Reply With QuoteIn my experience it's a total racket and you are much better putting the money aside and being self-insured as they put up the premiums so much each year it becomes eye watering.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations
We’ve just got another cat and at 3 years old taking out pet insurance seems reasonable
We didn’t bother as our last cat adopted us when they were 12ish and we were happy to self insure but now we want to get a policy
I’ve had a quick search on here but couldn’t see any recommendations on who to use / avoid so I’d welcome any pointers
A search on comparison sites throws up options from £5pm upwards
As a guide I’m looking at accident and illness cover with a minimum of £2k cover and whole life cover
In my experience it's a total racket and you are much better putting the money aside and being self-insured as they put up the premiums so much each year it becomes eye watering.
That is definitely not my experience.Originally Posted by 200mwaterresistant
FWIW we had our last cat insured with Argos. When he was 11, he developed feline infectious peritonitis and sadly died. This was back in 2011 and we burned through 5k of cover in the 5 months he had left with us. I was really grateful we had the cover in place as I was a medical student at the time, and cash was tight.
Our two new cats have been with PetPlan ever since. They are now 10 and the premiums have increased slightly each year but nothing worth changing.
For peace of mind, it is worth having, trust me!
^^^^This^^^^
Insurance company squirmed they way out of every issue my dog had (Doberman) and the vet always seemed to charge just below the excess.
Unless you have a dog which is prone to specific issues and THEY ARE covered its as worthless as most insurance.
Not this^^^^
That! Lol ^^^
^^^^
We are having a new kitten on Wednesday and he is quite an expensive breed so I'm also looking at insurance for the first time. Never bothered before, our first cat lived to 16 and not counting neutering and jabs I probably didn't have to spend more than £200 on him in the vets in total. Our second cat who also lived to 16 passed away last summer and I had a £470 bill shortly before she died, and a £400 bill the year before that, and a small smattering of £100-150's dotted throughout her time. Not much in the great scheme of things but these last two bills alone add up to about 8 years insurance costs.
I've only had a quote form the co-op so far. The cheaper premium pays up to 2k per condition in any one year with no limit on the number of conditions, but doesn't pay for a condition that is ongoing after the first years payment. The more expensive option pays up to 5k max in a year, but will continue to pay out indefinitely for an ongoing condition.
I'm of the opinion that if he developes an expensive ongoing condition that requires expensive treatment year after year I would perhaps be keeping him alive for me rather than his own quality of life. So will likely opt for the cheaper option.
Good luck with that. You won't put the money aside, people never do, and when you face a bill for a few thousand you'll wish you'd insured.
We're insured for our spaniel with Direct Line. It isn't cheap, but he has some problems which have an ongoing cost of about £750 a year, add in all the other things that can happen from time to time and it soon adds up. We had some hefty bills for our last spaniel, including 2 cruciate ligament operations and a tumour (benign) removal among others. They always paid out with no quibble, although we do have to pay upfront and then claim it back which isn't a problem.
When you have to claim you don't want to be arguing the toss with the insurance company, and touch wood we've never had any problems. We always have cover with a high limit and which resets every year.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
We are with Petplan and never had an issue but now thinking we are better sticking the monthly premium away and self insure.
Petplan without any doubt, having 3 dogs over the past 20 years we’ve never had a single problem, there is a small excess and they pay the vet directly, we have a life cover which is piece of mind. This year we’ve had a mast cell tumor removed from our youngest choccie and it would have cost around 2k. We paid 70. Oh and btw, no I’d have never put the money away,
Same here...
We used to have 4 dogs and the wife and I put £100 per month away. Luckily we never really used it other than one dog needing an £1800 MRI, but the money was there for that.
In the end we had over £5k in the dog account. 2 dogs died, so I bought a new watch..👍
I can save the op about 30 posts here. Either get the cover or you don’t. If you think you’ll put the money away fill your boots, if you think you’ll let it slip get the cover. You’ll just have to hope the amount of money you stuck away covers the bill.
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 1st January 2021 at 20:37.
Thanks for the feedback so far. Just to clarify it’s not a ‘Should we’ but who should we use.
Sounds like pet plan are used by two or three of those who’ve replied so I’ll look at them as they don’t appear on the price comparison I used
Any more to used or avoid ?
How much are people paying for their monthly premium?
