Pet Insurance Discount

I’ve been taking part in conversation about pet insurance on Petforums.co.uk (great forum by the way) and have been really amazed at the confusion that reigns about lifetime pet insurance and who’s offering it.

So, I’ve put together a quick guide to identify which companies offer true lifetime cover (also known as lifelong).

What exactly is lifetime pet insurance?

Lifetime cover means that your vet fees maximum benefit amount is replenished every year at renewal. You have a pot of money to spend on vet fees, each year, regardless of the number of conditions you’re claiming for. When you renew your cover, you’ll get the your pot topped up to the original balance. What’s more, because the vet fees limit is per year rather than per condition, ongoing conditions are never excluded and you can carry on claiming year after year.

>> Read more and see the ultimate list

If you’re insured with Petplan, you may want to prepare yourself ahead of your policy renewal. The animal insurer has made significant changes to its policies, effective as of 1st April 2009, on a renewal basis. You may also see an increase in premiums.

Below you will find more details about these changes as well as advice on how to switch provider safely.

>> Find out more about Petplan’s policy changes

During tough economic times, every little helps. Cheap pet insurance is great but value for money is better.  That’s why More Than pet insurance now include additional benefits when you join online.

“We do More”

More Than cat and dog insurance may start from only £4.79 a month for a £7,000 per condition cover but what’s more is all the nice extras you get when you join them:

• Vetfone: a FREE vet helpline open 24/7/365 should you need advice. For instance, if you think your pet shows symptoms of being sick, give them a call and they’ll be able to tell you whether you need to take your pet to the vet immediately, the following day or simply if you need to apply a couple of first aid tricks.

>> Read more about great value from More Than

You need to make a claim for vet fees but you don’t have any claim form? No worries! You can download and print one off here.

You’ll find below all the claim forms I could gather from UK pet insurance companies. Note that for some benefits you may need a different type of form . In that case, give a call to your insurer’s customer service straightaway. They should be able to send you the relevant paperwork. >> Read more

While you’re doing your research on which pet insurance company to go with, why don’t you get 4 weeks free cover from Petplan?

Finding the right insurance policy for your pet can be time consuming. There are plenty of things to consider, like the type of cover, the different treatments available, additional benefits, the excess, the premium… Time spent researching means your pet isn’t covered, and in that time anything could happen, from accidents to illnesses. The good news is you can protect your pet for 4 weeks, free of charge with Petplan. That way you can research the market at your pace, knowing that should your pet be in trouble, they’d be able to receive veterinary care.

>> Read more to find out if your pet is eligible to free pet insurance

Homebase Pet Insurance have just relaunched their pet insurance programme with new innovative cat insurance policies, new discounts and a new website!

Because cats and dogs have different needs, Homebase have introduced a cat specific cover: cats cost less to treat, so why insure for £10,000 in vet fees when you actually only need £1,000 or £2,500 per year?

New cat insurance from £3.58 per month

Choose between 2 cover levels, both lifelong: Cat Care offers up to £1,000 in vet fees each year, Cat Care Plus offers up to £2,500 per year. Other benefits include death of cat, recovery expenses, cattery fees, travel cover as well as repeat tick and tapeworm treatment.

>> Read more on Homebase new cat insurance cover

Earlier this year, Tesco estimated that nearly 300,000 pets went missing each year. The shocking statistic reinforced the need for having something in place should your pet suddenly disappear. With pet insurance, you can make sure that you have funds available towards advertising and offering a reward for finding your lost friend.

>> Read more and get tips on what to do should your pet go missing

Animal Friends Insurance (AFI) has launched today a complete new range of pet insurance policies. New covers start from only £3.27 per month for dogs, under the Accident Only policy.

In total, AFI now offers 7 different products, from Accident Only to full lifelong cover with Prestige which covers up to £40,000 per condition for the life of the policy. Intermediate options are also available, so you can find the right cover for your pet and your wallet too.

