INSURANCE POLICY

WE ADVISE BUYING PET INSURANCE AS SOON AS YOU CAN TO MAKE PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS LESS LIKELY.

It is also worth noting that if you change your pet insurance provider any conditions already noted by your vet will be excluded, therefore it is best to choose the best policy you can at the start. We would always advise choosing a lifetime policy over the other options available. The amount per year you choose will depend on the size of your pet and the breed, for example large and giant breed dogs cost much more to treat than small dogs. Pedigree breeds with known predisposed conditions such as British Bulldogs will cost more to treat than a crossbreed. 

  • RATHER THAN JUST PICKING THE CHEAPEST OPTION, HAVE A GOOD LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE GETTING WITH YOUR POLICY:

    Is it a lifetime policy?

    Do you have to claim within a certain time period?

    Does your insurance premium increase if you claim?

    Does your policy cover dentals?

    Does your policy cover behavioural or complementary therapies?

    Does your policy cover inherited conditions?

  • ACCIDENT

    Provides cover for accidents only (not illness).

    TIME-LIMITED

    Provides cover for a set amount of time, usually 12 months. A condition that occurs within this policy year will be excluded when the policy renews.

    MAXIMUM BENEFIT

    Provides cover up to a maximum amount of money per condition e.g. £1000, once this limit is reached the condition is excluded.

    LIFETIME

    Provides a set pot of money each year which is refreshed when you renew your policy, this means conditions are not excluded and can continue to be claimed for year after year.

  • Any claim forms submitted to the practice may take 2-3 weeks to process unless otherwise stated by a relevant person.

    Direct claims will only be agreed for an amount of £1000 or above. Where possible we will need a pre-authorisation from the insurance company prior to any treatment being carried out.

    For direct claims, the client must pay the excess and any excluded amounts at the end of the consultation or upon request. If an insurance claim is refused by the insurers you will remain liable for our fees. If an insurer fails to acknowledge our claim or respond to communications from us within 30 days, we will treat this as a refused claim and seek to recover the full cost from you. You may, of course, seek to recover the costs directly from your insurer should this occur.

    You must advise us prior to any treatment if you wish us to submit a claim to your insurer in respect of our fees and complete and sign an insurance declaration form. If you do not advise us in advance that you wish us to submit a claim directly to your insurer you will be liable to pay our fees at the time of treatment and may then seek to recoup the cost from your insurer.

    It is your responsibility to inform the vet treating your pet of any pre-existing conditions and your remaining insurance limit, and to plan for any costs that may exceed this amount.