Choosing Pet Insurance

  There is no National Health Service for pets and you are responsible for meeting the cost of care for your pet. With the ever more complex face of modern veterinary medicine and the availability of specialised referral facilities treatments are available to restore your pet's health which even a few years ago were only distant hopes. However like human medicine costs are increasing faster than inflation. Having pet insurance allows to you as an individual owner, to budget for and have available the means to pay for the very best we and the veterinary profession in general has to offer.

In early 2005 the Financial Services Authority will introduce new rules governing the conduct of veterinary practices in relation to Pet Insurance. Whilst we shall continue to display, passively, a range of leaflets from Insurance Companies we shall no longer be able to discuss the merits or shortcomings of individual policies or companies. The penalties for failing to comply with this directive are severe. Therefore we must ask you not to ask us questions about our opinion as all staff have been instructed not to give out any information..

It is our opinion that the new rules will not help you, the consumer, to avoid taking out disappointing policies with poorly performing companies but indeed will result in quite the opposite. We have amassed a great deal of experience particularly in regard to poor service and it will now be illegal for us to share our knowledge with you.

In broad terms there are three types of illness and accident cover.

These policies usually pay our for a total period of 12 months following the diagnosis of an individual condition. After that , ongoing treatment is specifically excluded. This is not a good situation if your pet contracts a lifelong condition such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis.

2) "Single pot" Lifelong.

These policies do not have the time limit of annual policies and allow the claiming of treatment costs on a cumulative basis until the maximum benefit for that condition is reached. They are often subject to a single fixed excess at the beginning of treatment and in many instances the policy benefit (often £4000 to £6000) is sufficiently high to allow treatment essentially to be claimed for for the remaining life of your pet. However it should be noted that sometimes referral to specialists for expensive surgery or diagnostic work or the use of very expensive medicines could mean that the full policy benefit is used up, leaving you uninsured for that condition.

These policies renew the full policy benefits every year meaning you are covered for perhaps £4000 to £6000 per year per condition. Usually the excess is a percentage of the total spend, subject to a fixed minimum which means in the longer term you will contribute more to the treatment of your pet for a major occurrence but you are unlikely to run out of cover.

  Almost all insurance policies charge an excess. This is usually a flat fee, often between the first £40 - £60 of treatment per condition and often per year. Be aware that some policies will 'hike' the excess up once your pet reaches a certain age. Also, some companies may ask you to pay a percentage of the cost of treatment on top of the flat excess, so called co-insurance. Some policies start with a fixed excess and change to a percentage co insurance as your pet ages and we recommend you inspect the policy documents very carefully, immediately on receipt so that you are fully aware of the excesses on your policy, over the life of your pet.

Whatever you decide, don't choose the cheapest policy available, just for that reason. Make sure you know exactly what is on offer. A policy which appears to be cheap could end up costing you more if it is time-limited, places exclusions or makes you pay a percentage of the fee rather than a fixed excess.

Most policies cover for accident and medical treatment. However there are many aspects of good veterinary care which are often excluded in the small print. Some of them are listed below and you should check your policy wording carefully so you know what you are buying with your policy.

  Few, if any, policies will cover the whole cost of prescription diet food. Most will not pay anything, but some will pay a percentage of the cost, (what they consider to be the charge above normal feeding cost) and this is definitely worth looking out for. This feature may be time limited or available for the whole claim period

  Check whether hereditary conditions are covered. German Shepherds, for example, are prone to hip dysplasia. Expensive surgery may be necessary, and some policies will not cover the cost as they might exclude the disease as a genetic or hereditable condition

  What happens if your pet develops a behavioural problem? Referral to a behaviourist can be expensive, and many policies will not recognise this as legitimate grounds for a claim.

  Recovery from injury and particularly after major surgery may be enhanced by physical therapy. This is a growing field in the veterinary sphere mirroring the expansion in opportunity for physical therapy and physiotherapy in human patients.

  Although the emotional value of your pet is priceless, many policies will pay to you the original purchase price of your pet should your pet die or be lost.

  Some policies will make a contribution towards advertising in the hope of recovering your pet, if lost. However we would recommend that you microchip your pet to maximise the chance of his or her recovery through the nationwide network of scanners and national database.

  Some policies will reimburse some of the care costs for your pet if you, the owner are hospitalised.

  Some policies will reimburse you for having to cancel your holiday because your pet falls ill preventing you form taking your vacation.

Some policies will maintain cover for your pet for a period free of charge should you be made redundant or some other serious events.

Some policies will extend your pet's cover for overseas trips either free of charge as part of the policy or for an additional premium

  Some policies will offer 'extras' such as a voucher worth money towards your pet's vaccination boosters. While we don't feel that you should base your decision on these alone, they are certainly worth considering to choose between evenly matched policies.

  Everyone knows that Pet Insurance covers the cost if your pet is sick or injured, but many people don't realise that 'third party insurance' should be an integral part of any dog policy. Our understanding of the law is that you are directly responsible for the actions of your dog, whether you are present or not. For instance, should your dog damage someone else's property, or cause a road traffic accident, you would be liable. In an extreme case, the road traffic accident might result in a fatality and you could be facing a claim for several million pounds.

  You might find that your household insurance covers for this liability both for the human and

canine residents but if not, it should, without doubt, be part of your pet insurance.

We do have arrangements for direct billing of some insurance companies, leaving you only the policy excess to pay, should your pet be insured. However, you do remain liable for the full amount of the account at all times. Where there is an unacceptable delay for any reason or where an insurance company refuses to pay, we shall ask you to make immediate settlement of the account. Should you be unable to produce a valid, signed claim form within 14 days of our request, you will settle you account with us in full although we will of course assist you in recovering your entitlement once a valid claim form is received.

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