Pet Insurance - Who do you use?

Renewal time for our dog so looking for advice.

I have been insured with Pet Plan since we got him. They were recommended them at the time as a decent company. I have no reason to doubt this but can’t comment as I’ve never had to claim!

He’s just turned 8 and this year’s renewal is £87 a month. It was £64 last year. So I’m assuming we’re on a pretty steep year by year climb now. We have to co-pay 20% from year 10.

For reference, he’s a small cross breed and is covered for upto £7K a year in vets bills, £2K for therapies and they cover lifelong conditions as long as you stay with them.

He’s in fine health with no issues.

I don’t begrudge spending the money on him but obviously would rather move to someone cheaper if possible.

Any pointers gratefully recieved.

Dave

We’re with Tesco,dog is 11 years old ,one claim .£85.00 per month.

After paying for insurance for my previous two dogs I have never bothered with my BT's.

Once your dog gets to eight years old the price rockets and later on it's co-pay too and that is when you often get higher vets bills. My previous BT Deana broke her leg and it cost me £1200 but I'd have spent a lot more than that in premiums over time.

If you need to, just put the money away you would have paid in premiums after all most of my dog problems have been solved with one vets visit and there is always an excess to prevent you claiming for them anyway.

Sister in law is a vet and has her pets with pet plan

She thinks you need to pick a good insurer and stay with them as generally a rival company will offer a decent year 1 rate then milk you for eternity as no one typically wants to insure an older animal without all the profit from the younger years.

Similar to Neil, we self insure now and have so far saved a few thousand pounds. Ernie’s 12 and going strong

We are with Pet Plan but IIRC it's up to £114 per month this year - she's a nine year old Staffy cross. We haven't had a claim for five or six years (she developed chronic pancreatitis when younger so had a few low level investigations but other than the occasional tummy upset is healthy). I was on the cusp of 'self insuring' this year but haven't pulled the insurance yet - though I have joined the Dogs Trust because that brings 3rd party insurance and only costs £25 pa. So when the renewal doc comes next year, I may be heading for self insurance.

It seems that when pet insurance came along vets fees went through the roof. My old vets used to charge very little till they merged with another practice and then sold out then it was a case of the bills went crazy.


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I went with self-insurance for my cat. I pay £45 a month into a spare bank account. As others mention with pet insurance, the premiums increase every year and the excess means you pay for most visits anyway.

Direct Line. Spaniel aged 9 and had 3 ops on one leg. Also has allergies and is on injections monthly. We've been paid out more than we paid in. But premiums going up now so will probably even out. It's worth it IMO. Don't have that decision do we pay or not.

Again Pet Plan, £43.00pm I/we don't know if there's a right or wrong choice, at least the wee bugger didn't cost us £3000 to buy.

I use insurance which covers up to £10k in a year on any one illness/accident. I know with the higher premiums as he gets older we might only break even or even be at a loss, but I still think it's worth it. Not having to find £3-5k for an unexpected op is what it's all about. I don't want to make that decision not to help him based on the money.

Self insurance is ok, especially if you’ve got the means to spend a few thousand, until it isn’t.

I’ve been with PetPlan for decades, and tried other companies off and on as various pets have come and gone.

I had one dog develop detached retinas, that was a near £10k bill to keep some of his eyesight. Could have had the eyes removed I suppose, would have been much cheaper, but not a great outcome for him.

I had another dog diagnosed with epilepsy when a few months old, fortunately she was with PetPlan and they covered the treatment/meds for the next 9 years.

Personally, I wouldn’t be without pet insurance, and I’ve found PetPlan whilst not the cheapest the easiest company to deal with come claim time.

One of my mates is a small animal vet, he rates PetPlan too, the claims side for the practice is also very good. The vet industry has been undergoing a lot of corporate takeover stuff, a large percentage of practices are now owned by a small number of huge companies, and like everything the last few years costs have rocketed. At the same time, treatments have progressed as well, the Cambridge based eye specialist my dog was referred to an example, an amazing place but not cheap to access. Again, personally, I’d want my dog/s to have the option of getting whatever treatments were available and not have to consider cost as a part of that process.

I’d rather they didn’t get ill or have accidents at all of course, but if they do I don’t want to be thinking about money.

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Originally Posted by Tooks

Self insurance is ok, especially if you’ve got the means to spend a few thousand, until it isn’t.

I’ve been with PetPlan for decades, and tried other companies off and on as various pets have come and gone.