>> Read more on Animal Friends new products

Meet Real Pets and Owners, Episode 3: Finney has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, but luckily his owner Gaynor had taken out pet insurance beforehand. Here’s their story in just a few lines. >> Read the interview

For a limited period of time only, Tesco offers a 35% online discount on their pet insurance. Protect yourself from the costs of unexpected vet bills from only £4 a month for cats and £6.50 for dogs.

If you insure a second pet, you will also get an additional 5% multipet discount for an even cheaper quote!!

Remember, the offer ends 27th May 2009, so don’t delay!!!.

>> Get an instant quote with 35% OFF until 27th May.

Independent pet health insurance company Animal Friends Insurance (AFI) has been supporting pet charities around the world by distributing profits made from insurance sales.

Last december, AFI decided to help raising funds for Gearing Up For Gorillas, a non-for-profit organisation that tries to protect the majestic mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently at war. AFI’s help has already proved successful: food and care are now being dispensed to 3 orphan gorillas in Goma, Ndeze, Ndakasi and Mapendo.

>> Read more about AFI’s charity support.

Pets have been hit hard by the recession says More Than pet insurance. Two recent surveys revealed shocking facts regarding pet owners in the UK, usually known for being such pet lovers.

1. 10% of UK pet owners would consider prescribing and administering medicine to their pet themselves rather than going to the vet, in order to save money.

With 60% of owners also admitting they don’t know enough about pet health to recognise when their pet is sick, the insurer commented: “Self prescribing human medicine for an animal can have serious repercussions, with vets warning prolonged use of human painkillers such as Ibuprofen can lead to kidney failure or stomach ulcers which if left unchecked can prove fatal for dogs.”

Read more

Meet Keely and her cat Parsley. Keely knows the importance of pet insurance and it proves very useful as her companion recently developed cancer. Find out a bit more about them all. If you would like to feature here too, just get in touch via Twitter

Read the interview

A new section is being introduced today with the help of Laura and her dog Cookie: Meet Real Pets and Owners.

In 5 quick questions, we’re looking at the reasons why people choose to buy pet insurance and why they decide to go with one company rather than another. Read the interview.

Are you looking to switch pet insurance provider and save money on your next year’s premium? Below are a few questions to ask yourself in order to change company safely.

Have you started your research early enough?

Always do your research for a new provider before you actually cancel your current cover. Remember that you will receive a letter from your current insurance company at least 21 days before your policy is due for renewal, so that will leave you plenty of time to find a alternative supplier.

Does your pet have any pre-existing conditions? Have you claimed on your policy?

If so, then ask yourself (or a vet) if the condition is likely to be ongoing. For instance, diabetes would require regular treatment. But a road traffic accident would be treated as a one-off as it is less likely to re-occur. Find out more about switching pet insurance provider safely

The importance of buying pet insurance has once again been demonstrated by the real-life storie of Song and her £3,286 pacemaker.

Song’s, a spaniel retriever, has been fitted with a pacemaker in order to save her life. Suffering from a life-threatening low heart rate, Song, only aged 18 months, had to resolve to an electronic device worth £3,286. Luckily, her owners Bob and Laurie Austin’s dog insurance covered the cost of treatment. Read more

Found myself at the BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) congress in Birmingham yesterday, the biggest vet related event in the country. All the big players were there: charities (The Blue Cross, Cats Protection, DogsTrust, RSPCA, PDSA, Pet Blood Bank), pet food manufacturers (Royal Canin, Hill’s, Iams, Purina), insurers (Petplan, AXA), microchipping companies (Virbac, Animalcare, Avid), veterinary practice management software providers and of course vet groups.

The economic crisis impact on charities

First of all I got to talk to the main charities. The Blue Cross expressed concerns with regards to the increase of pets being sheltered as a result of the downturn. They suggested that as more people are unable to meet their mortgage repayments, they move to rented accommodation, where often pets are not welcome. The Dogs Trust confirmed the trend as some pet owners struggle financially while others use the crunch as an excuse to abandon their pets to rescue centres. Read more.

Tesco estimates that around 300,000 pets go missing or stray every year in the UK. This confirm stats from the Missing Pets Bureau which last year reckoned that 2,500 cats and 3,200 dogs where going missing every week. That’s 296,400 per year.

