Pet Insurance

Article Title: Pet Insurance
Author: Terry King

It seems that the cost of treatment at the vets seems to be
getting more expensive with every year that passes. Before any
vets reading this take offence I know that most vets still offer
very good value for the treatment provided.

Personal experience has taught me to avoid nasty financial
surprises when owning pets, by taking out pet insurance with a
reputable provider.

When choosing a policy there are a number of key things to
check for to make sure the policy you are buying meets your
needs. Monthly premiums can vary quite dramatically but the
cheapest premiums are not necessarily offering the best value
cover insurance cover for your pet.

When considering pet insurance there are a number of areas to
consider. The most obvious being the cost of the premiums and
the size of your budget. Average monthly premiums vary
depending on the breed of animal you are looking to insure, age,
medical history, age and your location or postcode. The typical
range of premiums depending on the level of cover is £10-30
pounds per month for a dog and £8- 25 for a cat.

Most policies have some form of excess per claim with the range
being between £60-100 depending on the level of cover. My advice
is don't be put off by what seems a relatively high figure in
this case. Some policies do not have any excess, but premiums
for these products tend to be higher. Recently I received a
bill for nearly £500 when my dog was bitten on his ear. The
injury itself was not too severe but the cost of drugs and
stitches pushed overall cost up, and I was happy to get £400 of
the fees back. A friend was able to reclaim more than £5000 when
her beloved dog needed operations on her joints.

Pet Owners should check carefully the maximum value you can
claim for any single claim or in a year. Once again, policies
differ on both these figures. The typical ranges are £3000 to
£7000 per year. Check carefully whether the figure quoted is for
a year or per claim, as obviously this makes a big difference to
the true value of your cover.

The various pet insurance companies also have differing rules
regarding the age at which they will insure a pet. Some set
maximum limits at which they will insure a pet up to, whilst
others are happy to insure pets of any age but have an age limit
for new policies. Typically the limits are about 8 years for a
Dog and 10 years for a cat.

All Pet insurance companies, just like those offering human
medical insurance want to know about any previous illnesses or
complaints. Normally this is because they will exclude cover for
conditions that the pet has shown it is susceptible to. Don't be
tempted not to be honest about these matters as insurance
companies will invalidate claims where a previous condition is
found to be a factor, sometimes leaving hefty bills to be paid
out of the claimant's pocket.

When insuring a new puppy or kitten some Insurers insist on a
14 day introductory period, during which claims will not be
honoured. I have fallen foul of this clause in the past when a
puppy I had bought was found to suffering from a virus within 3
days of me taking it home, leaving a £600 bill to be paid from
my own pocket. Happily Sam survived; this left a bitter taste in
the mouth when the claim was rejected, so my advice is read the
small print.

I know that for those operating on low income £120 to £300 a
year can be quite a large sum of money to find annually, but I
would suggest those who can find the money to do so in
preference to potentially very large surprise bills.

About The Author: Terry King runs Parcel Pets -
http://www.pets2home.co.uk/ - a leading UK pet supplies web site
and has had pets all his life. He lives with his wife Louise,
dog Sam, Cat Sabrina and 5 fish!

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