Why Pet Insurance Matters │ Pet Insurance │ Post Office® (2024)

Pet Insurance

• Getting dog insurance can help safeguard your dog’s health and wellbeing. Make sure you read up on the scenarios it protects against. Would you be able to afford the potential costs involved if you didn’t have cover in place?

  What and how much different providers cover varies. A typical policy will help pay for vet fees, death due to an accident or illness, and for advertising and a reward if your animal gets lost, stolen or strays.

  Policies often also cover for cancellation of your holiday if your dog is unwell. They may cover taking your pet overseas, or boarding fees if you need to stay in hospital. Some offer access to a veterinary helpline for advice and assistance.

  It’s important to compare different pet insurance policies from different providers carefully and make an informed choice. Cheap pet insurance might seem good value but may not be long term if it doesn’t cover a condition your dog’s faced with.

• Vets’ costs be significant, often catching owners off guard. We asked vet Anna about common conditions in dogs that pet insurance can help cover.

  “At least once in their life, especially when they’re young,” she says, “dogs are likely to present with some sort of wound, fracture or trauma from one incident or another, perhaps when they’ve been out walking or playing.

  “Dogs will eat what they want to, given the opportunity. The consequences of that can include gastrointestinal disorders.

  “As their age increases so do the chances of conditions like arthritis developing. Skin allergies are another common condition, as well as the ear and anal sac disease they can lead to.

  “As they get older, we see more inflammatory and cancerous conditions, specifically affecting the gastrointestinal tract because it’s such a large organ. We also see urinary infections and disorders such as stones and other issues affecting the bladder and kidneys.

  “Dogs can also suffer from a lot of endocrine disorders that affect the organs. For instance, they can develop diabetes, hypothyroidism [low thyroid level] and Cushing's disease [high hormone level]."

  Pet insurance ensures your dog gets necessary treatment for accidents, injuries, and ongoing conditions. Compare policies carefully to find the best coverage for your pet.

• Cats are the most independent and potentially furthest-roving of any pet animal. That can be both a blessing and a curse. Their ability to do their own thing can also mean they’re exposed to more risks. They’re also more difficult to train than dogs, which adds to their unpredictability.

  Even if your cat is staying indoors, it’s not impervious to illness, injury or developing a lifelong condition that needs ongoing treatment. Which means taking out pet insurance can offer much-needed protection and financial assistance.

  A typical cat insurance policy should cover:

  • The cost of vet bills
  • The death of a cat from an accident or illness
  • Advertising fees and a reward if it goes missing, strays or is stolen
  • Holiday cancellation if they’re unwell
  • Taking your cat overseas
  • Boarding fees if you stay in hospital
  • Access to a veterinary helpline

  Cat insurance UK providers vary, so compare their cover types and limits for different scenarios. Make sure you’re clear on the difference between time limited, maximum benefit and lifetime cover so you can get the protection your pet really needs.

• “Arthritis is a quite common in cats,” explains vet Anna. “It often goes undiagnosed simply because people don't really exercise them in the way they do dogs. The signs can be subtle and trickier to pick up on.

  “Clues to look out for include them not jumping up onto surfaces as much as they used to or walking with a stilted gait. They may also overgroom their front end because they can’t easily stretch to groom their backs. Or their ears may become dirty because they can’t scratch them with their back legs.

  “Lots of cats, especially older cats, develop conditions such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism [an overactive thyroid]. They’re very common, lifelong, ongoing conditions that can benefit from monitoring and management but often go undiagnosed. Things to look out for include the cat losing weight or drinking more water than usual.

  Stress disorders are another common occurrence in cats, adds Anna. “These can lead to overgrooming and even urinary problems”.

  Of course, there’s always the risk of accidents with cats, such as being bitten by another cat when fighting or getting hit by a car.

  “Cats are pretty road wise overall, but as vets we see incidents ranging from a simple cut to massive trauma that requires life-saving treatment. It’s important to make sure you’re prepared for the costs at all ends of that scale.”