If it were to happen, know that pet insurance can help with the costs of advertising and offering a monetary reward should someone find your pet and bring it back home. Most pet insurers offer a “Recovery - Advertising and Reward” benefit, so that if your cat or dog strays, you can act quickly and not worry about the costs.

Read more including comments from Head of Tesco Pet Insurance Rachel Cutler

Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance recently claimed that Rottweilers are the most expensive type of dog for vet treatment. Based on real claim figures, Rottweilers cost an average of £441 to treat. This is:

• 32% more than the average for pedigree dogs
• 61% more than the average for a West Highland (£271)

The supermarket insurer has therefore warned customers to consider all cost implications of owning a new pet, and especially for large breed dogs. But cat enthusiasts should feel concerned too as the cost of veterinary treatment for a Maine Coon averages £487 which is:

• 40% more than the average for all cats
• almost 50% more than the average for a Persian

Read more about the average vet treatment costs

Looking to save money on pet insurance? Direct Line offers 12 months for the price of 10 when you buy online before 20th May 2009.

2 covers for cats and dogs

Choose between Essential and Advanced policies. Essential covers vet fees for a maximum of 12 months for each unrelated illness or injury, and up to £4,000 per condition. Advanced will give you £6,000 in vet fees for each condition, with no time limit. Both policies include 3 useful helplines Read more about Direct Line pet insurance latest offer

The credit crunch is affecting every aspect of customer spending, including pet insurance. Petplan recently said they were increasingly concerned with the effect of the recession on pet care in general, and pet insurance in particular.

However, customers have been urged to keep their pet’s wellbeing at heart and not cancel their policies. How would you cope should your pet need veterinary treatment and you don’t have cover? With pet health insurance you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your pet will have acess to the latest veterinary medicine, and only for a few pounds a month.

Clarissa Baldwin from the Dogs Trust says “Sadly we are seeing the results of the deepening recession at some of our rehoming centres, and especially an increase in dogs with medical problems whose owners have been unable to pay for ongoing treatment.  We fully appreciate that it’s really difficult for people not to make cutbacks in their spending, but we would urge the public not to see insurance for their pets’ health as a non-essential.” Read more

Have you recently adopted a puppy or kitten? Then you know costs add up quickly: donation to the rescue centre or price paid to the breeder, supplies like food bowl, leash, collar, tags and toys, vaccination, neutering, food etc… And you’re also considering buying pet insurance, just to make sure that your new friend will be protected against accidents and illnesses as they get used to their new surroundings.

Pet insurance with no excess the 1st year

To help pet owners like you, lifelong pet insurer Pet Protect will provide cover with no excess the 1st year for pets registered under the age of 1. So if mishaps were to happen and you had to make a claim, you would not have to pay anything apart from your monthly premium. Get a quote online.

Or read on fore more details

In periods of economic uncertainty it’s always a good idea to have cover for your cat, dog or rabbit. And because every penny matters, finding cheaper pet insurance online makes perfect sense. Here’s 6 tips to help you reduce the cost of your monthly premium.

1. Insure your pet as early as possible

Young puppies and kittens may be prone to mishaps in the first few months of their lives but they’re quite unlikely to develop any medical condition. As pets get older they become increasingly subject to illnesses, just like humans. Claims become more frequent and cost more to the insurance company. When pets are young, they’re less likely to engender a claim, hence lower premiums.

2. Select a higher excess

Companies will sometimes give you the possibility to reduce the cost of cover if you select a higher excess. Remember that you only have to pay the vet fees excess should you make a claim. Otherwise, it’s money saved on your pet insurance quote!

Read 4 more tips to get the cheapest pet insurance possible

As of Monday 17th January 2009, all Argos and Homebase pet insurance policies will be underwritten by Agria International Forsakring AB.

Agria are a specialist pet insurance underwritter that already provide healthcare cover under brand names such as The Kennel Club and Crufts Pet Insurance. Now, they will underwrite Argos and Homebase pet insurance after AXA alledgedly decided to streamline their pet insurance operations. The change is of immediate effect for new customers. For existing policyholders, this switch may be effective at renewal time.