We have two beagles, we put £70 a month away in a savings account. We currently have 4k in there. In actual fact i think i transfered most of it into PB`s so it also contributes to the chances of winning a bit there, too.
Now, i know that 4K could be wiped out overnight in unexpected vetinary expenses but in my experience in having owned dogs for most of my life i`ve never had to lay down that sort of wedge. It`s a gamble, i know, but so far this system works for us.
All the usual vets fees for the `normal` ailments throughout the year also comes out of this savings account.
I`m a little bit hesitant in mentioning it - in case it prompts a bit of bad luck, one of the dogs gets ill, and the funds are depleted......
Petplan user here as well. Sure, it's not cheap and there will always be the self insurance/savings argument.
I've 2 Springer Spaniels. The oldest one has needed surgery twice. The first time he swallowed whole a latex medical glove, needed slicing open and part of his intestine removed.
2nd time he swallowed whole a baby apple which fell in our garden. He needed slicing open and part of his intestine removed.
Dumb ass!
Anyway in both cases the bill was £2k+ and there was absolutely no challenge in getting Petplan to pay up.
He also has hip dysplasia, and if/when he needs a hip replacement we will be very grateful for the insurance as the cost of that is eye watering. Talking many times the cost already paid out above.
The youngest, on Christmas Eve, was confirmed to be allergic to a whole host of meats/food. Should it get serious, we expect the insurance will help.
Petplan here. Yes it’s a monthly cost. But it allows you the formidable luxury of choosing what’s best for your pet, rather than what you can afford.
Like all insurance, statistically you will lose money.
But you’ll never have to choose to put him/her down because you can’t afford a chronic treatment anymore.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
We use animal friends, always quick to pay out and non profit too
Pet Plan without a doubt. Our German Shepherd would have cost us far far more than the total of our monthly insurance premiums over the years. Not once, have they questioned a claim and their service has been faultless. At 9 years old, we now pay almost £90 per month but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
we also use petplan although never made a claim so couldn’t advise on wether the service is good or not.
I’m with the RSPCA ( Covea ) and would avoid them at all costs.
Currently have claim going through since July and the total vets bill was £220. If the claim is honoured it’s a reimbursement of £120. They are unbelievable in requesting information that I don’t have and the pet had no history. I picked the pet up from an RSPCA centre during Lockdown and sourced cover from them on collection. I have since found out that 2 members of staff (RSPCA) won’t ’insure their pets with them due to previous issues. I wouldn’t mind, but accepted to pay a premium as it carries the name RSPCA.
B
Last edited by bomberman; 1st January 2021 at 22:06.
Petplan here as well. Really good to deal with and pay the vet direct. Be very careful of some insurance companies and do due diligence. Some are a nightmare and many people that save monthly will have had poor experiences with such companies and bracket them all together. Petplan have a good reputation for a reason. They don’t mess you about when you are distressed and upset when a much loved pet is ill or injured..... If you do decide to save as some have suggested remember that a simple operation now can cost 3-4K. That will take a few years of saving £100pm. One of my pups had tests within the first three months that included a specialist MRI. The,whole testing and treatment would have cost over £3,000 in total within three months. I paid £100 which was the excess.... had a number of claims now with both dogs and never had a problem.
If you have a good vet who you can trust ask them which company to use i.e. which companies pay up and do not try to squirm out of any claims. There are some truly rotten pet insurance companies out there.
You have done well with them. I am not sure that they are still not for profit and there appears to be lots of complaints about them on some of the forums I am on. The reviews are a concern when you have a look at them.
For those who say insurance is a rip off, I say this.
From our personal experience with italian Spinone's over 20 years, I would be stupid not to insure;
-Flossie, our first spin had an hemangosarcoma, went to AHT in Newmarket for treatment which cost several thousand pounds but she had another 3 good years.
-Jinx brain tumour, kept her for over 2 years total bill £27k
-Jinny had a severe skin allergy which was treated at AHT, over a thousand a year just for treatment. She passed away with a intestinal cancer after an op costing over £3k.
-Teddy had lymphoma and we had him for an extra 18months at a cost of £17k
I think you may agree that paying £70+ per month with Petplan (ultimate), who have had our business throughout, for our current 2 spins (I know, but we love them and wouldn't be without one) is money well spent in view of what we have experienced.
