Dog insurance

[BlueDiamond]

Just in the process of looking at insurance for my new puppy. He has four weeks insurance with Pet plan which I had thought to continue having always assumed they were one of the better ones.
However the quote is at least double some of the others I have looked at on a comparison website Animal friends has come out as the least expensive in theory but has a higher excess. Purely Pets is competitive with a higher yearly limit and insurance your paws comes in with the best yearly limit and a low excess per condition. Purely Pets has some widely differing reviews from don’t touch with a barge pole to the best insurance company they have ever used.I have to say I do take reviews with a pinch of salt now which is why I am asking if anyone has any genuine experience of any of thes?
I am avoiding any that require a % per claim, previously used direct line and had no problems with them until my Labrador reached twelve the premium was more than insuring a quality competing Warmblood.He had been insured with them since he was two years old and had no ongoing conditions.
Any good bad experiences with insurance? I am going for lifetime cover as the puppy is from a breed with known issues with hips, elbows and eyes.
He is also likely to get himself into trouble judging by the character that I have seen emerging over the last week! Despite taking time to choose what I thought was the quiet gentle one of the litter, I obviously got that wrong so had better get it right with the insurance.

 

[MurphysMinder]

I think Petplan are the best but yes you do pay for the privilege. It may have changed but a lot of vets weren't keen on Animal friends as they would always look for excuses not to pay.
I have one with Petplan, he is 13 and premium is creeping up , as is excess and we now have to pay a percentage of claim on top. But having said that they have recently paid for a dental without a quibble and a lot of companies won't cover those.
My other 2 are with Many Pets, I have claimed a lot for one dog, and still claim for physio, the premium has only gone up about £5 per month. 90% of the time they settle claims within 24 hours of me submitting, the best ever was when I filled in a claim form 7 pm on a Sunday and the money was in my account by 10 pm. The other 10% I have to chase and it has taken up to 6 weeks to get paid, no idea why.

 

[blackcob]

I worked in pet insurance (veterinary practice end) and all my dogs have subsequently been insured with Petplan.

The overwhelming majority will add a percentage excess when the dog reaches 8 (including Petplan and Animal Friends) even if you start with a fixed excess.

On the cheaper policies, check what is missing compared to a 'gold standard' policy like Petplan - common drawbacks include no dental cover, no behavioural cover, no prescription food cover, no physio/hydrotherapy, max caps on vet fees like consultations and blood tests, caps on certain procedures (some have a fixed limit for e.g cruciate), caps on bilateral conditions. For example, quick look at the Insure Your Paws policy shows inner limits for things like cruciate repair, MRI/CT scans etc. for which you'd have to make up the difference as it's well under what vets are charging for these at present.

Check who your vet will accept direct claims from, if any - some companies routinely take 8+ weeks to process and pay and they may not accept direct claims on that basis, and it's a long time to wait for your money back if you have to do an indirect claim. Check if they will accept pre-authorisations for big claims (again, using Insure Your Paws as the example, they don't).

 

[BlueDiamond]

I think Petplan are the best but yes you do pay for the privilege. It may have changed but a lot of vets weren't keen on Animal friends as they would always look for excuses not to pay.
I have one with Petplan, he is 13 and premium is creeping up , as is excess and we now have to pay a percentage of claim on top. But having said that they have recently paid for a dental without a quibble and a lot of companies won't cover those.
My other 2 are with Many Pets, I have claimed a lot for one dog, and still claim for physio, the premium has only gone up about £5 per month. 90% of the time they settle claims within 24 hours of me submitting, the best ever was when I filled in a claim form 7 pm on a Sunday and the money was in my account by 10 pm. The other 10% I have to chase and it has taken up to 6 weeks to get paid, no idea why.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, Petplan certainly seems to be highly recommended I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[BlueDiamond]

I worked in pet insurance (veterinary practice end) and all my dogs have subsequently been insured with Petplan.

The overwhelming majority will add a percentage excess when the dog reaches 8 (including Petplan and Animal Friends) even if you start with a fixed excess.

