Insurance

Pet Insurance

Veterinary medicine has, in recent years, become increasingly sophisticated. We are able to diagnose and treat many conditions that a few years ago would have remained undetected with often fatal consequences, especially in the older pet. The down side of these advances is cost with many cases running into the hundreds of pounds, complex cases may exceed one thousand pounds.

One of the most distressing situations we find ourselves in, is where the owner's financial situation puts constraints on the level of treatment that we can offer, resulting in reduced clinical success or reduced life expectancy.

That's where pet insurance comes in. Veterinary fee cover can help you to avoid such situations. When choosing an insurance policy, there are several features that you should consider carefully:

1.Check that the veterinary fee cover is adequate.

2.Check that there is no limit on how long you can claim for each illness, chronic conditions can go on for life. Many policies are annual policies , not life cover policies.

3.Check that your pet will still be covered in later years and that there is not a 'cut off age' where the policy ceases to insure your pet.

What won't be covered:

Like your household or car insurance, pet insurance also has a small excess which you will have to pay on a claim. Vaccinations (see Lifelong Insurance, below) and routine treatments such as worming are also excluded.

Pensioner and multi-pet discounts:

Some insurers offer special discounts; pensioners and pet owners with several pets can make big savings.

Like the British Small Animal Veterinary Association our practice endorses the concept of pet insurance and we thoroughly recommend it to our clients. Our interest is to ensure that we do not have to compromise the quality of veterinary care on the basis of cost.

We are not insurance brokers but our experience indicates that there are several insurance policies on the market which may well prove of interest to yourselves and provide that extra protection for your pet. A couple of policies widely used by clients are:

‘LIFELONG’insurance. This policy provides a wide spectrum of cover for cats and dogs and is linked to the manufacturers of our small animal vaccines. This policy provides a Ł25 cash back voucher to help pay for your pets vaccinations and annual health check, every year; a useful feature, indeed. The classify Guernsey as a ‘low cost area and so their rates are very competitive. For further details collect a leaflet from the surgery or telephone, 0845 055 1020. We can provide a six week, free, cover note at the time of vaccination for dogs up to 8 years and cats up to 10 years of age if you wish to explore this option further.

We have found that the PETPLAN insurance policy provides a broad level of cover which will include specialist referral care, we are assured. The Practice has negotiated a special, FREE, four week insurance policy for new puppies and kittens which can be instigated at the time of first examination in the Practice. This will give you time to assess whether you wish to continue with pet insurance whilst under no obligation or monetary constraints. Please ask your vet about this facility. PETPLAN is Britain’s largest Pet Insurance company and can also provide policies for horses and rabbits as well as cats and dogs. Policy detail leaflets are available at the surgery or telephone 0800 072 7000.

As with all insurance, read the small print and find a policy which suits your pet’s requirements.

Many of our equine clients insure their horses. We believe that a horse owner should provide a minimum of insurance cover to provide for third party liability in Guernsey. We would encourage horse owners to consider broader insurance to cover veterinary fees as these can become excessive for some owners if their horse develops clinical problems that require either a lot of our time and medication or referral to a specialist equine clinic in the UK. Please look at our link on Horse Insurance