I had one dog develop detached retinas, that was a near £10k bill to keep some of his eyesight. Could have had the eyes removed I suppose, would have been much cheaper, but not a great outcome for him.

I had another dog diagnosed with epilepsy when a few months old, fortunately she was with PetPlan and they covered the treatment/meds for the next 9 years.

Personally, I wouldn’t be without pet insurance, and I’ve found PetPlan whilst not the cheapest the easiest company to deal with come claim time.

One of my mates is a small animal vet, he rates PetPlan too, the claims side for the practice is also very good. The vet industry has been undergoing a lot of corporate takeover stuff, a large percentage of practices are now owned by a small number of huge companies, and like everything the last few years costs have rocketed. At the same time, treatments have progressed as well, the Cambridge based eye specialist my dog was referred to an example, an amazing place but not cheap to access. Again, personally, I’d want my dog/s to have the option of getting whatever treatments were available and not have to consider cost as a part of that process.

I’d rather they didn’t get ill or have accidents at all of course, but if they do I don’t want to be thinking about money.

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Exactly that.

Can't fault Petplan. Have our BSH cat insured through them. No quibbles, direct payments or settled within 5 days. Premiums very, very reasonable, and not hiked up year on year. They've been faultless and very compassionate in these past few months with our cats untreatable cancerous tumour :-(

Been with Petplan for 25 years with 2 Weimaraners and they have been faultless with handling claims.

they are expensive but I've had back more than I've paid in treatments; and there have been a lot.

Sadly lost the latest dog a couple of days ago and even then, spoke to Petplan and they were brilliant. Cover cancelled the day of PTS and can claim for anything outstanding up to a year.

once he was past 11 (I think) you pay 25% towards the claim and the excess, but he wracked up thousands with a variety of things over the years and they never faltered or queried the claims.

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Originally Posted by deanlad

Can't fault Petplan. Have our BSH cat insured through them. No quibbles, direct payments or settled within 5 days. Premiums very, very reasonable, and not hiked up year on year. They've been faultless and very compassionate in these past few months with our cats untreatable cancerous tumour :-(

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I misread that as your BHS/British Home Stores cat - fortunately I have a friend with BSH cats, so was able to quickly re-order the letters in my head to get what you were actually saying. But I'm very sorry to read about your cat's condition - very sad :(

Used to be with ManyPets for tne first couple of years after getting a puppy. They were fantastic but the renewal for year 3 was a bit pricey so switched to Waggel. I find the most useful feature of both the ability to get a quick video consultation with a vet for free through the app. When the dog looks slightly off-colour, always reassuring to get some free advice rather that pay for the vets.

As our dog gets older and the premium rises I'd be tempted to do what others do and pay monthly into my own "self-insurance" fund.

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Originally Posted by JonRA

We are with Pet Plan but IIRC it's up to £114 per month this year - she's a nine year old Staffy cross. We haven't had a claim for five or six years (she developed chronic pancreatitis when younger so had a few low level investigations but other than the occasional tummy upset is healthy). I was on the cusp of 'self insuring' this year but haven't pulled the insurance yet - though I have joined the Dogs Trust because that brings 3rd party insurance and only costs £25 pa. So when the renewal doc comes next year, I may be heading for self insurance.

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Just cancelled my policy (watch the little bastard break his leg now).
How do you join Dogs Trust? I looked on the website and there’s options to donate and sponsor but not ‘join’
Thanks

We’re with Tesco. Our black lab bitch is 6 and the premium went up from £38/month last year to £56/month - £7,500 of cover. Pet Plan wanted £134/month for the same cover.
Will move to self insuring in the next year or so.

Personally I would be happy to self insure, however I didn’t want to make the decision of do or do not with our family Labrador, so Petplan for us.

We used 'Many Pets' and are now with Napo. £12k of cover per year I think. £100 excess.

I think 'self-insuring' only works if you can easily afford a £5k vet fee if the worst happens.

Our Cavalier King Charles Puppy needed a double hernia operation at 6 mths old. £2.5k at a top pet hospital.

She's 18 mths old now and fortunately, no more health issues so far.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

Just cancelled my policy (watch the little bastard break his leg now).
How do you join Dogs Trust? I looked on the website and there’s options to donate and sponsor but not ‘join’
Thanks

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It looks like the membership scheme is changing but you can still get 3rd party insurance https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/support-us/membership

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Originally Posted by andy tims

We’re with Tesco. Our black lab bitch is 6 and the premium went up from £38/month last year to £56/month - £7,500 of cover. Pet Plan wanted £134/month for the same cover.
Will move to self insuring in the next year or so.