What does this mean for Argos and Homebase customers?

• Smaller prices for new customers: from £3.99 per month before 5% online discount
• No change in the cover provided
• No change in the policy wording
• No change in the claim payment process
• No change in location of the customer service - remains in the UK

Read more about Agria and the changes to Argos and Homebase pet insurance policies

Lifelong pet insurance may be a bit more expensive than per condition or 12-month covers but it’s definately worth the few extra pounds a month  in the long run. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider buying lifelong cat and dog insurance.

1. Ongoing conditions are covered for life

As long as you renew your policy each year, medical conditions will not be excluded from your policy even if you have started claiming for them. With other types of pet health covers, conditions are excluded after a certain time or when a financial ceiling is reached, leaving you out of the pocket should further care be necessary.

2. Your vet fees limit is renewed every year

Unlike per condition policies which give you a specific amount of money for each specific condition or 12-month plans that provide you with a fund for a limited time period, lifelong pet insurance will give you a yearly fund that gets replenished every year, on your insurance anniversary date. Say if you buy Marks and Spencer Premier cover, you will get £7,000 to spend on veterinary fees each and every year.
Read more reasons to buy lifelong pet insurance

Pet insurance should be mandatory reckons Keith Hall, manager of Hallswood Animal Sanctuary in Norwich.

42 animals have already been left at his rescue centre since Christmas (23 cats and 7 dogs) as the credit crunch starts to bite. Most of the time people struggle to pay vet bills but they also abandon pets with medical problems before getting a new one. Mr Hall says “People have started using animals like mobile phones - they just exchange them.”.

As a promoter of responsible pet ownership, Mr Hall therefore believes that pet insurance should be mandatory: “I can’t believe that you have to have your car insured by law but you don’t legally have to get pet insurance“.

Read more

Get a Direct Line pet insurance online quote before 31/03/2009 you could win a £1,000 worth of pet food.

Every customer requesting a cat or dog insurance quote on www.directline.com/pet will be entered into a prize draw to win £1,000 worth of pet food, paid into Pets at Home vouchers.

Each week, 1 winner will be drawn, making it 13 chances for you to win the prize!! No purchase necessary! Just request a quote online and you will be automatically entered into the competition.

Find out more about Direct Line pet insurance

Helpucover (former Pinnacle pet insurance) is now offering healthcare cover for rabbits.

Helpucover has been specialising in lifelong pet insurance for years now and recently extended its range of policies to rabbits. With only a few companies providing rabbit insurance, Helpucover will prove a sensible choice for a monthly budget of about £10.

More about Helpucover Rabbit Insurance

Despite the credit crunch, specialist pet insurance provider Animal Friends Insurance (AFI) has reported a 40% increase in sales. The success of the non-for-profit organisation lies in 3 things:

• a new, more comprehensive website coupled with an increased visibility online
• a wide range of policies: lifelong and per condition available, from £500 to £6,000 per year in vet fees
• cheap prices: from £6.36 per month

Credit Crunch encourages pet owners to buy pet insurance

In period of an economic downturn, people tend to make more rational decisions with their money. They see pet insurance more positively as they realise pets are likely to visit the vet each year and engender heavy vet bills.

Read more about AFI pet insurance

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) urged dog and cat owners to buy their pets the present of pet insurance this Christmas. Anyone who gives and receives a pet this year should ensure they have some sort of insurance cover. A survey conducted by the association showed that 31% of people considered purchasing gifts for their pet and acknowledged that insurance is a very important part of responsible ownership.

A dog is for life not just for Christmas

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Dogs Trust tagline “A dog is for life not just for Christmas”. According to Clarissa Baldwin – Dogs Trust chief executive, there are still 1.8% of dogs bought as gifts: as many as 131,400 per year. Read more

In time of an economic downturn, it’s even more important to buy pet insurance says Mike Powell from financial research company Defaqto. According to the general insurance expert, pet insurance should be seen as seen as part of general pet healthcare and shouldn’t be cancelled because of economic difficulties.

