Dog Insurance

[dandybrush]

Ok i was just wondering who has pet insurance for their dog, and who are they with

I am with medibank but have been doing research on PIA and Pet Plan

the differences i have found:

medibank

-pays more on tick treatment

-pay $12 000 annual limit

petplan

-pays $14000 annual limit

is the only one that covers

- natural medicines

- theft/straying and reward for lost/stolen dog

PIA

-pays $15 000 annual limit

both pia and petplan have routine care cover (I think)

no one covers for existing conditions or conditions that can be vaccinated against

I was just wondering who has used their dog cover and if the company was easy/hard to deal with... I pay $12.88 a fortnight and on the other plans i would be looking at about $20 a fortnight and am just wondering if its worth it to pay more, of if what i have raz on now is sufficient...

just curious of others experiences

[Red Fox]

It has been discussed many times before if you do a search

I'm with PIA and pay $35 per month for full accident/illness cover with a $100 excess. I have found them very easy to deal with, their policy is clear and easy to understand, they cover more than most and they will often pay out on a claim within 48 hours of receiving the paperwork.

Routine care is not really worth it IMO. Even if you are able to claim absolutely everything you can (worming treatments, registration, desexing, etc - and of course you can only desex once!) you are only around $30 better off for the year. Much better and easier to put that extra $10 per month aside and use it when you need to.

I am not entirely convinced that the payout for theft/straying/reward for lost or stolen dogs is worth it either, it's a bonus if you need it I guess, but how often are you going to use it? From memory (when I was researching different insurance companies a few years back) PIA offers a better overall cover than PetPlan too.

When considering your options look at your breed and what types of heath risks/problems/diseases they may be prone to. Also consider you own personal circumstances - ie, do you plan on doing any particular sports with your dog that may increase the risk of certain injuries? Do you live in a rural area where snake bite is a risk? Are there ticks in your area? etc. Read the companies PDS carefully and make sure it covers what you need it to.

Also look at the excess and what type of vet bills you wish to cover. Most plans offer a choice of $100, $250-$300 or $500 excess. Considering the fact that most vet bills tend to be either small-ish at around $150-$200 or (in the case of an emergency/accident/major illness) into the thousands I personally dont feel that the middle excess is all that viable.

[TerraNik]

Please also check which ones will insure chronic conditions... You could be in for a world of pain if your insurer only insures for the first year of the condition! Our boy has allergies and our insurer insures him for his condition for life (Petplan).

[Guest choice_brandy]

I am with Pet Insurance Australia and find them fantastic. I have all the extras and they have been really quick to pay up, so far I claimed towards Vaccination, Microchipping and flea treatment plus we have an ongoing skin problem and every invoice has been paid within 2 weeks. I think my excess was around $100 but for concerns regarding her skin issues now I can claim everything

[dandybrush]

yep i remember reading that on petplan too about insurance for the life of the dog thanx terra

Edited July 22, 2010 by dandybrush

[Jetty]

I'm with PIA and pay $35 per month for full accident/illness cover with a $100 excess. I have found them very easy to deal with, their policy is clear and easy to understand, they cover more than most and they will often pay out on a claim within 48 hours of receiving the paperwork.

Ditto

[dandybrush]

I do agility with him, and i believe there are ticks around, not a major tick prob area though, i think i might look into changing to pia or pet plan...

[loulouB]

Is Pet Plan the same company as Pet Secure??

I am with Pet Secure.

They just paid out for an xray and biopsy, and the money was in my account within a couple of weeks.

Once though, i got annoyed with them, becase they wouldn't let me claim for treatment for a urinary tract infection, because she had had one before (before i had taken out pet insurance), even though it was unrelated to the first urinary tract infection??!

[Sticks1977]

I had Fraser insured with Pet Insurance Australia (PIA) and I had only taken out the policy 6 weeks before he became sick.

He ended up passing away in September 2009, and I took the cover out in late July that same year. He was treated at the AEC in Hallam and the total bill came up to $7,500+...

PIA paid out the claim in full (minus my $500 excess) and when Henry came along I took out cover as soon as it was available to him (I think at 12 weeks of age).

I highly recommend PIA, they were easy to deal with and even though I was worried that I had only taken out cover on Fraser 6 weeks earlier I had no problems with the claim or refund on payment.

Just be aware with pet insurance that you are required to pay for all the costs especially if you visit any Emergency Vet Centres... and then your insurance policy pays you back once you lodge the claim.

I still remember when PIA sent out the final invoice to me, the last line read "we are so very sorry for your loss"... I have never forgotten that... seems some insurance companies DO care!

Regards, Shaun

[InspectorRex]

I am an extremely happy Petplan policy holder.

PetSecure is a totally different company to Petplan.

One of my dogs was diagnosed with a condition with Petplan and the policy covers the condition for the life of the animal.

PetPlan has the shortest waiting period(21 days), all the others have 30 day waiting period.

With the majority of the companies you need to pay the bill first, lodge the claim and then any funds less any excess will be reimbursed to you(unless the treating Vet has an agreement with the Company to bill direct)

[GoldenGirl85]

Ive insured Lexi with PIA with the $500 excess, I can always afford the little vet visits but if she ever needs treatment for her hips Id be screwed, the only reason why Im worried about her hips is because we will be doing agility later on and Im a worry wart lol, I havnt had to claim on hers yet

Tess I dont have insured, I couldnt find a company who would insure an older dog without incurring extra fees, Tess does agility atm and Id like to have her insured just encase, if anyone knows of a company that will insure an older dog let me know!