With advances in veterinary medicine, it can be very expensive to undergo advanced investigations and surgical procedures.
Like any insurance policy, you hope that you will never need to use it, but unfortunately animals can become very ill or get injured in accidents. Veterinary bills can reach over £1000 and if animals require referral, bills can go significantly higher.
If your animal is covered by pet insurance then much of the worry of having to fund veterinary care can be forgotten.
There are many companies offering Pet Insurance and it is important that you understand the differences between them. You may benefit from taking independent advice.
Milton Keynes Veterinary Group recommends Pet Plan Insurance.
Some Important Points Regarding Insurance Policies
There are some basic points that we recommend you consider when selecting a policy.
Cost: The cheapest policy may be tempting but make sure the terms are the same as for the more expensive options.
Excess: This is the amount of money not covered by the policy for the condition. Some companies charge an annual set fee for each medical condition, others may charge a percentage of the veterinary bill.
Limit: Different insurance policies will have different upper limits. The upper limit is the maximum amount of money the company will contribute towards a condition. This may be over the life of the animal or may be reset at the start of every year of the policy. It is becoming more common for insurance companies to combine certain conditions as being the same claim. An example is that if an animal damages a cruciate ligament in one knee, the policies often say that a subsequent injury to the cruciate ligament on the opposite leg relates to the same condition.
What is Covered: Many routine conditions, such as dental disease and routine appointments e.g. for vaccinations are excluded. Any condition the animal has prior to starting the insurance policy (and often in the first few weeks of the policy starting) is excluded from cover, usually for the life of the animal.
Life vs Annual Policies: Some policies will cover a specific condition for a maximum time period, usually one year, from the time the condition was first noticed. Other policies may cover the animal for the whole of the animal's life for a single condition. Annual policies are fine for animals that need treatment for acute conditions such as road traffic accident injuries or a one-off illness. Unfortunately they can be less beneficial if your pet develops a life-long condition such as diabetes or a skin allergy.
Changing Companies: As a general rule, it can be unwise to change from one insurance company to another unless your pet has never had an illness or it has an illness that is no longer covered by the policy. Remember that if an animal has a pre-existing condition then it will almost certainly be excluded on the policy from a new company.
