Why should I insure my pet?

Having insurance for your pet removes the financial burden if your pet becomes unwell or has an accident. In many circumstances it’s the only way owners can afford veterinary treatment and should be considered by all pet owners prior to adopting or buying a new pet.

 

How much does insurance cost?

The cost of your insurance policy payments will depend on your pet’s age, breed and on the individual policy provider. It will vary depending on your excess payment, yearly claim limit and type of policy. Older dogs often have an additional percentage to pay towards treatment also.

 

What is an insurance excess payment?

An excess payment is payable by the policyholder for each individual condition claimed per renewal year.

 

Do you recommend a particular insurance provider?

We do not affiliate with a particular company so cannot advise a specific insurance provider. We recommend owners do their own research and most importantly read the small print on the policy, avoid switching insurance providers and look for a lifetime policy or a policy with a good monetary maximum per condition. We can help you to access four weeks free insurance with Petplan for puppies and kittens that purchase our vaccination packages.

 

What is a lifetime policy?

Lifetime cover means you can claim for a condition up to your maximum limit for the lifetime of your pet. If you keep your pet insured with the same company for life, you should be able to continue claiming for a condition every year if you have lifetime cover. However, you do still have to pay your yearly policy excess per condition and every policy will have a yearly claim limit.

 

What happens if I change from one insurance policy to another?

When swapping insurance policies, any pre-existing conditions are unlikely to be covered by your new provider even if you swap from one lifetime policy to another. This includes conditions that your animal has had that you have never claimed for.

 

What is a pre-existing condition?

A pre-existing condition is a health condition your pet has had in the past. It can be something you’ve claimed on your insurance policy previously or something never claimed for. Anything on your pet’s veterinary history is classed as pre-existing so it’s important to consider this when thinking about changing insurance providers.

 

Can I keep switching my pet insurance provider like I do with my car insurance?

It is not advisable to change your pet insurance provider. Any pre-existing conditions will be exempt from your new policy, so you must consider this when thinking about changing to a new insurance provider.

 

How do I make a claim on my insurance policy?

We advise owners to contact their insurance company when considering making a claim for their pet. When coming in for your appointment, please bring your insurance documents and claim form with the policy holder section completed and signed. There is an administration fee for processing a new claim and a reduced fee for future claims for the same condition which is NOT covered by your insurance policy.

 

Where do I get an insurance claim form from?

You can get copies of your insurance claim forms from your insurance provider. They are usually sent to the policyholders when the policy is initially taken out. They are also often downloadable online.

 

What’s the difference between a direct claim and a customer claim?

A customer claim is where the pet owner pays for all their pet’s treatment upfront and treatment costs are paid back to the policyholder by the insurance company. A direct claim is where you pay your insurance excess fee, and then the outstanding treatment amount is claimed back directly to the veterinary practice. For both the direct and customer claims, the admin fee for processing the claim is payable by the policyholder. Insurance policies do not cover this admin fee.

 

We are happy to undertake direct claims from most insurance companies but this is done as a goodwill gesture and requires the claim to be paid in a timely fashion

 

Are there any conditions that you can’t undertake a direct claim for?

We are unable to undertake direct claims for dental procedures, therefore payment for these operations must be settled by the owner at time of treatment. Costs can then be claimed back payable to the owner. This is due to dental procedures being a common exemption from most insurance policies.

 

How long have my insurance providers got to pay out for a direct claim for my pet?

If treatments costs are not paid by the insurance company in six weeks, the bill defaults to the responsibility of the owner and should be settled with the practice immediately. It is then the owner’s responsibility to contact their insurance company to discover what is delaying their claim.

 

How do I find out my insurance policy excess?

Please contact your insurance policy provider to find out the excess fee for your policy. This is usually stated in your policy documents. If you are unsure of your policy excess amount, it is practice procedure to take a payment of £100. If this ends up being more than your policy excess, we will refund you the difference once the claim is paid in full.

 

Do I have to bring a claim form in every time I have treatment that I want to claim on the insurance?

If a direct claim, yes. We require a signed and completed claim form each time you bring your pet in for treatment. If a customer claim where you pay for treatment as you go, you can bring your claim form in whenever you would like us to claim the money back for you. However, always read your policy small print as they sometimes have time limits on how long after treatment you can claim for a condition.