Ask the expert: which type of cover for my dog insurance?

Colin contacted me after having researched pet insurance for his dog. He found that there were 2 popular types of cover and many insurance companies but wasn’t sure which one to choose.

Of all the companies available that offer pet insurance, all come with a level of beauracracy that can be overwhelming when trying to choose the best possible policy for budget, but more importantly the best welfare of my dogs. So my question is: is a lifetime policy the best, or is an annual policy just as good?

Also, any recommendations you can make to help me make the best choice of my pet insurance, at hopefully a not too exhorbitant cost? Many thanks.

Hi Colin,

Thanks for contacting me via pet-insurance-discount.co.uk. With so many different policy types and pet insurance providers it can indeed be a headache to research the market. You’re looking at the right thing first which is the type of cover which best suits your need.

Lifetime/lifelong policies are the most comprehensive types of cover around. They will cover your pet’s ongoing conditions year on year as long as you stay with the same insurer. You get an annual allowance towards vet fees each year and at renewal this allowance is fully replenished so you can carry on paying vet bills should your pet suffer from a chronic illness.

Per condition policies are a bit less comprehensive but generally slightly cheaper. A condition will be covered up to your vet fees maximum benefit. There’s no time limit but once you reach that limit the condition becomes excluded from the policy.

In both cases, if you start claiming with one insurer you won’t be able to get that specific condition insured with any other companies so it’s important you make the right decision now.

• If one of your objective is to get covered for potential long-term ailments and ensure your dog’s health can be taken care of in the long run, then lifetime will be better for you.
• If you’d like pet insurance as a way to protect yourself against sudden and medium-term expenses, and also have a smaller budget, then you may decide a per condition policy is better suited to your needs.

For more information, you can look at our lifelong pet insurance page or our compare pet insurance page.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more queries.

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