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If you are planning to self insure in a year Andy why not now? You'd have several hundred quid in the pot by then assuming hopefully nothing happens to her. In other words, carry on paying for insurance for her lifetime or self insure now, both plans make sense. But I dont understand a mixture of the two.

I've just taken on a 13 year old spaniel. She's deaf, has terrible teeth and a horrible (though thankfully benign) lump on her cheek. There's no insurance company on earth that would touch her, which one of the reasons we have her - the previous owner had to go into a care home, the charity who fostered her isn't made of money, and someone had to look after her. We're in for about £1500 already ....

We're lucky that we have a very good vet who is well aware that we're paying and will only recommend things that are genuinely in the best interest of the animal. Knowing I have a trusted vet means I'm a bit happier self-insuring.

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

I've just taken on a 13 year old spaniel. She's deaf, has terrible teeth and a horrible (though thankfully benign) lump on her cheek. There's no insurance company on earth that would touch her, which one of the reasons we have her - the previous owner had to go into a care home, the charity who fostered her isn't made of money, and someone had to look after her. We're in for about £1500 already ....

We're lucky that we have a very good vet who is well aware that we're paying and will only recommend things that are genuinely in the best interest of the animal. Knowing I have a trusted vet means I'm a bit happier self-insuring.

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Good on you, rescue dogs are always rewarding.

I do wonder about this term ‘self-insuring’, surely it’s ’not-insuring’ and simply ‘paying’?

This next bit isn’t aimed at you by the way, but ‘saving’ money for your animals rainy day is fine as long as you’re disciplined and actually save it, and no treatment is needed before you have enough banked to cover it. People who do that should also increase the amount you’re putting away each year to cover inflation and also the increased age of the animal and likelihood of requiring treatment. There’s a reason that insurance premiums go up with age when all is said and done.

Perhaps not the typical demographic on here, but the majority of people don’t have much in the way of cash savings, and what they do have can be wiped out in one illness or accident.

I mentioned earlier one of my mates is a vet, and does ‘mates rates’ for me (even though my animals are insured), but even he can’t help much if a complex leg fracture requiring specialist surgery is the treatment. That or an amputation or euthanising are often the only other options. He hates the conversations with owners clearly distraught at their much loved pets illness, often with children in tow, deliberating what treatment is required versus what they can actually afford. Owners often expect the vet practice to contribute, or do discounts for cash, or ask what charities will ride in and foot the bill, and there aren’t many. He offers payment plans, and spends an increasing amount of time and money trying to recover fees owed where he does.

If people can cover any amount in such a situation, then great, but otherwise the options are typically quite limited without insurance of some sort, which is why it’s a sensible option for most people. In an increasingly litigious society, probably worth insuring for the 3rd party aspects policies offer if nothing else.

we have insurance , why because we did not with our first cat , which got a twisted bowel at two years old, we paid 5.5K for that within 12 month she had same again and yes there was still no insurance !, we could not afford that again , together with advice that it may be a generic defect ( she was the runt of the litter) and could happen again , she was put to sleep still feel guilt to this day, i did not want another pet , wife and son collaborated to get another rescue cat, i let it stay on the proviso it had insurance which i was not paying for , so its paid for by my son& wife , had two claims so far not big ones which have been met (less x/s)but i sleep better,

Since your pooch is in tip-top shape with no health concerns, it might be worth shopping around to see if you can fetch a better deal elsewhere.

No need to stay with the same provider unless you really like them and you don't feel like they are cashing and milking you of your money

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Originally Posted by philsimm

Since your pooch is in tip-top shape with no health concerns, it might be worth shopping around to see if you can fetch a better deal elsewhere.

No need to stay with the same provider unless you really like them and you don't feel like they are cashing and milking you of your money

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Typically I insure a dog until about 7 years old, then when the premiums start to go up steeply and/or the co-pay element increases significantly I'd probably cease insurance. I know that the final few years of a dog's life are likely to be expensive, whether that's through severely hiked premiums or just paying directly. I got very frustrated not knowing if a claim would be approved/queried and seeing the insuring entity try to wriggle out of paying (yes, Animal Friends, I'm talking about you) hence relying on the Bank Of LBC.