Having a poorly pet is bad enough without having the additional worry of how we are going to pay for treatment. We had the best treatment for our dogs and at no time did we have to think that keeping them was prohibitive. We knew when the time was right, but cost was never a factor in that final duty.
The alternative is a huge loan, using your savings, or would you believe crowdfunding (I kid you not, I have seen this; "I don't insure, it's a mugs game, oh, will you pay for me please").
Petplan is expensive but it's peace of mind, and we have had our money's worth. Cats are cheaper to insure but it's still worth getting a really comprehensive policy, both of ours are insured with Petplan.
^^^^I`d change breeds if i were you.
Petplan.
My parents had life cover and the premiums went up every year until they reached over 500. By then the dog was over 10 and no one else would insure
They are not allowed to recommend a company. A good (vet) friend said that as a vet he couldn’t but as a friend, petplan.
They’ve been very good. The fact they pay the vet direct avoids a costly cash flow issue.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Another vote for PetPlan here, and our vets (and our daughter who is also a vet) also recommend them.
I use Tesco,not made a claim in seven years .My patterdale is going for cruciate surgery next week they say I’m covered ,phew 4K is a chunk of change.
Lol, sensible head would agree with you.
Mrs Beanie was lured into the showing scene, with some success, and then it was suggested that she should have a litter which she enjoyed doing. We only had 4 litters in total from successive generations until it became clear that cancer, and indeed epilepsy was an issue in our lines at which point we had our bitch spayed.
That being said, we just love them and in fairness a lot of pedigree breeds have congenital health issues.
Modern veterinarian medicine has progressed to the extent that we can now give our pets a longer, but good quality life than was previously the case. It just costs more and is only an option if you have deep pockets, or good insurance.
Sounds like pet plan is the consensus and it’s within a few £’s of other insurance so job done, thanks for all the responses
We just got 2 French bulldogs and insure with Bought By Many, 15k a year cover and the premium is equivalent to the membership of the poshest golf course in my area, I know that as I’m now not about to be a member anytime soon
However every time you speak to someone that knows anything about FBs without fail 2 things happen, they snigger and then say I hope you have decent insurance
My last dog, a Douge DeBordeux maxed out my insurance every year for the last 3 years of her life, in fact I was £80 a month short in her final year
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My small pure breed puppy cost £500/year on the top tier PetPlan plan, rising to £550 and then £600/year for the 2nd and 3rd years. I never made a claim and he was in perfect health. When I came to renew the 4th year they added a load of exclusions and I just gave up. He’d seen the vet for what was (to the vet) a very obviously harmless skin lesion / mole. Despite this PetPlan said at renewal they’d exclude anything to do with skin going forwards. My vet wrote a letter for me saying this was bonkers and they didn’t care. They also made exclusions for anything heart related because at the 1 year old health check the vet said she thought she could hear a murmur which she then very rapidly decided wasn’t actually there at all, and all subsequent checkups the murmur was never heard. The vet said she thought there never was a murmur and she’d been mistaken. Still, PetPlan refused to cover anything heart related. So; I’m in the ‘it’s a scam’ camp although stopped getting the insurance for these reasons rather than my own choice. I just hope I’ll manage should anything bad happen.
PS I chose PetPlan as the vet said they were the best company and actively recommended them, FWIW to the OP.
When I first got Petplan they were the only company to offer life cover, which means no condition is excluded as long as you renew the policy.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Pet Plan and then never switch provider. More expensive in the beginning but cheaper overall in the long run.
PetPlan were brilliant with our last dog. They paid out a small, fortune for two separate issues. One a 3rd party dog attack, one long term cancer care.
However, we’re now with Sainsbury’s for our current dog. We would have stayed with PetPlan but unfortunately had a bad experience when looking to take their cover, as a continuation of the insurance provided by the breeder. The cover on offer is very, very similar (near enough the same tbh) and they have already paid out twice, as our dog had meningitis in his early life. He’s fine now but I was pleased we had the Sainsbury’s cover, as they also offer the direct vet payments that we’ve always been used to with PetPlan.
