Pet Insurance: FAQs

Q: Why do I need pet insurance?

A: Most people take out pet insurance to cover the cost of unexpected veterinary treatment, be this is due to injuries, illness, or long-term medical conditions - after scans, surgery, and/or medication, you could easily be looking at thousands of pounds. Quite often, the financial impact of making sure a pet is healthy means owners cannot keep up. This leads to thousands of animals being 'put down' annually.

Q: What is my pet insurance likely to be used for?

A: In terms of vet fees, this can include the cost of consultations, testing, scans, x-rays, surgery, medication, and hospitalisation. Alongside veterinary fees, pet insurance can also offer peace of mind for third party liability, holiday cancellation, boarding costs, and loss.

Q: What other animals are covered by pet insurance?

A: Generally speaking, most pet insurers limit their cover to cats and dogs, however, there are insurers out there who cover different kinds of animals. For example, 'exotic' pet insurance is designed to cover reptiles and non-indigenous birds, equine insurance is for horses, and small mammal insurance can be used for chinchillas or ferrets.

Q: What isn't covered by pet insurance?

A: Every insurer is different, so their exclusions are also likely to differ. However it's not common for pet insurance providers to cover the following:

• Routine or preventative treatment such as vaccinations, flea treatments, spaying/castration, grooming, and dental maintenance
• Pre-existing illnesses or injuries which presented symptoms in your pet prior to your policy start
• Pregnancy and birth as well as any treatment of offspring
• Administrative costs which might be associated with the provision of prescriptions, claims forms, or charges to obtain reports etc.