Insurance

[bobthebuilder]

Our brand new Cocker pup arrived yesterday, full of life and seems to have settled in very well.
We have been given 4 weeks free insurance with Pet Plan but wonder if other owners recommend insurance or simply put the premiums in a savings account in case they are needed.
Any advice would be helpful.

[JaspersMum]

Personally I pay insurance as it's not just vets bills that are covered. 

In todays "sue society" I worry about if my dog got out, caused an accident or bit someone (not because they're vicious), all of which could result in a hefty cost...

Regarding the vets bill, for Jasper at least, I've now made 2 claims for fairly minor ops and the sum I received back through insurance equated to the annual premium anyway so I have had monies back from them.  Each incident didn't involve anything big time going wqrong as even the removal of a grass seed under sedation cost £200 

[allylou]

Both mine are insured and at the moment i'm in the process of making a claim that will probably total at least £2,000 by the time we are
done. If you are going to put some money away each month rather than pay to be insured it might be worth starting by put a lump sum aside (if you can afford it) and then adding to that each month.

Good luck with new pup - what is his/her name?

Also, welcome to COL

[bobthebuilder]

Thanks for the advice.
Is Pet Plan good or do people have experience with other companies?

[allylou]

From past posts i've read it seems pet plan are vey good (also, probably one of the most expensive). Insurance is a bit of a minefield and there are frequent discussions on here about different ones. It's worth having a search through the threads. If you do decide on insurance i would say try to make sure the cover is ongoing per illness (not just payable for a year - hope that makes sense) and check the excesses and exclusions. Have fun 

[davidj1701]

Just got a Cocker bitch, 11 weeks old now, so been looking for insurance, tried the comparison sites,
but the best on i have found up to yet is with the PDSA, http://www.bdmlconnect.co.uk/newpet/schemes/pb/pdsa/brochure/pages/frame.asp
about £7000 vet cover for about £12.50 per month,
£1100 excess tho,
hope this helps

[Nicola]

Just got a Cocker bitch, 11 weeks old now, so been looking for insurance, tried the comparison sites,
but the best on i have found up to yet is with the PDSA, http://www.bdmlconnect.co.uk/newpet/schemes/pb/pdsa/brochure/pages/frame.asp
about £7000 vet cover for about £12.50 per month,
£1100 excess tho,
hope this helps

I just checked this and you can choose a voluntary excess of £25, £50 or £100 - your actual premium will probably depend on which amount you choose. A £1100 excess would be rather excessive

[davidj1701]

OOPS! sorry, typo,
i meant £100
 

[sharonmansfield]

Mine are both insured with the kennel club, I had 6 weeks free when they were pups so just continued with it, its is expensive and maybe I should shop around but I am very happy with the service I have had from them so a bit reluctant to change.
Most vet bills are £100's of pounds upwards so it depends on your financial situation as to whether you go for insurance or savings plan. For me its peace of mind that no matter what happens I can afford the treatment. Some conditions can be ongoing and quickly drain your bank account.

[davidj1701]

Sharon,
totally agree, we have the Kennel Club six weeks free as well at mo,
If you are happy with something, stick with it, of course,
Am just thinking about value for money, from what i have found, £12.50 for £7000 of vets cover seems good,
have been quoted £25 for £5000 of vets cover with a £100 excess plus 10% of each bill,
Some conditions can be ongoing and quickly drain your bank account
Totally agree,
We have had Cavaliers with heart murmurs in the past,
have paid £60 per month for tablets,
But did not have many single bills over £100,
Part of the premiums with the PDSA's cover goes to the PDSA

[AnnieA]

Hello and welcome to COL.     Congratulations on your new arrival - we will be needing photos!

If you are going to put some money away each month rather than pay to be insured it might be worth starting by put a lump sum aside (if you can afford it) and then adding to that each month.

Totally agree with this.  If you are going to go down the 'savings account' route, please consider what you would do if your pup got ill before there was much money in your fund.  I've just done a quick sum and worked out that Henry's ( ) vet's bill in the wonderful 2 weeks  we had him would have amounted to approximately 11.5 YEARS of premiums.    So if you aren't going to insure, I'd have to suggest you had a contingency of say, £5000.  I know that sounds like a lot, but believe me it can mount up quickly.

I don't want to depress anyone - I'm sure that cases like ours are very, very rare.  But personally  I would say insurance is worth the peace of mind.

[Sprinkles]

Who are you insured with annie_9_17?

[AnnieA]

Who are you insured with annie_9_17?

We'd only had little Henry  2 weeks  , so he was still on his 4 weeks free Pet Plan.  I haven't had the heart to do any claim forms yet, and there's a couple of reasons I probably won't get it all back.  Our 2 cats have always been with Pet Plan and they've always paid up, so we'll just have to wait and see.  I think the general consensus of them is good but one of the more expensive ones.

[gabbycocker]

Thanks for the advice.
Is Pet Plan good or do people have experience with other companies?

I have both Gabby and Pepper insured with Pet Plan. It is expensive though but I think it is worth the money. I pay £40 for Gabby and £47 per month for Pepper   - it has gone from £40 to £47 in 7 months.   This is their Supreme Plan and covers up to £12,000 vet bills per year (it is a policy for life), £750 complementary therapy per year, £1000 advertising and reward, £1000 boarding fees if you are taken ill, £650 theft or straying, £650 death from injury or illness, £1000, holiday cancellation, £3,000,000 3rd party liability, £500 emergency repatriation, £1500 quarantine expenses and loss of documents. The excess for vet fees is £100, £75 for complementary therapy, £250 3rd party liability.

I used to work as a veterinary nurse with another nurse who used to work at Pet Plan and had many years experience of other insurance companies. Pet Plan do pay out extremely quickly as we found out when one of our cats had a huge claim. They also paid directly to the vet.

I think ours costs a bit more because we live in 'a high risk' area - London.  

[Sprinkles]

I'm currently dithering between an expensive Petplan at £24 (£4k life long annual cover) or Greenbee at £17 (£7k lifelong annual cover) Those two seem to be the most favorite on here!!

Although Argos needs a bit more investigation coming in at £14 (£7k annual lifelong cover)