PDSA Pet Insurance

If your pet becomes ill or gets injured, pet insurance is designed to provide financial protection in meeting costs including:

• Vets fees – Avoid one off bills
• Reward and advertising costs – In case your pet goes missing
• Holiday cancellation
• Boarding fees – For when your animal needs to stay in care

Typically pet insurance will not cover:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Problems within the first 10 days of cover
• Breeds that come under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
• New policies for any pet younger than 8 weeks, dogs over a set age e.g 9 years and cats e.g. aged 11 years and over

When it comes to choosing the right pet insurance for you, there are a range of choices available depending on your budget and on the level of cover you wants.

Some of the options available from pet insurance companies include:

Lifetime pet insurance – A lifetime pet insurance policy offers the most comprehensive level of cover for your pet. These plans, as the name suggests, are designed to last for the entire life of your pet, covering any new illness or injury after the date the policy is taken out (you will not be covered for your pet’s existing illnesses or injuries). These policies require annual renewal, so make sure you set a date to renew each year or you will no longer have the cover you need.

Non-lifetime pet insurance – this type of pet insurance limits how much they pay per condition before it’s excluded. This type of pet insurance will pay out a set amount for any different conditions your pet has, with no time limit. However, once the payment limit is used up, no further payouts will be available.

Time-limited non-lifetime pet insurance – this type of pet insurance offers the same limited payout plan as non-lifetime pet insurance, but also places a time limit on how long you can claim for the condition. After this time has elapsed, the condition will be excluded from any further payouts.

Accident-only pet insurance – This is the most basic type of pet insurance policy and only covers your pet for accidents and injuries. Other illnesses are excluded. The policies may be cheapest at the outset, but they could prove expensive if your pet gets ill in the future as you will not be covered.

Buying Dog Insurance

When it comes to choosing the right dog insurance there are a range of choices available depending on your budget and on the level of cover you wants.

Some of the options available from pet insurance companies include:

Lifetime dog insurance – A lifetime dog insurance policy offers the most comprehensive level of cover for your pet. These plans, as the name suggests, are designed to last for the entire life of your pooch, covering any new illness or injury after the date the policy is taken out (you will not be covered for your dog’s existing illnesses or injuries). These policies require annual renewal, so make sure you set a date to renew each year or you will no longer have the cover you need.

Non-lifetime dog insurance – this type of pet insurance limits how much they pay per condition before it’s excluded. This type of dog insurance will pay out a set amount for any different conditions your pet has, with no time limit. However, once the payment limit is used up, no further payouts will be available.

Time-limited non-lifetime dog insurance – this type of insurance offers the same limited payout plan as non-lifetime cover, but also places a time limit on how long you can claim for the condition. After this time has elapsed, the condition will be excluded from any further payouts.

Accident-only dog insurance – This is the most basic type of pet insurance policy and only covers your dog for accidents and injuries. Other illnesses are excluded. The policies may be cheapest at the outset, but they could prove expensive if your pet gets ill in the future as you will not be covered.

However tight your budget, it’s worth insuring your pet in order to help them live a long, healthy life, as well as to save you money on vet’s bills in the future.

When comparing pet insurance policies it’s a good idea to shop around and compare a wide range of insurers.

Look for specific policies for your pet, as many insurers offer specialised cat, dog, horse, or exotic pet insurance, which could offer a better deal and a level of cover that is tailored to your pet’s specific needs.

You can compare a range of deals from pet insurance providers with our free comparison service. Just click on the links above to compare features and apply online today for great discounts.

Points to consider when looking for multiple pet insurance include:

• The multi-pet discount offered – most pet insurance providers offer you a discount if you insure more than one pet under the same policy
• The level of vet’s fees that are covered for each pet, per year
• Are the vets fees paid directly? This can be convenient if you have several pets to care for
• Whether there is an excess fee to pay when making a claim,and how much it is per pet