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

Typically I insure a dog until about 7 years old, then when the premiums start to go up steeply and/or the co-pay element increases significantly I'd probably cease insurance. I know that the final few years of a dog's life are likely to be expensive, whether that's through severely hiked premiums or just paying directly. I got very frustrated not knowing if a claim would be approved/queried and seeing the insuring entity try to wriggle out of paying (yes, Animal Friends, I'm talking about you) hence relying on the Bank Of LBC.

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This is where PetPlan seem to be very good, and probably why their premiums are a bit higher, but they seem to not quibble about any legitimate claim.

The vets seem to like them too, you can imagine the hassle with owners where they thought they were covered and now they’re not.

We rescued a 2 year old dog when the owner could no longer look after her, we insured her via PetPlan and Epilepsy was excluded as I knew she already had it. When she had an episode and was hospitalised, I didn’t think I could claim due to the exclusion. The Practice noticed that the previous owner had insured her as a pup when she was diagnosed, and the insurer was PetPlan. Staying within privacy rules the vets spoke to PetPlan who agreed to cover it as they’d previously been the insurer when it was originally diagnosed and effectively transferred that inclusion to me as if I was the original owner and insurer. I was amazed, but grateful, given what I thought of insurers up to that point. She lived another 7 years or so, and they always paid up no problem.

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Originally Posted by Tooks

This is where PetPlan seem to be very good, and probably why their premiums are a bit higher, but they seem to not quibble about any legitimate claim.

The vets seem to like them too, you can imagine the hassle with owners where they thought they were covered and now they’re not.

We rescued a 2 year old dog when the owner could no longer look after her, we insured her via PetPlan and Epilepsy was excluded as I knew she already had it. When she had an episode and was hospitalised, I didn’t think I could claim due to the exclusion. The Practice noticed that the previous owner had insured her as a pup when she was diagnosed, and the insurer was PetPlan. Staying within privacy rules the vets spoke to PetPlan who agreed to cover it as they’d previously been the insurer when it was originally diagnosed and effectively transferred that inclusion to me as if I was the original owner and insurer. I was amazed, but grateful, given what I thought of insurers up to that point. She lived another 7 years or so, and they always paid up no problem.

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Cheers Tooks, I'll look into PP for the next dog. Good to have a positive review!

I’ve been with Frank for 12 months with a couple of claims in that period with no issues.

for those considering the self insure option i'd suggest putting aside a sizeable sum to start with and then a monthly, increasing, standing order.

last year my boy had an attack of vestibular syndrome, which presents almost like stroke symptoms. Further investigation via MRI (the only way to really check in their heads) and a sever inner ear infection and meningitis were diagnosed. Total cost was nearly £4,500 including the military grade antibiotics for 3 months. Prior to that he'd had MRI's for a suspected spinal issue that was another £4,000. Plenty of other stuff that added up to over £15k, possibly nearer £20k.... this for a ridiculously healthy and well looked after dog who only succumbed to cancer at 14 last week.

I know one lady who self insured with the 'supervet' and must have spent £40,000 on a variety of issues for her spaniel.

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Originally Posted by westberks

I know one lady who self insured with the 'supervet' and must have spent £40,000 on a variety of issues for her spaniel.

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Every case is different, obviously, but my vet has the view that she'd very likely not put her own dog through a good number of the things that the esteemed-by-many Dr Fitzpatrick carries out. Her view accords with mine that a fair number of the procedures, though technically marvellous, are not necessarily what's ethically right for the animal.

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

Every case is different, obviously, but my vet has the view that she'd very likely not put her own dog through a good number of the things that the esteemed-by-many Dr Fitzpatrick carries out. Her view accords with mine that a fair number of the procedures, though technically marvellous, are not necessarily what's ethically right for the animal.

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A widely held view amongst the profession, so I’m told.

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Originally Posted by westberks

for those considering the self insure option i'd suggest putting aside a sizeable sum to start with and then a monthly, increasing, standing order.

last year my boy had an attack of vestibular syndrome, which presents almost like stroke symptoms. Further investigation via MRI (the only way to really check in their heads) and a sever inner ear infection and meningitis were diagnosed. Total cost was nearly £4,500 including the military grade antibiotics for 3 months. Prior to that he'd had MRI's for a suspected spinal issue that was another £4,000. Plenty of other stuff that added up to over £15k, possibly nearer £20k.... this for a ridiculously healthy and well looked after dog who only succumbed to cancer at 14 last week.