Nick
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It’s a difficult one, a toss up between Pet Plan as they cover conditions for life; but are expensive, yet you get what you pay for, or you put aside £60/month. I’ve always been with Pet Plan and they have been superb. My first cat had diabetes and my second cat had serious heart issues, both were thoroughly investigated, diagnosed and treated at enormous cost. It was worth the insurance premium for not only the treatment but mostly the extra years with our much loved pets.
We recently adopted a rescue cat, I just tried to complete the pet plan form,
age unknown
Breed unknown
Previous conditions unknown
I gave up
Have had dogs for over 30 years all pedigree Retrievers. Some have had cancer, our current one caught meningitis (who knew dogs got that) anyway, burned through £3k of claims pretty quickly, so glad we had insurance. The dog is still insured, we use Bought by Many, lots of recommendations on the breeders sites and for the last 3 years, they have been very good, you also get free video vet appointments if needed. Used that a couple of times and it is free, our premiums never went up because we used the service. Google them for reviews. Have been with most of the rest previously as well, Pet Plan good, but expensive. Direct Line, Jonn Lewis et al are all underwritten by the same insurance company.
Normally the rescue place gives you that info. Or at least enough to make a decent guess. Age they work out from teeth I believe. They should have had a health check at a Vets which should clear that.
All they told us was that he was about five,
Our cocker spaniel is 7 months old, insured with pet plan for £25 a month.
If we’d self insured we’d have had £175 in the account, he’s just had a lump removed from his foot and with the aftercare it’s about a £1k bill.
15 years ago I was an avid self insurer, our large animal vet who looked after the horses seemed to charge peanuts for small animal stuff. However, as treatments have got more sophisticated and costs generally have rocketed, pet insurance is now an essential.
Like car insurance varies, pet insurance premiums will vary depending on breed, location and claim history, so worth shopping around.
So 5 years old just pick a mid 5 birthday date based on when you got him. Breed is most likely a moggie aka Domestic short haired. You know of no previous conditions. You could always get a vets check up if necessary.
We've had a few cats - never insured them.
We've had our first dog almost 3 years now. Tesco were competitive for the first year - no claim made. They jacked up the premium for the 2nd year's renewal, but gave a more competitive price for a new policy which we accepted. We made a claim of about £1,100 & they paid up with no issues less the excess.
Last year Tesco jacked up the premium even more so we went with Bought by Many, which comes with a pretty useful telephone vet consultancy service / app called First Vet which we've used once.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Pet plan the best but expensive
Brought by Many - Very good
With any plan get lifelong and minimum £7k ideally £12k if you want to be bombproof.
My experience and advise from having had over £30k of vets bills in the last 5 years and daughter who is a Vet nurse.
RIAC
We went with Agria but Pet plan were in the running.
This is a useful site for research
https://www.petinsurancereview.co.uk/insurers
Petplan are the better end of the market, but are certainly not perfect.
Our general experiences of them had been pretty good with our own dogs/cats/horses, but I am led to believe they have recently changed hands and we have recently experienced a change in their attitude to paying out on a claim - in a very negative way.
We could not provide documentation for our pony to prove that the pony had received an annual dental exam for the period prior to own ownership, so they simply refused the claim on the basis that was a requirement of the small-print within the policy, even though we had had the pony for around 2 years and had annual dental exams during that time. I may be completely wrong, but we suspected this change in attitude may have been due to a change of their own internal policies making their claims assessors less amiable. I have heard similar stories from others who have experienced the same type of thing too.
Just be aware that past experiences of Petplan may not meet current expectations. Pet insurance is an absolute minefield and comparing apples with apples is an impossibility as insurers policies and renewal premiums are constantly changing.
Agria have been great with our dogs
Springer spaniel had elbow brake
Resulting in plates and pins then the mad dog sheared the pins so second operation And-then preventive surgery in the other elbow total cost £14000 we only had to pay 10%
There was nothing but amazing service from agria
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Just taken out Petplan for this little chap I picked up yesterday, was going to have his brother originally but changed my mind. £8.72 a month for what looks like good cover, better than the co-op quote I had previously, and £45 from Topcashback too.
We had our dog covered by M&S pet insurance. They were incredibly good at actually paying out. The claim process was simple and they did not quibble over any of the fairly hefty claims that we put in, particularly in the past year.
I would definitely use M&S again if/when we get another dog.
FWIW, we were with Pet Plan for 10+ years and swopped to M&S when their premiums went through the roof, a couple of years ago.
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