Costs And Cover

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:00:05 GMT

Current Revision posted to The Practice Survival Guide by Arlo Guthrie on 1/8/2009 10:00:05 AM

Costs
Pet insurance premiums can vary dramatically. Some of the factors affecting cost are: the species and breed of pet, previous medical history, age of the pet and the area in which the client lives.

In order to compare costs, it is important to consider the level of cover / policy benefits AND any excess that may be payable in the event of a claim. Some cheaper policies may have a much higher excess and offer less cover per condition.

As a very rough guideline, cover for dogs tends to range from £7-£25 per month, whilst cover for cats is significantly cheaper at £4-£15 per month.
Clients must expect to pay more if an animal has suffered illness or injury prior to inception.
Pre-existing conditions must be declared and are never covered.
Pedigree animals generally cost more to insure than cross-breeds, especially giant breeds of dog.
The older the pet, the more expensive the policy.
Most insurers will not insure cats or dogs that are over the age of 8 years.

Cover
The level of cover offered will vary widely from policy to policy. As a guideline, most pet insurance companies cover:

Claims for illness and disease
Claims for injuries incurred as a result of an accident

Some, but not all companies cover:

A percentage of the cost of prescription diets
Dental claims (providing due care has been taken to look after the pet's teeth)
Claims for behavioural problems and psychological disturbances
Complimentary medicine such as homoeopathy and acupuncture (providing this treatment has been recommended by the animal's regular veterinary surgeon)
Death of the pet (a one off compensatory payment made if the pet dies before a certain age)
Holiday cancellation cover (if you have to cancel a holiday due to your pet's illness)
Boarding kennel fees (if you are hospitalised and unable to look after your pet)
Advertisement and reward (if your pet goes missing)

The following treatments are not covered:

Preventative treatments (such as vaccinations and worm medication).
Flea treatments. Actually, this is a bit of a grey area. For routine flea control, they are not claimable. If they are a prescription only medicine and considered integral to the treatment of a condition covered by the policy, such as flea allergic dermatitis, then they may be claimable.