“If you can’t afford to pay for insurance cover, how can you realistically afford to pay a vet bill?” asks Mr Powell. As credit is getting more and more difficult to obtain, cat and dog owners without pet insurance may struggle to borrow money to pay for expensive vet bills. There were reports earlier this year that vets were often forced to put pets to sleep because their owners couldn’t afford treatment. Read more

Comparing lifelong pet insurance online can be tedious. There’s no such thing as a moneysupermarket.com for pet insurance, so if you’re looking to compare price and level of cover you would have to go to each single insurer’s website, enter all your details each time and write down the quote outcome.

Luckily, you’ll find below a shortlist of pet insurance companies that provide lifelong cover and a couple of quote examples to give you an idea of prices.

Go and compare lifelong pet insurance premiums

With PDSA pet insurance, you can protect your pet but also help animals in need of veterinary care all over the UK. When you take out Petsurance from PDSA, 20% of your premium will go towards UK’s number 1 veterinary charity, which helps sick and injured animals.

PDSA Petsurance: per condition pet insurance

Some insurers impose a 12-month limit on claims for a specific condition. After that period the condition is excluded from the policy and no further claims can be made. However, with PDSA there’s no time limit. Your only restriction is the financial limit you can claim for a condition: between £2,000 and £7,000 per condition depending on your cover level. This ensures your pet can receive the best of care for ongoing conditions that require longer treatment.

Read more about PDSA pet insurance

Pets are great companions. They’re part of your family and bring joy to the household, at Christmas time especially. It’s no surprise then that British pet owners buy presents for their four-legged friends. But when it comes to choosing the best gift, you may want to consider pet insurance seriously.

You care for your pet and you want them to stay happy and healthy. Unfortunately, they get up to mischief and have accidents, especially at a young age. They may also catch illnesses such as diabetes, various infections or even cancer. Should this happen, would you be able to afford the cost of vet bills?

Veterinary medicine advances at an amazing pace and conditions previously thought incurable can now be alleviated with positive results - but comes at a high cost. With pet insurance, you can claim back your veterinary expenses and, more importantly, you won’t have to make the heartbreaking decision of putting your pet to sleep because you’re financially unable to provide for them. Read more

Are you looking for pet insurance for your older cat or dog? If so, you’ve probably already found out it isn’t an easy task.

Upper age limit

Most companies are happy to insure young pets, simply because they are less at risk of illnesses. The older your pet gets, the more veterinary care they will require, so the more they will cost in claims. That’s why some insurers decide not to insure older pets: it’s just not worth it for them as they are too exposed to paying claims while not receiving enough in premiums. Therefore, they impose what’s called an “upper age limit“: this is the age limit above which the company will not insure your pet. Read more for find out pet insurance for older pets

Marks and Spencer pet insurance have warned against the increasing danger of pet poisoning it has been reported.

Reported cases increased by 34% this year says M&S according to statistics from Vetphone, their 24-hour vet helpline dedicated to their insurance customers. The free service allows policyholders to phone experienced veterinary nurses in case of a pet emergency, which is especially useful during the non-opening hours of vet practices.

Lethal nicotine

Nicotine can be fatal to your pet. Read more about pet poisoning and nicotine

Are you looking to insure your pet with lifelong insurance? Then you may want to consider Marks and Spencer pet insurance.

Not so many companies offer lifelong cover anymore these days. Pet Protect, Helpucover and Petplan are some of the reputable companies providing such type of policy, and so is M&S. Lifelong/lifetime cover means that conditions are covered year on year, without exclusion, provided you keep renewing your policy. Plus, your vet fee benefits are fully replenished on renewal, giving you £4,000 to spend per year with the M&S Standard option and £7,000/year with M&S Premier.

Read more and get 15% off M&S pet insurance

According to the Missing Pets Bureau, more than 2,500 dogs and 3,200 cats go missing every week in the UK. Worse, 38% of these dogs are actually thought to be stolen, usually for ransom, resale or breeding purposes. Read more and find out how pet insurance can help

Two weeks ago, I found myself in a meeting with representatives of pet insurance companies, discussing the trends in and challenges of the pet insurance market. It was quite an open discussion but companies of course didn’t reveal too much of their analysis, as this will help them take an edge over their competitors. Nevertheless, a few interesting themes came up.

