Pet (Dog) Insurence . Any Suggestions Please.

[grandpajoe]

Have been scanning the comparison sites and have found prices of between £20 and £8 per month. Can anybody recommend a particular insurer with whom you have had good service etc etc. Chris

[friedgreentomato]

Tesco - I found them cheaper with the cats and on par with pet plan for the dog. Good all round service.

[Baldric]

Been with Tesco for years now, never had a problem with them.

[Ellipsis]

We have just had a great experience with Petplan, who have paid back all our insurance premiums and more over the last eight years in paying for some treatment on our cat who fell very ill recently. He's as right as rain now and hopefully good for another few years ...

[woofgang]

Petplan. Not the cheapest but never any problems with claims or communication even when they have paid out heavily.

[friedgreentomato]

pet plan was charging me £13 per cat, I got the same level of cover from Tesco for £15 for all 3!

Quite a saving!

[Baldric]

Just about to put Tesco to the test again,
see my post at end of 'Good Morning Early Birds' thread.

[pixie373]

I'm going to try Tesco. Was with Petplan, but they wouldn't pay out on a genuine claim, as they had wrong date on computer.

[frugalfred]

I had a disappointing experience with Animal Friends.

[Boto]

Frugalfred - what was your disappointing experience with Animal Friends as I have been looking at them? Thanks.

[frugalfred]

Had an emergency with my dog - stomach torsion on a Sat. evening at 7 pm. The vet and nurse met me at the surgery, operated immediately. Dog recovered. On claiming - AF refused to pay for the attendant nurse; wanted the dog's full medical history (difficult, as he was a rescue I took on at 4 years old - I had no history) and told me to contact previous vet. After numerous enquiries, I finally tracked down a Bristol vet who had given first vaccinations, but he would give no information - Data Protection Act, he said. Weeks went by, numerous e-mails, phone calls. Finally my own vet intervened and read them the Riot Act. They paid the vet (minus excess and nurse's costs), then wrote to me and refused to cover any digestive matters. Also, they refused me 3rd party cover because I had had the dog castrated, saying that must have been because he was aggressive - in fact, castration was a condition of taking on the dog from the rescue charity.
I refused to renew. I joined The Dogs Trust for 3rd party cover, and will stand any future vet's costs from my own assets.

[Boto]

Frugalfred - thank you for that - very interesting as my 2 dogs are rescued.

[wolf63]

I have my two rescue moggies insured by Tesco and they have been very good. Frankie has asthma and they have paid all the bills without a problem.

[silliemillie]

As with any insurance, you only know how good they are when you need to make a claim.

My dog had two expensive hip ops with Pet Plan, when the vet asked me what insurance I was with she said she was relieved when I said Pet Plan as some of the cheaper Companies would not have paid out in her experience.

[lankeela]

If you know you could manage to find the money somehow if you had a big bill (credit card or family loan) then put the equivalent premium into a bank account and save it that way. If you don't need it you will have a nice little nest egg in a few years. Make sure you read the small print of any policy, pet insurers are notoriously bad (or should that be good!) at not paying. With most vet bills being under the excess you will be unlucky to get a big bill anyway. Obvously if you know you could not find the money then carefully choose an insurer who will cover what you want.

[grandpajoe]

Thank you all very helpful indeed chris