the illness as opposed to some upper £ limit

Also should the illness be one that could recur you would still be covered under lifetime, where as most others will say it was a pre-existing condition and you wont be covered at all
 
Why might you need third party cover? What about when the 'you should have controlled him' dog runs into the road and causes a fatal accident? Though coincidentally we've just deleted 3rd party cover from our dogs' insurance [on the insurers own advice] because they say it only duplicates the same cover on our home insurance with them.

FWIW we're with Direct Line and they've been very good whenever we've needed to make a claim.
 
Yves Geza said:
Why might you need third party cover? What about when the 'you should have controlled him' dog runs into the road and causes a fatal accident? Though coincidentally we've just deleted 3rd party cover from our dogs' insurance [on the insurers own advice] because they say it only duplicates the same cover on our home insurance with them.

FWIW we're with Direct Line and they've been very good whenever we've needed to make a claim.
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Yeah, I thought about something like that afterwards although mine was more dramatic. Dog runs into the road, petrol tanker swerves and ploughs into office building and explodes (I must stop watching all those action movies)
 
fabs said:
Yeah, I thought about something like that afterwards although mine was more dramatic. Dog runs into the road, petrol tanker swerves and ploughs into office building and explodes
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If you don't like your job, why don't you just go in and resign? Training your parents' new dog to organise that explosion just right is going to be a hell of an effort!! :whistling:
 
fabs said:
Makes sense, thanks. Were all 3 claims for the same dog?



Can't see mention of it on the quotes I've seen so far. If not for the lifetime, what would it be for?
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Yes, the one in my avatar. LV insist on every claim being accompanied by the dog's full veterinary history from it's first visit to the vet till time of claim. I did that for my first claim. Claim 2 followed in a few weeks so I thought they would only want the additional history from time of claim 1 to claim 2. Oh no - they wanted it all from day one again. Apart from that they have been brilliant.
 
arclight said:
Yes, the one in my avatar. LV insist on every claim being accompanied by the dog's full veterinary history from it's first visit to the vet till time of claim. I did that for my first claim. Claim 2 followed in a few weeks so I thought they would only want the additional history from time of claim 1 to claim 2. Oh no - they wanted it all from day one again. Apart from that they have been brilliant.
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Cheers Dougie. The quotes I've looked for state a max fee per illness or injury.

3 different conditions in 1 year? Ouch! How is doggie now?
 
fabs said:
Cheers Dougie. The quotes I've looked for state a max fee per illness or injury.

3 different conditions in 1 year? Ouch! How is doggie now?
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Touching wood - he has been first rate for almost 17 months, thanks.
 
neil_g said:
We went for pet plan lifetime cover for the 2 kittens, was the best cover for the cost we found. Quite a few people seem to recommend them.
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My vet reckons that Pet Plan is the best of all the insurers.
 
neil_g said:
We went for pet plan lifetime cover for the 2 kittens, was the best cover for the cost we found. Quite a few people seem to recommend them.
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They have a fee month on petplan at the moment but they are the most expensive quote I've seen so far

arclight said:
Touching wood - he has been first rate for almost 17 months, thanks.
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That's good to hear.
 
fabs said:
They have a fee month on petplan at the moment but they are the most expensive quote I've seen so far.
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It was a little more expensive but if I remember rightly their lifetime cover went above and beyond compared to everyone else. I'm on a train at the moment so don't have the exact details but worth a look :)
 
neil_g said:
It was a little more expensive but if I remember rightly their lifetime cover went above and beyond compared to everyone else. I'm on a train at the moment so don't have the exact details but worth a look :)
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I need to sit down with them and sort it out but I won't see them until Xmas so that gives me some time.
 
I have 13 cockatiels and 2 budgies. I cannot find a single pet insurance provider that caters for them other than the National Farmers Union. Does anybody have any other suggestions?
 
I've heard Pet Plan are a nightmare for not paying out (from a friend of mine that breeds boxers). They where on Watchdog on tv a few weeks ago for the same thing

Sent from my super duper smartphone
 
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