I have Argos Platinum. No particular issues apart from a significant increase in premium once Lilly was 5. They paid out quickly for the one claim and didn't knee jerk increase premiums after a diagnosis of hip dysplasia.
Whichever you choose, check what the limits are. I just discovered that there is a limit of 2% of the total annual payout amount for holistic care. Snowie has been having laser treatment for a bulging disc (holistic vet was recommended by my regular vet), and after submitting the last claim, the insurance company wrote back to say, Sorry, you've reached your limit with holistic care. Furthermore, they now want me to convert to a chronic plan (which I didn't know existed) because he's epileptic (even though the epilepsy meds and treatment cost very little per year). However, having said all this, I do believe having health insurance has been a money saver. Although I'm pretty sure it also made us feel more encouraged to seek veterinary advice when none was needed, just because we knew we were covered!
Insurance has definitely meant that we have gone the extra mile with things like optional diagnostic tests, eg where the vet has said 'you could do X if you really wanted to' we have done X.
Something else to consider with Pet Plan is teeth, apparently, if you don't get your vet to make a note on your dogs records that he has checked teeth and subsequent dental treatment is required Pet Plan may not pay out. I always ask them to make a note just in case.
We have pet protect, £20 per month for lifetime cover. We know it has a limit on some things but we are very happy with them and had no problems with claims we've made so far. We are only in our first year and so far no problems with them.
I'm with PetPlan (covered for life classic) no complaints they have never quibbled and are always wonderful on the phone. Last year which was my first year of cover I had to use the full £7K of cover for veterinary fees. They also paid my boarding fees while she was cared for when I was in hospital. This year the premium has gone up £2 a month, which I'm pleased about.
We decided to have no insurance. Most of the insurance companies don't cover the vet expenses. We pay a lot every month to find out that afterwards you have to pay most of the vets costs. There are a lot of insurance companies where we can turn to in holland. Even at the HEMA. We said to ourselves it is better to put some money aside each month, so that we have saved a little just in case. We ended up with our Euan with a lot of expenses. He had to have a MRI, operation an hospitalization over a weekend. Costs:€4.000,- Do we regret not having him insured? No, we regret having him had the operation. After that operation he was never without pain. Had to have pain medication quite severe. Pain medication was not under insurance. I don't know what is the right thing to do. Our little Finn still isn't insured. We asked our vet what to do. She told us to get insurance but when I asked her if she had an insurance for her dogs she responded negative, and I know one of her dogs has an severe heart condition and needed operation at the same clinic Euan was operated.... Annemarie
I am insured through the Kennel Club and, since Tara's tumour op, I have had all the paperwork out, and found that her premium this year was £100 up on last year (£450 this year). I will be having words with them, to find out why the huge hike (I pay monthly, so did not notice how much it had gone up). I would have thought that the first year would be more expensive, until 100% sure she was fit, then less for the second year. I have been recommended to try Direct Line.
My girlfriend and I bought Nationwide Pet Insurance for our lil girl. We pay $61 per month, but it has a $100 deductible and then 90/10 the rest of the year. And there isn't much they do not cover!! 2 wellness visits and our deductible was covered Easy to file a claim and very helpful over the phone with answering any questions you may have.
I'm with PetPlan in the UK. I took out an 'ultimate' insurance policy for Charlie when he was still a tiny puppy. They have paid out for stacks - he needed 2 cruciate operations, and the cover I had meant that I could just hire the best surgeon I could find regardless of cost. He had a fainting episode before one op, and was shipped off to Cambridge vet school for expert examination and then a full crash team and specialist anesthetists to be on hand for his op. It cost an arm and a leg, and the insurance company asked no questions, just sent a cheque. There was a limit on hydro and physio rehabilitation, so I paid a slug of it myself, but the insurance company still contributed £2k which is not to be sneezed at. It's an expensive policy, it's £60 a month. It's the best decision I ever made when buying products like this, and I've just bought the exact same policy for my new pup. I intend to keep it for a couple of years, hopefully won't need it again, then I'll downgrade to something cheaper. But the relief in having absolutely everything covered when I had a serious problem with Charlie was really very, very, welcome.
