I have just changed my girls over to Tesco pet insurance as that's where I got the best deal after shopping around after getting a big leap in renewal from my old insurer and had claimed nothing from them in the last year and I have 3 dogs

 

I found Animal Friends the most 'reasonable' price wise. Went for the life time cover which I'm thankful for as my Westie has all sorts of problems and they've paid out pretty well so far.

 

I'm with MoreThan, it's just under £9 per month, for one small cross breed dog . I'm a student, this was the cheapest cover I could find which actually covered medical expenses, rather than just "accident" or 3rd party.

MoreThan covers £3000 worth of vets bills per condition (for 12 months, or until limit is reached). It also covers funding a reward should your dog get lost, £500 kenneling fees if you are hospitalised (by a non-preexisting condition), and dental work if it is the result of an accident. I think it covers £500 of alternative therapies (e.g hydrotherapy). It also covers 3rd party (i.e if you dog mauls someone ).There are excess fees, but I can't remember what it is at the moment.

What it does not cover is general dental work, spaying/neutering, vaccinations, special feeds, worming/fleaing, or breeding complications. It also specifically rules out paying for treatment for things your dog should be vaccinated against.

I actually haven't had to claim anything from them yet, so I don't know how reliable they actually are.

To be honest, in future I might look at increasing the "£3000" limit per condition to something higher, since apparently if you dog gets a complicated condition £3000 doesn't go very far.

 

I found Animal Friends the most 'reasonable' price wise. Went for the life time cover which I'm thankful for as my Westie has all sorts of problems and they've paid out pretty well so far.

Ooo, I looked at this company when I was trying to insure my pup...but in the end decided not to go with it, since the company had some dodgy reviews when Googled. Just wondering whether you've had to make any claims with them, and if so whether they've been hassle-free?

 

I'm with pets at home and they paid out very quickly when i claimed a couple of years ago

 

Best is "lifetime" cover where you have an amount in the pot which is re-set each year, e.g. a lot of policies have around £7000 but you can get less and you can get more. If you claim it is taken off the £7,000 (or whatever your policy limit is) but upon renewal it goes back to the original amount and whatever you claimed for will still be covered as long as you stay with the same insurer.

Beware of "per condition" policies because some of these say, for example, £3,000 per condition. Once you've used up that £3,000 then there is no more for the particular condition you've claimed for even if it is an ongoing/lifelong condition.

It really is a minefield and you need to research thorough and make sure you understand exactly what your policy is offering.

My vet only recommends PetPlan, John Lewis and M & S and says to stay well away from E & L and any company underwritten by E & L. PetPlan are popular with a lot of vets as they will pay the vet directly but I found them the most expensive when I was looking. I went with John Lewis but they have walloped me with a 120% increase this year and a small claim of £302 has played a part in that. JL also increased my son's renewal by 60% this year although he has not claimed for anything. RSA are the underwriters for JL and a lot of others and it is the underwriters who are imposing the increases (they set the premiums not whoever sells you the policy) so you could check out who the underwriters are for any policy you are considering.

Bear in mind that any first year discount/online discount will make the premium more attractive when you take it out and if you stay with the same company on renewal you will lose these discounts so the premium for the second year will go up a fair bit.

Also remember that if you do make a claim then it makes it virtually impossible to change companies upon renewal as anything that you have claimed for and anything in your vet's records that shows clinical signs or symptoms will be classed as a pre-existing condition and will be excluded by a new insurer.

 

I found Animal Friends the most 'reasonable' price wise. Went for the life time cover which I'm thankful for as my Westie has all sorts of problems and they've paid out pretty well so far.

Nanuqs with them too, Ive found them very good, shes had several claims one for 1600 for a brain scan, and had a lifetime ongoing condition for the last nearly 3 years and they have paid out claims with no hassles at all.

Shes got the life time cover too.

 

Only two of mine are insured - one with a basic deal from Tesco, while the youngster has pricier coverage with John Lewis but a much better value package (plus good deal for long term health problems).

Avoid E & L like the plague.

 

What ever you do make sure its a life time or life long policy. That way if she gets a re-occurring illness, a similar type of illness, Later complications or developes a life long condition requiring on going medication and tests, as long as you stay with them you can continue to claim.

Beware of limited policies, these usually only cover you for 12mths from accident or illness/diagnosis. Meaning after 12mths you cant claim anymore and as they tend to group illness into types too, that can mean something like one digestive tract illness will exempt you from anything to do with digestive problems.

Beware of per condition policies too, some only cover you up to a certain amount per condition and as they are often grouped into types of illness rather then individual illnesses it can soon get used up, especially if something happens that causes a large bill. After you have reached the monetary maxium per condition then you cant claim anymore usually as its limited to that amount only.

Having said that one of mine has an animal friends life time cover and that's 6000 per condition per year but as its life time, even if I use up the 6000 on one condition in a year its re-instated in full the following year so I can continue to claim.