However, these improvements come at a price, and the cost of veterinary treatment continues to rise, far outstripping general inflation. According to statistics, one in every three pets will need urgent veterinary treatment this year (Source: Petplan Ltd) and you are more likely to claim on your pet insurance than on your household or car insurance policies (Source: Allianz Cornhill Insurance plc).

To take advantage of these improvements, you have to have deep pockets - or insurance. For example, some recent patients’ treatments have been:

We are prevented by the Financial Services Act from giving specific advice about different pet insurance policies, but on this page we advise what sort of cover is available and what to look out for.

There are three main types of pet health insurance:

Lifetime/Covered for life policies
Cover is provided up to a set amount for veterinary fees each year and is renewed at the start of each policy year. As long as you continue to pay the premiums and renew the policy without a break in cover, there is no time limit for claims for each illness or injury. This cover is ideally suited to problems which are long term and require ongoing treatment.

Maximum benefit policies
Cover with these policies is provided up to a specified amount per condition but there is no time limit for how long you can claim. After the maximum cover amount is reached (levels vary with the insurer and policy chosen) you cannot claim for any ongoing treatment that may be required.

Time limited policies (also known as annual insurance policies)
Cover with these policies is provided up to a maximum amount per condition and cover is not available after 12 months for the condition claimed - so long-term illnesses such as diabetes or arthritis would not be covered after 12 months from the start of the claim.

The Excess
You will normally have to pay an ‘Excess’ contribution towards the cost of each condition claimed, in a similar way to motor insurance claims; this can range from £40 to more than £100, depending on the policy. You may also have to pay a percentage of the treatment costs - this condition is often imposed on older pets or those with chronic illnesses. Some insurers may offer a lower premium in exchange for you paying a percentage of the claims.

For Lifetime policies, the Excess is paid every year for each different condition claimed. So for a chronic illness, if the policy limit was set at £5000 and the Excess was £75, there would be £5000 available to spend in year one, and you would pay £75. In year two, there would be another £5000 of cover, and you would contribute a further £75, and the same in each subsequent year. For Maximum Benefit and Time Limited policies, the Excess is paid only once per claim.

• Problems related to breeding (except with some specialist policies)
• Problems which existed before the insurance started. Faced with a claim, it is routine for the company to take a careful look at the patient’s medical notes to confirm that the condition is not a recurrence of a previous illness/injury
• Inherited or congenital (born-with) conditions may be excluded by some companies
• Dental treatment is often limited to remedial treatment for broken teeth, abscesses, etc., or even totally excluded. This rules out the most common dental work needed, which is scaling & polishing. In many policies, dental treatment is excluded altogether
• Preventative treatments - eg worming, flea treatment (except the VetProtect Total Care scheme)
• Neutering

• complementary therapy (physiotherapy, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc)
• refund of purchase price should the pet die before a certain age
• advertising a reward if the pet is lost or stolen
• third-party insurance in case you are sued because your pet has caused an accident [however, you should note that household insurance policies generally indemnify for third-party injury]
• boarding kennel costs if you are hospitalised
• holiday cancellation insurance, in case your pet is ill/injured and you have to look after him.
• cover for travel in Europe

Consider whether these additional benefits are of use to you. For example, do you need cover while travelling abroad? Do you want compensation if your pet dies (and then, only up to the amount you paid)? Many of the ancillary insurances are of no benefit for many people, and may increase the cost of the cover.

VetProtect Total Care Scheme
At Heath Veterinary Group, we have designed a package which provides all the healthcare cover we think most clients need. The VetProtect Total Care Scheme is a lifetime insurance policy, which also pays for routine preventive care such as regular health checks, vaccinations, flea and worm prevention. Dental treatment is included, and membership entitles you to discounts on other services and purchases such as microchipping, neutering and petfood.

How to chose?
When choosing a policy, you need to decide what cover you need, then find a policy that matches this.

Don’t be unduly influenced by all the “bells and whistles” that are included but which you don’t actually require. For example, several policies include third party liability insurance; however, most household insurance policies include this as a matter of course, and if they don’t, it can often be added on for little or no cost.

• Lifetime, Maximum Benefit or Time Limited policy?
• Is the financial limit adequate?
• Does the policy cover congenital or inherited disease?
• What dental care is covered?
• How much is the Excess?
• Which additional benefits are really useful for you?

When comparing different policies, make sure you compare like-with-like - read the small print! Remember, these are all commercial companies aiming to make profits for their shareholders. If one company offers lower premiums than another, it may be because their risk is lower.