Help with puppy insurance - first time, confused
Discussion
We pick up a cavapoochon this weekend and have been looking into dog insurance.
To say it's a minefield is an understatement; the puppy will be 8 weeks old
I'm growing on the idea on a fixed for life policy to protect me from future price rises or is this a false economy?
I spoke to Tesco and was baffled by all the options, i've no idea what level of cover to go for but i want to be protected from any significant outlays if possible - i'm also concerned at introductory offers which will double in future years - had quotes so far from £15 to £33 per month all offering various levels of cover.
Any solid recommendations based on the above?
Thanks
To say it's a minefield is an understatement; the puppy will be 8 weeks old
I'm growing on the idea on a fixed for life policy to protect me from future price rises or is this a false economy?
I spoke to Tesco and was baffled by all the options, i've no idea what level of cover to go for but i want to be protected from any significant outlays if possible - i'm also concerned at introductory offers which will double in future years - had quotes so far from £15 to £33 per month all offering various levels of cover.
Any solid recommendations based on the above?
Thanks
I would always recommend Pet Plan for insurance; we've had very good experiences with them. Others say that they are too expensive.
And I wouldn't consider anything other than 'for life' coverage.
If, like our dogs, your dog develops a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, it's the only way you're covered.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fixed for life' policy protecting you from future price rises. All my policies have increased year-on-year, with more significant rises generally at certain age thresholds.
And I wouldn't consider anything other than 'for life' coverage.
If, like our dogs, your dog develops a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, it's the only way you're covered.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fixed for life' policy protecting you from future price rises. All my policies have increased year-on-year, with more significant rises generally at certain age thresholds.
Edited by moorx on Wednesday 2nd October 17:34
Make sure it covers for life. Mines covers them for one year, which means I now pay eye drops every month for life. Also if mines is treated for say having a fit. The next fit isn't covered. Had a tooth problem. Covered. Now needs 13 moreout. Not covered. Useless so have cancelled and put the money into an account monthly. Hopefully cover any future Bill's since it covers nothing now.
moorx said:
I would always recommend Pet Plan for insurance; we've had very good experiences with them. Others say that they are too expensive.
And I wouldn't consider anything other than 'for life' coverage.
If, like our dogs, your dog develops a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, it's the only way you're covered.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fixed for life' policy protecting you from future price rises. All my policies have increased year-on-year, with more significant rises generally at certain age thresholds.
Fixed for life is the same price each month for life - ie no annual cost increases which bought by many offer. You pay a bit more short term but presumably it works out better longer term - sound good?And I wouldn't consider anything other than 'for life' coverage.
If, like our dogs, your dog develops a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, it's the only way you're covered.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fixed for life' policy protecting you from future price rises. All my policies have increased year-on-year, with more significant rises generally at certain age thresholds.
Edited by moorx on Wednesday 2nd October 17:34
Bigbox said:
Fixed for life is the same price each month for life - ie no annual cost increases which bought by many offer. You pay a bit more short term but presumably it works out better longer term - sound good?
I can't say that I've ever heard of Bought by Many, or their underwriters, or that type of policy. So I don't really feel able to comment, sorry.Something it may be worth checking is whether your vet (if you have chosen one) has good or bad experience of any particular insurance provider. I know that some will not accept direct payment from certain insurance companies due to previous issues - they will insist the owner pays up front and claims back. Our vet will accept direct payment from Pet Plan which, with regular bills of several hundred pounds, can be a significant factor.
It all depends on how much you want to pay to reduce risk, like with any insurance.
From my expericence pet insurance is even more of a postcode lottery than other insurance. I've had friends that live less than 50 miles away tell me they got a decent price from an insurer, only to find it was double the amount for me with the same breed/sex/age.
If you don't get a fixed for life policy, which are rare, then the premiums will usually rise each year especially after a claim. I usually end up changing every year, but obviously that would no longer be an option if they had a major ongoing condition.
After previous claims I've had insurers try and more than double my premiums, despite it not being a condition that would be ongoing. In one case they wanted to double policy of one of my dogs after her spleen was removed.... she's hardly likely to have another twisted spleen as she now has no spleen.
