• From 14th January 2005, pet insurance is regulated by the Financial Services Authority
• This is in response to the Insurance Mediation Directive from the European Union
• As such, this changes the way in which veterinary practices can give advice about pet insurance
• We have produced this guide to let you know the extent that we can be involved in advising you about pet insurance
• In addition, we have highlighted the different types of pet insurance available in order to help you make a decision

WHY CONSIDER PET INSURANCE

• Pets can suffer from illnesses and injuries ranging from skin disease, cancer, arthritis, broken bones and so on – the list is extensive
• The advance of science means that vets are now able to offer more treatment options
• With this comes a price, with many bills running into thousands of pounds
• In addition, the cost of veterinary treatment is rising significantly above inflation
• Pet insurance is a recommended way of overcoming the problem of cost, in the treatment of your pet. It gives you peace of mind that if your pet were to need veterinary treatment you would be able to afford the bills.

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO DO

• In line with the new insurance regulations, the clinic is able to:
• Introduce and support the concept of pet insurance
• Display and give out promotional material from pet insurance companies
• Continue to fill out insurance claim forms and charge for this service

WHAT WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO

• In line with the new insurance regulations, the clinic is NOT able to:
• Give advice about a specific pet insurance policy
• Recommend one pet insurance policy over another
• Sell pet insurance
• Help complete pet insurance application forms
• Hold or collect premiums

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PET INSURANCE

There are many companies now providing pet insurance. This part of our guide gives information about the different types of policy available. This should help you decide what kind of pet insurance cover is suitable for your needs.

LIFETIME PROVIDERS

• This is where the insurer covers an illness or injury for the whole of the pet’s life
• With each condition the insurer will pay claims up to an annual limit each year without excluding the condition
• This type of insurance is therefore suitable for pets with chronic conditions such as diabetes or arthritis

MAXIMUM BENEFIT

• This is where the insurer covers an illness or injury up to a maximum benefit per condition
• There is no time limit on the claim
• Once the maximum benefit has been claimed, the condition will then be excluded from the policy

12 MONTH COVER

• This is where the insurer covers an illness or injury for 12 months from the onset of the claim
• After 12 months, the condition will then be excluded from the policy, and no further claims can be made for that condition

ACCIDENT ONLY COVER

• This is where the insurer covers accidents only and not illnesses

THIRD PARTY COVER

• This is where the insurer covers liability claims only
• There is no protection against any type of veterinary fees

Other questions to consider include:

What is the policy excess?
• For each condition claimed for there is an excess to pay
• Depending on the insurer, the excess may be calculated as a fixed amount, or a percentage of the total claim, or a combination of the two

Do policy premiums increase with age?
• The insurer may increase the premium as the pet gets older

Is the policy rated by the area you live?
• The insurance premium and/or excess may be influenced by where you live

Are hereditary conditions covered by the policy?
• The insurer may not provide cover for hereditary conditions such as hip dysplasia

Is the policy premium loaded for certain breeds?
• The insurer may increase the premium for certain breeds

SUMMARY

• The clinic recommends the concept of pet insurance
• Due to insurance regulation, we are limited in the advice we can give to you
• We are sorry that we can no longer give you advice about specific pet insurance policies or recommend policies
• What we have done is to collect a number of promotional leaflets from pet insurance companies for you to read at home

For those of you interested in Pet Insurance we reccomend using a search engine such as google to find various Pet Insurance comapnies, or you can try Compare Pet Insurance ,then use the guidelines above to select the policy which best suits you