Who to insure with

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Annette4

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I've never insured my dogs but wanting to get Tia insured as she's a big dog for things to go wrong with.

I'm getting a bit muddled trying to look at quotes quickly but who is best in terms of paying out etc? Who do you use?

I'm worried about things like conditions only being covered for so long/up to a certain amount etc.
 
if you want a lifelong policy then to my knowledge the only company that offers this without bumping up premiums to cover claims is Petplan, they will be more expensive from the outset but if you have expensive claims for life may save you fortunes.

have nothing to do with E&L as they are not good at paying out and most vets/referral centres will not do a direct claim which means you have to find the money up front and may have to wait months to get it back
 
Petplan without a doubt. I'm stuck with Direct Line and Animal Friends for my two due to previous claims but having dealings with insurance claims at work I would now only ever use Petplan.
 
It depends entirely on what cover you want. I don't think Petplan are the only ones who do lifelong cover actually but you will have to check the summary of cover for the policies. If you're unsure then ring them and ask!

I have a rescue dog and she came with 4 weeks Petplan Insurance. I then continued with them for 1 year but, although the policy was extensive (lifelong cover etc) I figured it was a lot to pay at the end of the day (over £20 a month). What I really wanted cover for was emergency vets fees following an accident/injury and a low excess.

I chose Tesco as they offered a fair amount of vets fees cover per incident (£3000), with a flat £60 excess.

To be honest, I think one of the best ways to do it is use one of the search engines (Compare the Market etc) so you get a list of providers and then have a read of their key facts. Look out for co-insurance where the excess will be £x OR £% whichever is the greater. This can work out very expensive if your dog's treatment goes into the thousands! You can get pet insurance from so many places these days (banks, supermarkets etc). look who the insurer is for peace of mind - for example, Tesco pet insurance is through RSA. You will find this with most, the insurers are big, well known providers (RSA, AXA, Allianz, Zurich etc). The main thing to do is look for a policy that suits your needs. I figured I didn't want life cover as I am prepared to take that gamble and, should my dog be diagnosed with a long term condition I would deal with it if it happened.
 
I have my lad insured with the NFU and find then very good. Have always paid out for the claims I have put in.

My lad has 3 on going claims (For life) and although the premium is not cheap they pay out more each year than the cost of the premiums. Vets are also happy to deal with them.
 
Tesco have been outstanding. Having made 4 seperate claims over the last 5 years for two different dogs they have never once tried to weasel out of paying and have ALWAYS paid within 28 days. I have big dogs and they have very fair prices even though one of them has made 3 of the 4 claims his policy is only £18.49 a month
 
I had quite a lot of claims with my old bitch with Tesco and they were always prompt paying out. I have a very basic vet fees only cover for Evie which is part of my household contents insurance with NFU, costs about £10 a month. I have just got a quote through Vet Uk for lifelong cover for Freya for £20 a month which is quite a bit cheaper than Petplan but a bit reluctant to go with an unknown.
 
Tesco were dreadful at paying out when lily had her GDV took them 6 weeks . Then again when maya had to have a toe amputated 4 weeks and 2 phone calls to get them to look at the case. Currently waited 3 weeks got the latest claim and they have only just started to look at it. Not holding my breath as it's another bola incident for lily. Premiums are now £124 per month for 2 dogs. Puppy is with vets medi cover as a friend of mind has had v good service from them. Prompt payment even direct to the vet and not quibbled over anything.
 
Today I collected my dog from a referral centre after specialist surgery. The bill, including X-ray,MRI and surgery was just under £5k. Prior to this we had spent about £500 on physio. Referral due to reoccurring issue.

In the new year he will be commencing hydrotherapy. Suspect total costs will be approaching £7k.

Having overheard over clients in the waiting room comment that they had exceeded their £7500 cover, I strongly recommend substantial fees cover.

My dog had a back problem, common in pastoral breeds, especially in agility dogs.
 
I had a hell of a job to get Animal Friends to pay. Had the best cover and they refused to pay at first. They paid eventually after me hassling them but took 3 months. They were really rude and unprofessional .
 
I personally have never had a problem with my Animal Friends policy, they have paid out for everything and fairly promptly, easy to deal with online and by phone. The only issue has been that they've ramped up the premiums since claiming - £24 a month to £48 in a year after a couple of claims.

Unfortunately I can't say the same having now dealt with them via work, they will come up with any excuse not to pay out and I've seen people seriously screwed over by their refusal to cover things. Put it this way, the only two companies we refuse to do a direct claim from are Animal Friends and E&L.
 
I have just taken out a policy with More than ( via compare the market.com) . For £12.000 vet fees, lifetime cover, farewell cover, holiday cancellation & all the usual things for £9.50 month.
 
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