Good morning all. I think my puppy comes with 4 weeks health insurance. Am I best keeping that one going, or are there any reccomendations for a good insurer? And how much on average can i expect to pay?I'm new to this so I'm not sure what to look for, and you hear so many stories of being unable to claim after years of paying into a policy. I'd like an idea of what is a standard package/ price please!
Hi and welcome @Debh18 Re: insurance, agreed it is a bit of minefield out there! Some considerations for you. Lifetime insurance policies are good, these ones that cover any illness for life, excluding pre-existing conditions. For example, your dog develops a joint problem, within the time you started the policy, then this condition is treated up to the limit of your policy, year on year. Each new year you simply pay the excess once. Generally, excesses are around the £100 mark. Limits...go as high as your budget will allow. Personally, I go for around the £7,000 mark and above. Watch out for exclusions! Check and double check. Some policies are cheap initially for a reason, they either hike up after a year, or the small print makes it complicated to claim for common ailments for that particular breed. 3rd party liability should be included. Complimentary therapy, such as physio, hydrotherapy is very useful! Check out their policy on second opinions/referrals. If your dog needs to go for an orthopaedic consult, I would like to know I have a bit of choice in which specialist we see, and not be beholden to an extremely limited list. Finally, it is really what you pay for, Petplan is the company we use, yes they are expensive, but they have always paid out, are easy to communicate with, and with 4 animals insured, they haven't hiked the premiums up each year over and above what I would call acceptable. I have heard horror stories where premiums have doubled in a year or two because the policyholder has claimed for an expensive, ongoing condition this has made it difficult to switch insurers.
