Pet insurance.

[yola]

Just to add - my cats are covered for dental work on the E&L policies. I think it depends on the level of policy you take out. I opted for the 'platinum' plans which cover quite a lot, so worth checking individual policy criteria to make sure it exactly fits your needs.

[Kim]

Oh dear Elaine, what a shame you had so much trouble! I suppose it depends on the insurance company, but I have always found Petplan to be reliable and efficient. They have never refused any claim we made. If your claim is within the conditions of the policy, I really can't see how any company can refuse to pay. Petplan will cover for oldies, provided that the policy is taken out before the cat is 8. M & S, Sainsburys and 'More than' do not have an age limit. My vets certainly do not charge me more because I am insured, if they do you have every right to complain!!

I would definitely advise every pet owner to take out insurance. Even if I had put money aside every month I would never have saved the £5000+ that I have claimed. As with any insurance, it is a gamble, but I would never dream of not having home insurance! I pay for peace of mind, and that is worth it for me.

[Canis-Equus]

As far as i can make out, pet plan seem to be one of the best...

I forget who it was posted about E&L..... but that would be the FIRST and only time i hav eheard good things about these guys.

There is a reason their cover is SO cheap - its because they have so much small print that they very rarely pay out - so rarely in fact that there are a lot of vets who will NOT treat an animal if they are covered by E&L (unless of course the owner pays up front and then claims from the insurer....)

Perhaps they are better with cats, but from the stories ihave heard from horse and dog owners regarding them (where E&L refused to pay out on a horse who had to be pts as an emergency (broken leg, animal in agony) because the owner hadnt got prior permission to do so...... etc etc)....i wouldnt touch them with someone ELSES bargepole!

Em

[Nicola]

I haven't got mine insured yet but am planning on going with M&S.

[Hreow]

If you can put money away,and you have enough of a buffer to cover the first few years, that sounds like a good option.

I've gone with PetPlan as quite a few of my mates have had good experiences with claiming. I'd rather pay a bit more to have no hassle at a time like that. We're also possibly into financially more unstable ground the next year, so I wouldn't want the added worry of a possibly large chunk comming out of our savings at that time. Cats and disasters being known for their bad timing.

[Fran]

I would only insure with Petplan...they have cover for life policies and pay direct to your vet so that you don't have to actually stump up money and then claim it back.

All my puppies leave here with 6 weeks free insurance from Petplan for the new owners and the kittens I have at the moment will also have the Petplan 6 weeks free insurance cover..

[borderdawn]

That insurance is free isnt it Fran? Have you ever known anyone successfully claim from it? (any breed/type Cat or dog?)

I have just had a row with insurance, Ill do another thread cos its dogs not Cats.
Dawn.

[Fran]

Originally Posted by borderdawn

That insurance is free isnt it Fran? Have you ever known anyone successfully claim from it? (any breed/type Cat or dog?)

I have just had a row with insurance, Ill do another thread cos its dogs not Cats.
Dawn.

It is free Dawn. I have claimed myself. Some years ago I bought a pup that came with 6 weeks free insurance from Petplan. The puppy started to be ill 24 hours after we got him and it turned out he had pnuemonia. Petplan didn't quibble and paid out immediately even though we had only had the pup 24 hours. They also allowed us to take out the normal policy once the 6 weeks free was up and still continued to pay out for him. His vet bill in total amounted to around £1000 as he had to be referred to a specialist in Manchester. I would recommend them highly.

[Naomi]

Moli isn't insured as I really don't see the point. She's been spayed and vaccinated so I've got no worries there. She's a very healthy girl and if anything major would happen, eg car accident or something that she would require a big op for then I'm sorry but I would rather opt to have her pts.

My dogs were insured and I used Tesco. They paid out when my old rescue bitch had to have a few lumps removed which, when we first saw the vet said they were fatty lumps but 8 months down the line they said one was a MastCell tumour. Because it was an already exisitng condition they wouldn't normally pay out but seems as she had been mis-diagnosed in the first place they paid out for me. Had to pay out £100 excess as the lumps were classed as different conditions, one was cancerous and the other 3 appeared to be warts

They paid out very quickly and I couldn't fault their customer services.

[borderdawn]

Originally Posted by Fran

It is free Dawn. I have claimed myself. Some years ago I bought a pup that came with 6 weeks free insurance from Petplan. The puppy started to be ill 24 hours after we got him and it turned out he had pnuemonia. Petplan didn't quibble and paid out immediately even though we had only had the pup 24 hours. They also allowed us to take out the normal policy once the 6 weeks free was up and still continued to pay out for him. His vet bill in total amounted to around £1000 as he had to be referred to a specialist in Manchester. I would recommend them highly.

Thats good service, and its the reason I am wary of changing, thanks for that.
Dawn.