Puppy Insurance

[Flumpkin]

Hi all,

Hope this is ok to post but looking for advice on best insurance to go for. I am thinking life time cover. I have a 12 yr old who we had from ages 5 and the premiums go up a lot year on year.

Going to try the comparison sites but worried I will miss something in the small print. Any recommendations or things to look out for?

thanks
Flump x

 

[Tinytom]

I have always used Petplan ...they maybe a little more expensive but have always paid out and the great thing is will pay your vets direct so if you have a £5,000 Bill you only have to outlay the excess and the price depends on breed of dog you are insuring. ..

 

[JoanneF]

I think there does come a time when you know that even if a serious condition is diagnosed, you aren't going to opt for surgery and other invasive treatments. It's a tough choice because it is a recognition your dog is ageing.

And that's when I'd revisit insurance. Whether I'd stop it completely depends on whether there are other things like ongoing meds, but I might downgrade it. And it's always worth keeping third party cover, which is very cheap or, I believe, free if you join the Dogs Trust.

 

[Flumpkin]

Thank you for your replies, good point about revisiting as they get older. We have cover with pet plan currently for his first month. They did seem quite expensive but the easy settling of claims would be very useful. X

 

[Inka]

As your dog is getting older, insurance premiums do rise considerably and it depends on if you have any ongoing health issues with your dog that is likely to require more/expensive vet bills' what stops you opening a bank account and putting the money you now pay in insurance premiums each month into that account, so if/when you need the vet you have the money already there.

Geneally it is advised with (all other) insurance you at least check other companies to compare rates, so you can go back to the one you use to try to get a better deal from them and in my experience of doing this they always match or give you a better price BUT personally I feel with pet insurance the older the pet gets the more they ask for in premiums and it is near impossible to get a good/better deal when you are insuring an older pet.

A friend has two dogs aged 12yrs and 7yrs always insured them with Directline, last year her premiums nearly doubled, so she compared and also phoned Directline as a 'new' customer and they came out less than what she was already paying the year before, so after a chat with them, they told her she could have the 'new price' to keep her custom.... worth a try!

 

[JoanneF]

Geneally it is advised with (all other) insurance you at least check other companies to compare rates,

But with pet insurance, the companies are well aware that new insurers will not cover pre-existing conditions; so they know you are tied to them and they don't have to work very hard to keep your custom.

 

[Inka]

But with pet insurance, the companies are well aware that new insurers will not cover pre-existing conditions; so they know you are tied to them and they don't have to work very hard to keep your custom.

Yes that is true