• If you keep your cat indoors then it’s protected from some of the dangers its fellow felines may face in the outside world. Its risk of injury from fighting with other cats or being struck by a vehicle, or the chance of it straying and getting lost, are generally reduced. But there’s always the chance it could sneak out of a door or window left open by mistake.

  What’s more, indoor and outdoor cats alike can potentially develop medical conditions that need veterinary attention and perhaps ongoing medication and treatment. If you were on holiday when they became ill, you may need to cut short your break to get back for them. Or, if you spent time in hospital, you may need a local cattery to accommodate them for a while. These are all scenarios that pet insurance can help you prepare for – and lessen their financial impact if they do come to pass.

• On average, pet rabbits live longer these days. So it’s important to protect them against the unexpected, from their first hops to their later years.

  "Rabbit insurance is a precaution in case something goes wrong. This might be an unexpected injury that needs immediate attention. Or it could be an illness or the onset of a condition that needs lifelong monitoring and treatment.

  The costs of veterinary treatment for rabbits can run into hundreds or even thousands if surgery or ongoing medication and management are needed. Pet insurance can help cover such expenses.

  An insurance policy for rabbits may also help you pay for boarding fees if you need to stay in hospital. It may also finance a reward and spreading the word if they get lost or stolen.

  Rabbit insurance policies vary and the cheapest cover may not always offer good value. Always check the policy documentation and terms closely.

  Make sure you’re selecting a level of cover that will offer the protection you need for your pet rabbit. And look out for any exclusions or limitations in the policy that may catch you out later.

• We asked vet Anna about the conditions she sees most often in rabbits.

  “Arthritis is a regular one,” she says. “It reduces mobility, which can also lead to other issues, such as being unable to properly groom themselves and developing unpleasant conditions such as fly strike.”

  Anna says dental issues such as overgrowth due to poor diet are also common in rabbits. “This can lead to malocclusion, which is misalignment of the front and back teeth, which in turn can cause dental diseases. Rabbits are often seen dropping food from their mouths and losing weight as a consequence.

  “Rabbits can also suffer from bacterial respiratory diseases such as pasteurellosis, and urinary issues such as bladder stones.”

  Vaccinations are a vital way to help safeguard rabbits against conditions that might otherwise be fatal to them, such as myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease.

  “Some insurers cover these conditions, but that shouldn’t stop you getting your animal vaccinated against them,” Anna warns. “Rabbits hide illness very well, which make these conditions difficult to spot until it’s sometimes too late for us to do much about them. Making sure you take steps to prevent them is the best protection.”

• The cost of pet insurance will depend on several factors:

  • The type, age and breed of animal you need cover for

  • The number of animals (multi-pet policies may be better value, but it’s not a given)

  • The type and level of cover you need for different scenarios

  • How much excess you’re prepared to pay yourself in the event of a claim (a higher excess can reduce the premiums you pay for cover)

  Of course, another factor is the insurer you choose. Make sure you’re comparing cover and costs from several providers.

• Most insurers provide a discount if you insure multiple pets with them but it’s important to shop around. Check what it would cost to buy single-pet and multi-pet policies to cover your animals, from the same provider or a mixture. It’s always important to compare pet insurance to make sure you get the best value for the types and level of cover you need.

• The age limits for pet insurance policies tend to differ for dogs, cats and rabbits. They may also vary by provider too, so always check the policy wording carefully.

  At Post Office, our dog insurance can start any time from when they’re 8 weeks old right up to their 5th or 8th birthday, depending on the breed.

  We’ll provide insurance for cats from 8 weeks old up to their 10th birthday, and rabbit insurance from 8 weeks old up to the animal’s 5th birthday.

• Dog insurance

  Protect your puppy or dog in case of unexpected vet bills, loss or theft, and conditions they develop in future with Post Office Dog Insurance.

• Cat insurance

  Whether your stays indoors or goes out, our cover helps protect them against the unexpected, including unexpected vet bills, loss, theft and more.

• Rabbit insurance

  Rabbits are much-loved members of the family too, and need protecting. Post Office Rabbit Insurance can help give the reassurance you need.