About Pet Insurance
So, you’ve brought home you puppy and think you might need pet insurance cover of some sort, or maybe you’re not happy with the cover you have and want to change it. You ask yourself if you really need it, can you afford it, she’ll not get ill, will she?
Well, the truth is that dogs get ill or have accidents the same as we do. Hopefully, she’ll stay healthy just like you want her to. But what do you think you should do about cover, just to be on the safe side?
To help you decide, maybe you should read a few articles and join forums to see what experiences or advice you can gain. I know that various factors come in to play regarding how the cost of policies are worked out.
- The age of your dog
- The breed of dog
- The cost of your dog
- The type of policy you choose
- Your Post Code(in the UK at least)
Whatever you do, if considering a policy, read the small print two or maybe three times. Digest what it means, you know how hard it is to understand the wording of documents; ask if you don’t understand certain stipulations.
You might well get a quote from a company for cover that almost blows you away and put you off for life, but if so, first consider this, what would happen if your dog had an accident or a condition that was to cost thousands and you had no cover? Just take the example below which happened to my son and his girlfriend.
They brought a beautiful chocolate labrador puppy home when he was 10 weeks old. All was well until they went to the Lake District for the weekend when he was 11 months old. Out walking he seemed in pain so they took him to the vet when they got home. Turned out he had hip dysplasia which meant his hip sockets were abnormal, and he had to have both hips replaced. He had one done first and then a few months later he had the other one done. Total cost was over £6000.
Now, lucky for them they had just taken out a policy with the highest level of cover. A reinstatement policy which meant that they had a certain amount of cover for one year, and then each year, that amount was available again. Imagine the horror of not having a cover that would have provided enough for the operations.
Now, I know that that was an extreme case, but it did happen, and none of us know what’s round the corner. Some people may argue that it’s better for them to put an amount of money aside per month in case of emergencies. This is true when you think of the amount you are likely to pay out over the years in premiums, only to not have to claim (hopefully). But which is best? Just weigh up the pros and cons.
Compare the insurance offered by different companies. You may find a cheaper policy but find that you might only be covered for 1 year for a condition, so if your pet had a particular problem, after that year, you could not claim again for it.
Bear in mind the excess that companies charge. It can vary, and the experience that I had was that once my dog reached 9 or 10, his excess amount shot up from £50 to £90. That was when we decided to change companies and we did find one that covered older dogs with a more reasonable excess.
Some companies will not cover dogs over a certain age. Check whether you can cover a pet for a condition that he has had before or an existing condition. They may not cover for it.
You can get good cover by searching around, but make sure that the policy will cover you for what you want. Usually, routine things won’t be covered, such as yearly innoculations, check – ups, flea treatments and clipping of nails etc. These are things you will be visiting the vet for over the years, so you’ll have the cost of those as well as your insurance premiums. Your dog is worth it and dog lovers tend to want the best for their pets. Just make sure you’re getting the best value for them.
