Our practice will be undergoing some exciting renovation work from Monday 16 October. Please click here to view the latest information on how to access our services.

Our practice will be undergoing some exciting renovation work from Monday 16 October. Please click here to view the latest information on how to access our services.

  • Pet Insurance | Boundary Vets | Abingdon

It is vitally important to research pet insurance before committing to a policy. The most commonly covered pets are Dogs, Cats and Rabbits. Choose the most suitable policy at the beginning, ideally when your pet is healthy and if at all possible do not change insurance policies/companies – as you could very well end up with exclusions on the new policy and your pet not being insured for a number of problems.

There are three main groups of pet insurance cover, premium, mid-level and basic.

To find out more about these types of insurance and more general questions please click on the tabs below.

Premium/Lifelong Cover

These policies have a maximum financial limit available each year and will continue to pay for ongoing or recurrent conditions from one year to the next – so long as you renew the policy.

Each year the maximum limit resets ensuring your pet can continue to receive treatment for a long-term illness. HOWEVER, if you cancel, fail to renew the policy or change insurance companies the new insurance policy will no longer cover that condition and it will be termed a Pre-Existing Condition regardless of who the new policy is with.

Mid-level/Financially capped/Per Condition Cover

These policies have a financial limit on treatment per condition without a time limit. However, once the limit is reached, that condition is no longer covered and will be termed a Pre-Existing Condition.

Basic/Time-capped Cover

These policies have time and financial limits on treatment per condition – usually only 12 months. So, if your pet is diagnosed with a lifelong condition eg. Diabetes, the insurance will pay for treatment and medication only until the money runs out or the 12 months are up – whichever is reached first. Then the condition is no longer covered.

Financially, how much should my insurance cover?

All treatments and conditions vary greatly in cost. (Please speak to your vet for more information about individual cases). However, if your pet was to need referral to a specialist, the cost is likely to be in the thousands.

Pre-Existing Conditions

Pre-existing conditions are NOT covered by your insurance policy. They include any long-term or recurrent conditions and accidents that have been treated or noticed before any policy has been taken out. Also, if you change insurance policies or companies, any conditions that have been treated for or noticed regardless of whether you claimed or not, will no longer be covered with your new policy and will be termed Pre-Existing Conditions.

Excess

The excess is the part of the treatment you have to pay yourself before claiming the remainder of the bill. It is common for insurance companies to have an excess per condition of between £50-£90 however, they are all different and it is vital to check your individual policy.

What’s not covered?

Vaccinations, flea and worm treatments and neutering are not covered by your policy. Some companies will cover dental treatment but you will need to check the small print carefully for exactly what is covered.