On the cheaper policies, check what is missing compared to a 'gold standard' policy like Petplan - common drawbacks include no dental cover, no behavioural cover, no prescription food cover, no physio/hydrotherapy, max caps on vet fees like consultations and blood tests, caps on certain procedures (some have a fixed limit for e.g cruciate), caps on bilateral conditions. For example, quick look at the Insure Your Paws policy shows inner limits for things like cruciate repair, MRI/CT scans etc. for which you'd have to make up the difference as it's well under what vets are charging for these at present.

Check who your vet will accept direct claims from, if any - some companies routinely take 8+ weeks to process and pay and they may not accept direct claims on that basis, and it's a long time to wait for your money back if you have to do an indirect claim. Check if they will accept pre-authorisations for big claims (again, using Insure Your Paws as the example, they don't).

Thank you for your reply and insider insight that is very useful and will give me a better idea of what to actually check on the policy. I think I am guilty of just looking at what they appear to offer rather than really read the small print.

 

[Jenko109]

Many Pets were cracking when my whippet had Meningitis. The premium rose too high for us to continue.

He is currently with John Lewis who just paid out a claim within 48 hours.

I have also made some very substantial claims with Insurance Imporium over the years. They aren't as comprehensive as some, but they were good to deal with and paid out thousands (£8000 in total) for my late whippet. They are currently paying out for my 10yo lurcher for her arthritis claim. They have barely risen the cost of the policy in the 6 or so years that she has been insured with them. They are a good cheaper alternative.

 

[BlueDiamond]

Many Pets were cracking when my whippet had Meningitis. The premium rose too high for us to continue.

He is currently with John Lewis who just paid out a claim within 48 hours.

I have also made some very substantial claims with Insurance Imporium over the years. They aren't as comprehensive as some, but they were good to deal with and paid out thousands (£8000 in total) for my late whippet. They are currently paying out for my 10yo lurcher for her arthritis claim. They have barely risen the cost of the policy in the 6 or so years that she has been insured with them. They are a good cheaper alternative.

Thank you Jenko that’s very helpful, real recommendations are exactly what I was looking for. I will have a look at John Lewis too as that has not come up on the comparison site.

 

[Dobiegirl]

All my dogs have been with Animal Friends over the years and they have honoured every claim paying vets within 48hours.

It is plain to me looking some of those who diss various Insurance companies failed to read the T&Cs or complain when they failed to pay out on pre-existing conditions. Get as many quotes as you can, I know its a boring task but you need to get it right.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Many Pets were cracking when my whippet had Meningitis. The premium rose too high for us to continue.

He is currently with John Lewis who just paid out a claim within 48 hours.

I have also made some very substantial claims with Insurance Imporium over the years. They aren't as comprehensive as some, but they were good to deal with and paid out thousands (£8000 in total) for my late whippet. They are currently paying out for my 10yo lurcher for her arthritis claim. They have barely risen the cost of the policy in the 6 or so years that she has been insured with them. They are a good cheaper alternative.

I was told that Many Pets base their premiums on how many claims a particular breed has had . My daughter is with them , her whippet also had meningitis, maybe you and she have scuppered all whippet owners

 

[Squeak]

I'm with Animal Friends and really rate them. They were brilliant with my old dog who was on a lifetime policy and unfortunately had quite a lot going on in the end and some for a few years. They didn't quibble over anything and paid within 48 hours most of the time.

For me, I was happy to have the lower premiums at the exchange of having to pay a % of the bill.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

We ve gone with a lifetime policy with LV. The OH drove himself demented comparing policies.

 

[BlueDiamond]

I'm with Animal Friends and really rate them. They were brilliant with my old dog who was on a lifetime policy and unfortunately had quite a lot going on in the end and some for a few years. They didn't quibble over anything and paid within 48 hours most of the time.

For me, I was happy to have the lower premiums at the exchange of having to pay a % of the bill.

Animal Friends are one of the ones I am considering, it’s certainly got me engaged far more than any of the other insurances I have, I confess to not taking anywhere near as much care when selecting house or car insurance.

 

[BlueDiamond]

We ve gone with a lifetime policy with LV. The OH drove himself demented comparing policies.

Please send your OH my sympathies I completely empathise with him, it’s a mine field!