I love this topic - it's one I get asked about quite often so I have a pretty thorough answer.
I think choosing insurance is a bit of a marmite topic; you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I hate choosing car insurance but, much like when I was choosing dog food, I have spent many an hour pouring over various websites and reading the oh so small print so that I could make the best decision possible when it came to choosing an insurance provider for my boys. So sit back, relax, and let me tell you everything I think you need to know when choosing dog insurance.
I have used PetPlan for Barney and Archie ever since day 1 and they are definitely my number 1 recommendation (not a sponsor) but I did look at changing insurer a few years ago when I received a renewal quote that was eye-wateringly expensive. Spoiler alert: after doing my research I ended up staying with PetPlan and have remained with them happily ever since, because now I know what the alternatives are.
What I found when I began shopping around was that no other insurer offered the same level of cover for less or even equal cost. A lot of the cheaper providers had all sorts of caveats like:
not covering dental (this is surprisingly common)
not covering certain conditions
not covering accidents! (I couldn't believe that one when I read it!)
requiring you to have had the policy for several months before you could make a claim (one month is standard)
requiring you to have had the policy a whole year before you could claim for certain conditions
not covering pets over a certain age
This is where my diligence for reading the small print really paid off. I couldn't believe the exceptions that some providers had in place and in the end it boiled down to the simple fact that I wouldn't get the equivalent cover for my dogs that I had with PetPlan with any other provider for any cheaper.
The Best Advice I Have Ever Received Regarding Pet Insurance:
Way back when I was a new dog owner (twelve years ago) my godmother gave me the single most useful piece of advice regarding insurance. She said: make sure you get a policy that pays out per condition per year not just per condition and not just per year. You don't want to reach the limit of your policy for one condition and find they won't pay out any more for it or that they won't pay out for anything else that comes up during the same year.
Another big factor when it comes to insurance is that ALL insurers increase your excess as your pet gets older and when your dog reaches a certain age, you will have to start paying a percentage of the vets fees yourself, usually 15-20%.
The big difference I found between PetPlan and other insurers was that PetPlan set the age at which I had to pay 20% of all vet fees at 10 years old. Every other provider I researched set that age at 7. Three years is a long time to be paying 20% of vet fees, especially with small dogs that have a much longer lifespan than larger breeds.
At this point, it's also worth mentioning that your renewal will go up every year. Unfortunately it just does so you might as well make your peace with that fact sooner rather than later. Your insurance premium is also affected by the same things that impact your house and car insurance; primarily, where you live, so if you change address during the time that your dog is insured, be prepared for your premium to change too. This isn't always a bad thing, I was very pleasantly surprised when my premiums actually went down last year when we all moved in with my boyfriend. Cheers Watson!
The other useful things I have found with my two boys is that a lot, if not all, providers offer a multi-pet discount which saves you some money in the long run but more usefully, some providers offer lifelong cover. Now this is something I do recommend as it means that you will not suddenly lose your cover if your provider decides you are too expensive to keep on the records. This is especially useful if your dog were to develop a condition that requires lifelong treatment. Yes, your premiums will probably go up, but better that than you lose your cover altogether.
In so far as I can offer any advice, I will say that I recommend insuring your dog when they're a puppy and opting for lifelong cover. I daresay that it is one of the reasons why I couldn't find cheaper cover elsewhere when I was looking as my boys weren't young dogs when I started looking.
You might also be interested in or benefit from knowing that regular insurers will not cover aggressive dogs, guard dogs or dogs that have been trained with the Armed Forces. Some insurers will also have policies around rescue dogs and dogs with unknown backgrounds so if you are looking to adopt a rescue, do your research regarding insurance first. There are specialist insurers that offer cover where the big name brands won't, for example a quick Google search shows that Peacock Insurance offer bespoke security dog insurance. Lovely. Retired police dog, here I come.
Do I Even Need Insurance?
This is a question only you can answer but my two cents is that you're paying for peace of mind and that is priceless.
For me, knowing that I can give my boys any care they need in an emergency without having to worry about the cost is worth every penny that I pay for their insurance. In the twelve years that I have owned them, they have racked up thousands of pounds of vet bills and they're not even mischievous, flighty or sickly dogs. Life just happens. Archie brings out the worst in other dogs because they sense he is the weakest member of the pack and has been attacked more than once. Barney sprouted a suspicious lump in his groin and developed an ultimately unrelated drinking problem at the same time. All the while, I have been able to make as many appointments with the vets as I needed to put my mind at ease, without having to worry about being able to afford all the tests and scans that were necessary.
But I am a worrier. Maybe you're not. One of my best friends doesn't insure her dog and instead puts money aside each month to pay for bills as and when they come up. Maybe this is the solution for you? Personally, that wouldn't give me the same peace as mind as insurance does because I have seen first hand how expensive vet bills can be. Her philosophy is, why spend £100 a month on insurance when I can put £100 a month into a pot and use it when I need to? Her belief is that she won't ever need to use £1200 of cover in a single year. My belief is that I have used £1200 of cover in one year, plus more.
With any pet related question, it's all relative and every owners situation is different and individual. Insurance might not even be for you but if you do decide to insure your dog, as a summary, I think the key things to check are:
Will they even insure your dog? (eg: dangerous breeds but also age)
Do they cover everything you might need? (eg: dental)
Do they cover accidents as well as illnesses?
How long do you have to have held the policy before you can make a claim?
Do they offer lifelong cover?
How old will your dog be before you start paying a percentage of vet fees?
So there you have it; my reasonably quickfire guide on what you should consider when buying pet insurance. I do hope you've found this helpful and if you have any questions or any advice to contribute on points that I have missed then I would love to hear from you. Until next time,
Forever paws,
Aislinn 🐾
Commentaires