I know one lady who self insured with the 'supervet' and must have spent £40,000 on a variety of issues for her spaniel.

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Thank you this was an informative read as our older dog has developed symptoms similar to the above, yelping in pain, tilting his head to the left, holding his left paw in the air and arching his back.

George has been to the vet twice, with another appointment this Saturday.

Very distressing as he’s gone from a very fit 16.5 year to an old boy in a week!

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

Every case is different, obviously, but my vet has the view that she'd very likely not put her own dog through a good number of the things that the esteemed-by-many Dr Fitzpatrick carries out. Her view accords with mine that a fair number of the procedures, though technically marvellous, are not necessarily what's ethically right for the animal.

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A lady we know had her brown labrador diagnosed with cancer about 4 years ago. She was offered the usual chemo and other expensive treatments but as this would have involved further stress and pain for the dog, she opted for pain relief only so at least it would be comfortable in its last months.

The dog is still happily wagging its tail today. Not sure what that tells us except that the obvious, most expensive option might not always be the best option.

Our 7-year-old moggy is only about £8 a month to insure so it's a no-brainer at the moment. I'm sure once she reaches double figures so will the premiums.

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Originally Posted by A440

I went with self-insurance for my cat. I pay £45 a month into a spare bank account. As others mention with pet insurance, the premiums increase every year and the excess means you pay for most visits anyway.

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That’s what we have done, our cat currently has enough to buy himself a nice 41mm OP.

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Originally Posted by Snoodles

Thank you this was an informative read as our older dog has developed symptoms similar to the above, yelping in pain, tilting his head to the left, holding his left paw in the air and arching his back.

George has been to the vet twice, with another appointment this Saturday.

Very distressing as he’s gone from a very fit 16.5 year to an old boy in a week!

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for the suspected spinal issue it turned out to be muscular. I was simultaneously getting massage therapy and hydrotherapy that fixed it, whilst the vets were steering towards another 3k of MRI. That was 7 years ago though and he never had any issues on that front since. hope yours is ok

vestibular is a really scary condition initially and can go away after a few days. It just depends what the underlying cause (if any) is. it can be age related or a number of other things.

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

Every case is different, obviously, but my vet has the view that she'd very likely not put her own dog through a good number of the things that the esteemed-by-many Dr Fitzpatrick carries out. Her view accords with mine that a fair number of the procedures, though technically marvellous, are not necessarily what's ethically right for the animal.

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this poor dog would have been PTS a long time before it eventually was; the owner thought she was doing the best for him; i just thought it was cruel. went on for a few years

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

I've just taken on a 13 year old spaniel. She's deaf, has terrible teeth and a horrible (though thankfully benign) lump on her cheek. There's no insurance company on earth that would touch her, which one of the reasons we have her - the previous owner had to go into a care home, the charity who fostered her isn't made of money, and someone had to look after her. We're in for about £1500 already ....

We're lucky that we have a very good vet who is well aware that we're paying and will only recommend things that are genuinely in the best interest of the animal. Knowing I have a trusted vet means I'm a bit happier self-insuring.

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Well done that man. Wonderful that the dog has a loving home in the twilight of her life.

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Originally Posted by Ruggertech

If you are planning to self insure in a year Andy why not now? You'd have several hundred quid in the pot by then assuming hopefully nothing happens to her. In other words, carry on paying for insurance for her lifetime or self insure now, both plans make sense. But I dont understand a mixture of the two.

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Because I expect next years premium hike to be even bigger + from 8 years old we'd have to pay 20% of any vets bill.

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Originally Posted by Mj2k

That’s what we have done, our cat currently has enough to buy himself a nice 41mm OP.

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Sounds like he has good taste :)

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Originally Posted by andy tims

Because I expect next years premium hike to be even bigger + from 8 years old we'd have to pay 20% of any vets bill.

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Makes sense, thanks.

LVIC - £22 quid a month for lifetime all singing all dancing bla bla.

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Originally Posted by A440

Sounds like he has good taste :)

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My wife has informed me that he’s not buying me one.

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Originally Posted by JonRA

It looks like the membership scheme is changing but you can still get 3rd party insurance https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/support-us/membership

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Thanks Jon, I’ve just joined. Good to have third party cover just in case.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

Thanks Jon, I’ve just joined. Good to have third party cover just in case.

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My pleasure Dave :)