With many dogs they will increase the excess and increase the prices when dogs get older.
If you don't mind paying vets bills when they come up then you could just go for 3rd party only cover, but I would always at least get that.
I have two great danes (5 and 2). I've had claims of £3500, £2800, £400 and £2100 in the last 5 years. I've paid about £5400 in insurance premiums, so I'm ahead about £3400 because of insurance.
From my expericence pet insurance is even more of a postcode lottery than other insurance. I've had friends that live less than 50 miles away tell me they got a decent price from an insurer, only to find it was double the amount for me with the same breed/sex/age.
If you don't get a fixed for life policy, which are rare, then the premiums will usually rise each year especially after a claim. I usually end up changing every year, but obviously that would no longer be an option if they had a major ongoing condition.
After previous claims I've had insurers try and more than double my premiums, despite it not being a condition that would be ongoing. In one case they wanted to double policy of one of my dogs after her spleen was removed.... she's hardly likely to have another twisted spleen as she now has no spleen.
With many dogs they will increase the excess and increase the prices when dogs get older.
If you don't mind paying vets bills when they come up then you could just go for 3rd party only cover, but I would always at least get that.
I have two great danes (5 and 2). I've had claims of £3500, £2800, £400 and £2100 in the last 5 years. I've paid about £5400 in insurance premiums, so I'm ahead about £3400 because of insurance.
spookly said:
It all depends on how much you want to pay to reduce risk, like with any insurance.
From my expericence pet insurance is even more of a postcode lottery than other insurance. I've had friends that live less than 50 miles away tell me they got a decent price from an insurer, only to find it was double the amount for me with the same breed/sex/age.
If you don't get a fixed for life policy, which are rare, then the premiums will usually rise each year especially after a claim. I usually end up changing every year, but obviously that would no longer be an option if they had a major ongoing condition.
After previous claims I've had insurers try and more than double my premiums, despite it not being a condition that would be ongoing. In one case they wanted to double policy of one of my dogs after her spleen was removed.... she's hardly likely to have another twisted spleen as she now has no spleen.
With many dogs they will increase the excess and increase the prices when dogs get older.
If you don't mind paying vets bills when they come up then you could just go for 3rd party only cover, but I would always at least get that.
I have two great danes (5 and 2). I've had claims of £3500, £2800, £400 and £2100 in the last 5 years. I've paid about £5400 in insurance premiums, so I'm ahead about £3400 because of insurance.
Thanks very much for that - Bought By Many seem to have good ratings and the quote is for "Per condition cover. Cover at a price that will never, ever go up! £7,000 vet fee cover per condition." for £33 per month which is almost double the equivalent for a single year (paid monthly)From my expericence pet insurance is even more of a postcode lottery than other insurance. I've had friends that live less than 50 miles away tell me they got a decent price from an insurer, only to find it was double the amount for me with the same breed/sex/age.
If you don't get a fixed for life policy, which are rare, then the premiums will usually rise each year especially after a claim. I usually end up changing every year, but obviously that would no longer be an option if they had a major ongoing condition.
After previous claims I've had insurers try and more than double my premiums, despite it not being a condition that would be ongoing. In one case they wanted to double policy of one of my dogs after her spleen was removed.... she's hardly likely to have another twisted spleen as she now has no spleen.
With many dogs they will increase the excess and increase the prices when dogs get older.
If you don't mind paying vets bills when they come up then you could just go for 3rd party only cover, but I would always at least get that.
I have two great danes (5 and 2). I've had claims of £3500, £2800, £400 and £2100 in the last 5 years. I've paid about £5400 in insurance premiums, so I'm ahead about £3400 because of insurance.
Bigbox said:
Thanks very much for that - Bought By Many seem to have good ratings and the quote is for "Per condition cover. Cover at a price that will never, ever go up! £7,000 vet fee cover per condition." for £33 per month which is almost double the equivalent for a single year (paid monthly)
No idea if that is good for the breed. Mine cost me about £60 a month each for £12k of cover total.I've heard good things about Bought by Many, but their quotes for two Danes are always too high for me.
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