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KCsunshine

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I've been looking around at pet insurance and blimey is it ever confusing!

I can't even decide on the type of cover like, Limited benefit, max benefit or lifetime cover. Lifetime cover, although a little more pricey does seem a good way to go. Can anyone explain in simple terms the real differences?

Do all plans cover things like medicine for most conditions as well as operations? Say if you had a £90 excess, I expect most "normal" dog medicines cost under that? So you'd get stung every single prescription?

I'm not trying to be a cheapskate, I do want to be well covered but I dont want to be ripped off either!

I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what vet fees are like (other than I've heard they are extortionate:p)

Can anyone give some advice, or recomend a good policy/good company.
 
#2 ·
We are with Petplan and were paying £17.50 a month but now it is £21.00 a month. They are not the cheapest but they do pay the vet directly if the bill is large. Beau was diagnosed with meningitis earlier this year and had to stay in hospital in Newmarket for a week which cost almost £2000. The hospital she was in said that there are not many they will accept direct payment from so check with your vet that they do with whatever company you go with unless you can afford to pay out and then wait for the cheque. Always go for lifetime cover as Beau is on meds and will hopefully be off them soon but if she gets it back again she will be covered for meds for life. We were with Sainsburys for our Cavvie and when the policy expired after a year we would have been left to find £80 a month (unfortunately she passed away before this happened anyway). Petplan are not always the cheapest and we did get a good deal but there will be others on here that can recommend cheaper insurance companies. Beau is covered for approximately £3000 a year and I thought it was more as I don't feel it is enough bearing in mind one hospital treatment was two thirds of this. Petplan are brilliant with paying out and never quibble. The most important are life cover and the amount of cover per year. Good luck :)
 
#3 ·
Im with vetsmedicover which i think is about £21 i just made sure whichever one i picked it was life cover.

Im sure a few months ago someone said john lewis had the best cover and price at the moment ,its worth checking them out.
 
#4 ·
Betty is with Petplan but am paying £28.00 per Month but think that may be as a result of a huge claim during our 4 weeks free insurance from the breeder. Ted is with John Lewis and cost £18.00 per month for almost identical cover. I have had in excess of £3000.00 worth of vets bills in on year so am glad I have taken the life time not condition cover.
 
#5 ·
Treacle is with Petplan - lifetime cover [thank goodness] we were £17.50 per month and same as Ali we are now paying £21 a month due to Treacle being diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia - but grateful she is still covered as her meds & supplements are costly.
The excess zeroises each year - so we will have to pay the first £90 of Treacles medicines and then they are covered.
Clyde is with John Lewis - £14 per annum - covered for life and has exactly the same level of cover as Treacle - I hear they are good but I have not made a claim so cannot comment!
My advise is cover for life - it is worth the extra for peace of mind.
 
#6 ·
I've just swapped to John Lewis they were voted best pet insurer by Which. I pay £16 for 10k lifetime cover , they pay your vet direct and your excess is only paid once a year, so if you make more than one claim in a year you only pay your excess on the first claim.However hoping never to have to claim x
 
#8 ·
We have just switched from the Co-Op to John Lewis. Just have to keep our fingers crossed for the next 14 days that he doesn't become ill as there is an exclusion period.

I didn't think to start it a fortnight before the other one expired.
 
#9 ·
Limited benefit, max benefit or lifetime cover. Lifetime cover, although a little more pricey does seem a good way to go. Can anyone explain in simple terms the real differences?

Do all plans cover things like medicine for most conditions as well as operations? Say if you had a £90 excess, I expect most "normal" dog medicines cost under that? So you'd get stung every single prescription?

Lifetime cover is the most expensive and works so you have a maximum you can claim - but this amount is renewed each year and you can carry on claiming for the same condition. So using the example of my previous boy who had spinal problems and we had a policy for £4000. The first few years I just claimed for his treatment which came to several hundred and at the end of each year the amount was renewed and I started claiming again. As it was an ongoing condition I just paid a new excess each year and then claimed back the rest of the costs. The year he needed scans and surgery I paid out a fortune so claimed back my maximum amount of £4000 after which costs were not covered until the next policy year when I renewed and could claim again. For ongoing conditions I usually just pay my vets each visit and submit a claim form every few months.

Maximum benefit is the next best sort of policy. With this you have a sum assured and all costs for a condition come from this sum assured - so if it was the policy I had with my previous boy the first few years costs would all have come from the sum assured and as soon as the limit is reached that is it and you can claim no more regardless of how many years it has taken for costs to reach that level.

Limited benefit is the cheapest. You are given a sum assured and costs incurred in the first year can be claimed up to that level - but when the policy is renewed that condition is excluded and you can't claim any more for that condition - although you can for new conditions (but not if they are or can be linked to the first condition) So again using my boy as the example I would have claimed a few hundred for his first year and then would have been able to claim nothing else.

As for getting stung for each prescription it works with things getting lumped together under conditions. So a one off injury or illness will usually come in under the amount of the excess so you don't claim. With Molly she had gastroenteritis last year which lasted a fair while and entailed several vet visits, she also had pain which was eventually resolved as caused by luxating patella and involved even more vet visits - I had to put in two separate claims to her insurance company which resulted in costs for both conditions being covered apart from two separate lots of excess which I had to pay.

I have gone for lifetime cover for Molly with petplan which should mean I will have no problems claiming in the future if she needs more costly treatment for her luxating patella. Insurance is expensive but from previous experience referral to a specialist will cost several hundred pounds just to walk in the door to see the vet! An MRI scan is around £1000 and specialist surgery thousands.
 
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