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Cat and Dog Insurance - pet insurance

Pet insurance can provide you with the peace of mind of knowing that if a (or a range of) potentially expensive events happens to your cat or dog, then most of the cost of putting it right will be picked up by the insurance company. Pet insurance policies are not all the same and you need to be aware of a few basic facts about this type of insurance to help you to make a good choice of cover for your dog or cat.

For most people the main worry is the cost of veterinary treatment if their pet is injured or has a serious illness. In the worst case treatment can run into thousands and could hit you at a time when you just can’t afford to pay such a large sum. Perhaps protection against this kind of situation is the most valuable aspect of pet insurance.

The extent of cover provided by various policies differ and you need to read the small print before you buy to ensure that you will be getting the insurance that you need.

Veterinary Fees: The rules for veterinary treatment can be quite complicated. Almost all policies will limit the amount of cover either by illness or injury or time period or a mixture of these. Pre existing conditions will probably be excluded and you will have to pay an excess. The amount of the excess and the way that it is applied can have a major effect on the benefit of the policy to you. Check this carefully as a cheaper policy may end up costing more in the long run.

You need to be aware that there are different levels of cover for veterinary fees and this is probably the most important issue that you must be clear on before you buy pet insurance.

The levels of cover for veterinary fees may be divided into three types and this choice is the most important one you will make when deciding on a policy for your dog or cat.

1. Cover for life policy.
This type of cover may be expensive as it offers long term chronic treatment for the life of the pet with a cash limit for each year. You may have to pay an excess each year for as long as the treatment continues but the insurance company will continue to pay your claims as long as you continue to pay your premiums and comply with the policy conditions.

2. Limit per condition.
Here the policy will continue to pay out for a condition until the cash limit of the policy is reached. It can therefore continue for longer than a year if you continue to pay the premiums and comply with the policy conditions. This type of cover is less expensive than 1. above as it is not so open ended.

3. Limit per condition and time.
Sometimes known as an annual policy this type of cover is primarily for acute illnesses and accidents. Cover for a condition stops at the end of the policy term usually a year and since pre existing conditions are not covered on the new policy you will be on your own for that condition from then on. In fact the insurer may decide not to offer you further cover. This type of policy usually has the lowest premiums but beware of the limitations.

Veterinary treatment excess.
Check the amount and way in which an excess is applied. Some companies have a fixed excess per claim of say £50. Others set the excess on a percentage of the claim, in some cases this can amount to much more than £50. Some policies charge an excess each year and if the chronic condition spans more than one period of insurance then an excess can be taken for each period. In effect you will pay an excess each year of the claim. Some policies charge a higher premium as your pet grows older, others have a variable excess depending on where in the country you live.

Third Party Liability Insurance: This covers you if someone makes a claim against you for something that your dog or cat has done that has caused loss, damage, or personal injury to them for example to them. It covers you for the legal costs and the costs of any settlement which may be arrived at within the limits set out in the policy. Basic policies often limit this to £1 million but do check the policy wording so you know how much cover you are buying. The amount of excess (the amount that you will have to contribute towards any claim) varies from policy to policy.

Some policies offer other benefits including:

Only you can decide if you want these covers and you will need to make a judgment based on the cost balanced by the potential benefit.

 

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Here are links to some of the better known pet insurers.

We visit each site listed and obtain quotes for ourselves. We don't list any sites that are difficult to use.

PetPlan Dog and cat insurance. underwritten by Allianz Cornhill Insurance plc
Also provide policies for exotic pets, rabbits, horses and ponies. Easy to use quote system but requires more personal and detailed information than some. Policy can be bought on-line. One form provides quotes for three levels of cover including "cover for life".

RSPCA Pet Insurance underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc
Easy to use quote system but requires more personal and detailed information than some. Policy can be bought on-line.

Direct Line dog and cat insurance. Easy to use quote system but requires more personal and detailed information than some. Policy can be bought on-line. Offer two levels of cover. PetAdvanced is cover for life policy, PetEssentials is a 12 month policy. Underwritten by Direct Line Insurance plc.

Churchill dog and cat insurance. Easy to use quote system but requires more personal and detailed information than some. Policy can be bought on-line. Cover is time limited to "up to £3,000 ... and 12 months from first treatment date, whichever limit comes first." This keeps down costs but you need to be aware of the implications. Churchill Pet Insurance is underwritten by Indemnity Insurance Limited.

More Than Pet Insurance issued by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc
Easy to use quote system, full information provided to allow you to make a valid choice. Can be incepted on-line. The More Than policy is a cover for life type. "Pet Insurance also provides also provide cover for treatment for as long as your pet needs it - up to the maximum benefit payable per illness"

We make no representations as to the quality of cover or advice on choice of policy. You need to do your own home work on this. All of the information that is provided here was correct at the time of writing 29th January 2007. If you find that anything has changed please advise us.

If you want to read reviews on some of those listed here try Review Center Pet Insurance. Some of the companies listed with large numbers of feedback reviews make very interesting reading.