Credit crunch

Is the credit crunch affecting customers’ perception of pet insurance and have insurers seen any change in policy sales?

Most insurers said they haven’t yet seen any big impact on sales but reckon that customers tend to shop around more come renewal time. In a recession period, every penny counts and if I had insurance I would shop around at renewal. People are used to look for a better deal every year on their car insurance. Why not for their pet cover?

Read more on the credit crunch and pet insurance

During a credit crunch period, every penny counts. So it’s only good news to hear that Direct Line pet insurance have increased their online discount to 30% when you buy a policy before the 30th October 2008.

Even better, they also offer an additional 15% multipet discount when you insure a second pet.

Remember that Direct Line offer 2 type of policies:

1. Essential covers veterinary fees up to £4,000 on a 12-month basis for each condition (illness or injury).
2. Advanced provides £6,000 in vet fees per condition: you can claim as many times as you want until your £6,000 limit per condition is reached.

>> Buy pet insurance online now and benefit from this great offer from DL.

According to Tesco, Britons are nearly twice as likely to insure their pets rather than taking out private health insurance for themselves.

In 2007, 23% of pets were insured in the UK whereas only 12% of humans actually had private medical cover. Allan Burns from Tesco said: “I’m not surprised by this finding. We have known for a long time that us Brits are pet mad. Tesco Pet Insurance continually finds ways to make pet cover more affordable for our customers, helping them through tougher times. This is why we are the second largest pet insurer in the UK.”

Britain is indeed a nation of pet lovers and it is believed a great proportion of pet owners put the needs of their cats and dogs before their own: pet insurance, food, grooming and exercise accessories now represent some of the essential spendings of the household.

Luckily, pet supplies are often cheaper on the Internet, especially for food and medicine, which are up to 70% cheaper than from the vet’s. All major pet insurers also offer a discount when you take out pet insurance online. So make the most of it and start saving now!

Compare pet insurance and get online discounts >>

Buy cheap pet medicines online with petmeds.co.uk >>

Buy pet supplies online via Zooplus.co.uk >>

As from 1st November 2008, vets will have the possibility to charge a fee for writing a prescription following a change in law.

This marks the end of a three-year ban during which vets were not allowed to incur any fees for producing a prescription: the ban was introduced to break the monopoly vets were holding on medicine supply. Since then, vets have been forced to lower the price of medicine due to an increasing competition of online pharmacies that offer the exact same products at a discounted rate. As a result they have been clawing back on lost revenues but increasing other charges like consultation fees, treatment costs and possibly, from 1st November 2008, prescription fees too. Read on

It’s official: September’s here and possibly the most frustrating month of the year! Back to work, heavy rains and low temperatures… So here’s something to cheer you up: new discount codes for buying pet supplies and medication online this month.

Petsupermarket

Buy supplies for dogs, cats, fish, small pets, birds. Offer: £20 off on orders over £100 - Code: psbig20 Offer: 5% off all purchases - Code: intro5

Get more discount codes

According to Petplan (source: 2008), 97% of vets witnessed pet owners forced to put their pets to sleep because they couldn’t afford to pay for veterinary treatment. It’s ever more the case in times of economic uncertainty and Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance to confirm that 80% of vets can’t always dispense necessary care because customers are financially strapped.

Vet fees inflation has been rising high above the inflation rate for years, +15% solely last year, and pet owners now struggle to pay what proves to be an expensive bill each time they walk into a vet practice. To top it all up, pets are increasingly suffering from obesity (36% of dogs and 29% of cats) and behavioural problems due to a shift in lifestyles, especially in urban areas. Read more

According to Petplan (source: Datamonitor 2008), 98% of pet insurance claims are for vet fees. The remaining 2% are for non-core benefits such as advertising and reward costs, boarding fees and 3rd party liability.

When you consider buying pet insurance, it is essential that you look at vet fees into details before even considering extra benefits. The first thing you need to do is choose between the 3 types of pet insurance available, then determine the amount of vet fees you need to be covered for and then, lastly, additional benefits.

Choose between 3 types of policy

1. 12-month capped: a condition is covered for a period of 12-month and up to your vet fees level. After the 12-month period or when you’ve claimed up to your limit, the condition is excluded.
2. Per condition: a condition is covered up to your vet fees amount, without time limit. Once the amount is reached, the condition is excluded from the policy.
3. Lifelong: claims for a condition are paid up to your vet fees limit, each and every year, as benefits are replenished when you renew. Conditions are not excluded provided you keep your policy renewed.

In pet insurance, you really pay for what you get, so the more comprehensive the cover the more expensive. That’s why lifelong policies are generally more expensive than per condition ones, because they basically cover more. Read more about things to consider when buying pet insurance

Tesco pet insurance run a special offer of 40% off when buying cover online before the 17th September 2008. With the discount, Tesco pet insurance policies are now available from £3.00 for cats and £6.00 for dogs.

Customers can choose between 2 levels of cover:

Standard: covering up to £2,500 per condition on a 12-month basis (you can claim for 12 months for a condition) Extra: covering up to £4,000 per condition without any time limit

More on Tesco pet insurance

Petplan remains the number 1 pet insurance in the UK with 40.2% market share according to the latest industry reports.

Petplan has been established since 1976 and provides cover for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses but also small mammals, birds and reptile via subsidiary Exotic Direct. More on Petplan

In pet insurance, the excess can take different forms: it can be numerical amount, expressed in pounds - £70, a percentage of the claim - 15%, or even both - £70 + 15% of the claim once the fixed excess has been deducted from the original amount.

The percentage excess, commonly known as mandatory co-insurance or vet fees contribution, is often applied to older pet policies. As they get older, they become more likely to claim and for bigger amounts. Therefore, some companies insist you pay part of the claim yourself. More on Co-Insurance

Pet insurance specialist Petplan has issued a guide for pet owners looking to buy a puppy. Finding the right puppy is not only time consuming but also very competitive as puppies with the ‘it’ factor prove rare. As a result, prices have inflated (sometimes running into thousands of pounds) and pet owners are now advised to adopt a few simple rules in order to avoid ‘gazumping’. Read more

What would you do with your pets should you have to go into hospital for a long period of time? You only know too well it’s not always possible to have someone come to your home, feed your dogs and cats and spend quality time with them, like taking them out for a walk. That’s why most pet insurance companies now cover boarding kennel and cattery fees.

Basically speaking, the insurer will pay for your pet to stay in a kennel or a cattery if you were to fall ill or be injured and had to stay into hospital over a certain period of time. Most companies will not insure against a short-term stay, so they will only pay the boarding fees after a few days. See how different insurers compare for this benefit

Online pet insurance provider Petguard anticipates a strong increase in pet alternative therapies for the years to come. According to their latest study (2008), 25% of UK dogs have been treated at least once with untraditional methods such as hydrotherapy, acupuncture and homeopathy.

Really widespread in the US, where $112m are expected to be spent by 2010, alternative treatments are becoming increasingly popular amongst UK pet owners as information spreads quickly. Vets, however, have reportedly been struggling to keep up with the demand as only 20% of them currently dispense care like hydrotherapy, homeopathy and acupuncture. Read more on alternative treatments

Thanks to ongoing advances in pet care, the range of treatments available to pets has extended widely. More conditions are now successfully treated via therapies such as acupuncture, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy which are increasingly being used in a complementary or alternative capacity.

Before you buy a pet insurance policy, it is important that you check which complementary treatments are covered and how much you can claim for.

Does my pet need to be covered for alternative therapies?

Being covered for alternative therapies gives you the option to choose the most adequate treatment for your pet and therefore increases the chances of a successful recovery. Hydrotherapy, for instance, is often used before an operation on older pets but also as a replacement should surgery be too risky. Every pet is different and some respond to certain treatments better than others, so having more choice makes great sense. There are numerous cases of pets that were considered doomed but incredibly recovered thanks to alternative treatments. In a video put together by pet insurer Pet Protect, you can see how border collie Murphy has been suffering from arthritis but is brilliantly recovering thanks to regular acupuncture sessions.

Watch the video and compare pet insurance providers

With lifelong pet insurance, also known as lifetime cover, your pet is protected for its life for as long as you renew your cover, meaning that you can claim for ongoing conditions that require long-term treatment. Policy limits apply generally per year though: you will receive an allowance in vet fees per year (let’s say £6,000 for instance) but the big difference is this allowance will be fully replenished at renewal, therefore giving you £6,000 to spend in vet fees each year and every year.

This pot of £6,000 is for the whole year, regardless of the number of conditions or claims. As seen in previous posts, per condition pet insurance will give you a certain amount to spend per condition, with no time limit until the set amount is reached. Lifelong pet insurance will provide you with a yearly pot for all your claims. More on lifelong pet insurance and how different types of insurance compare

Marks and Spencer have reviewed their pet insurance offer, now giving a 20% discount when you buy online.

M&S specialises in lifelong pet cover meaning you can claim for the lifetime of a condition provided you renew your policy each year. With their Premier Policy, you will benefit from:

• Up to £7,000 in vet fees every year for as long as you stay with them
• Cover for cats and dogs with no upper age limit - insure your pet regardless of how old it is More about M&S pet insurance and their 20% discount

In the second part of the series on the various types of pet insurance, I’ll explain a bit more about what per condition policies are.

Unlike time limited policies that limit your cover to a time period (generally 12-month), per condition pet insurance will limit your cover up to a financial limit per condition, but without any time restriction. Effectively, you’ll be able to claim for a condition for as long as you want until you reach your vet fees limit. The use of an example will make it more explanatory. More about per condition pet insurance

I was on holidays in the south west of France for the past few days. It’s amazing how you can take things for granted when you live in London but where I stayed there was no internet connection whatsoever: small holiday village, old school style, at about 10 minutes drive from the town centre which limits to a single street. So, since there was no way of posting new messages on the blog I thought I’d start writing a series of articles so that I can give you loads of content when I come back.

I guess it’s the perfect time to have a chat about the different types of pet insurance policies that you can find in the UK. Roughly speaking there is:

• Time-limited pet insurance or 12-month capped cover
• Per condition pet insurance or condition-capped cover
• Lifelong pet insurance or lifetime cover

More on 12-month pet insurance

The summer is here and it’s the perfect time to treat your pet against flea. Actually it’s never been so easy nor cheap with Direct Line giving new customers up to £20 back on flea prevention costs and Zooplus.co.uk discounting anti flea products.

Does your pet suffer from flea infestation?

Fleas are the main source of itching for cats and dogs, so if your pet scratches itself often, it’s worth having a flea check. Read more to find out if your pet has fleas, the Direct Line offer and cheap anti-flea products

On Friday, I talked about travelling abroad with your pets and what’s important considering, like the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

It appears that the scheme isn’t really popular or well-known from Brits with only 6% of pet owning holidaymakers having requested an EU Pet Passport according to a survey conducted by Holidaylettings.co.uk.

58% of respondents prefer to leave their pets with a friend or dog/cat sitter. 28% of them use catteries and kennels instead. More about the Pet Travel Scheme

If you wish to take your pets abroad on holidays with you, there are a few things to consider.

The Pet Travel Scheme

The U.K. have historically been very protective over the re-entry of animals in the country as they’ve strived to eliminate rabies. This led to quarantine periods of up to 6 months for some animals and discouraged owners to take their pets on their overseas travel. Since 2000 however has been introduced the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). More about travelling abroad with your pet and protecting it

Consulting firm Deloitte just conducted a survey in which 26% of respondents said they planned to rethink their insurance spending in the next 12 months, resulting in a £1.5 billion drop of revenues in the insurance industry.

Customers, worried by the credit crunch and rising costs of living “have less disposable income, so it is understandable that many will look at how they can reduce their spending” says David Rush from Deloitte. It appears that 8% of policyholders will aim to curb their pet insurance spending compared to 12% for travel insurance for instance. More on the credit crunch and pet insurance