Ask people for pet insurance recommendations and invariably Petplan is high on people’s list.

Petplan is not one of the ‘cheap’ dog insurance products on the market. But, as we said in our review of cheap dog insurance – low price premiums does not equate to cheap dog insurance when we’re talking about an insurance product.

For the maximum cover available from Petplan, choose one of their Covered for Life policies.

These ‘whole of life dog insurance’ policies are the ONLY type of policy to go for if you are interested in keeping your pet insured past the age of 8-years old – and let’s face it, if you’re not looking for cover at the time of your dog’s life when they are most likely to need dog insurance then you won’t be getting the most value from pet insurance.

Whole of life dog insurance is particularly important for dog owners if the pet ends up developing a long-term illness, like arthritis or eczema, needing extensive treatment from a vet.

Pet Value is designed for dog owners who want cover to provide help with the initial high cost of veterinary treatment.

Dog Insurance

Cut the Cost of Dog Ownership With Dog Insurance

Arecent survey carried out by the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) estimated that the average claims cost per year has risen to over £110 for a dog and £90 for a cat.

Vet fees in general have risen enormously over the past 15 years mainly due to advancement in technological procedures and specialist treatments.

Thankfully, gone are the days when owner’s regularly had to have their cherished pets put to sleep because of a lack of expert treatment for certain debilitating conditions or serious injuries. With improving animal medical research, skills and resources what were once incurable, life-threatening ailments can be dealt with effectively by many vets. With most owners, the price of treatment is secondary to preserving and enhancing their pet’s quality of life.

Compare dog insurance

Churchill’s dog insurance policy is actually a very sweet deal with a 10% discount for buying online. It is almost identical to Direct Line and, if pressed, we’d go with Direct Line whilst they’re still running their 8 weeks free deal (that’s a no brainer as far as cheap dog insurance goes.)

Here are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy as a Churchill pet insurance customer:

• Online prices from £5.00 a month for cats and £8.40 a month for dogs
• Cover for vet fees
• Cover for lost or stolen pets
• Cover for emergency kennel or cattery fees
• Use of help lines including bereavement counselling
• Pay monthly with no additional charge

Pet Protect’s dog insurance product stacks up well against the market leaders. The cover benefits are impressive and the premiums not going to require you to take out a second mortgage.

•One month free online discount
•Up to £6k vet fees every year – no time or financial limits per condition
•No special restriction on alternative treatments giving you the greatest flexibility when choosing the best treatment for your pet
•Claims settled quickly and direct to your vet if required, giving you absolute peace of mind.

With Direct Line, you can pay a competitive monthly premium for dogs – which helps protect your pet and avoid the high vet costs and other associated dog expenses covered by dog insurance.
Direct Line’s dog insurance product applies to dogs aged between 8 weeks and up to 11 years (up to 6 years for some breeds), UK resident. Essential policy covers vet’s fees up to £4000 (per eligible condition) for a maximum of 12 months treatment for each illness, injury or disease. Advanced policy covers vet’s fees up to £6000 (per eligible condition), with no time limit on reaching this amount.

Additional dog insurance options from the Direct Line policy:

1. Additional benefits including: advertising fees up to £1,000 if your pet should stray or is lost or stolen, up to £1,500 purchase price reimbursement if your pet is lost through theft, straying or accidental death, holiday cancellation up to £5,000 due to loss,  life threatening illness or injury of your pet, up to £1,000 pet boarding costs if you have to go into hospital for more than 4 days in a row.

2. Third party liability for dogs causing injury to another person or damage to their property – up to £2 million (cover only available for dogs).

3. Overseas travel cover extends the cover above to countries included in the government’s Pet Travel scheme, excluding liability arising under the laws of the USA or Canada. Includes: Quarantine costs, Loss of pet passport, Emergency expenses while overseas Repeat tick and worming treatment

Benefits include:
- Cover for vet fees up to £7,000 with a gold level policy
- Up to £750 towards advertising and reward costs should your pet go missing
- Bereavement Counselling, should the worst happen
- Pet Legal Matters, for legal advice on an issue relating to your pet
- Help to find a registered pet minder to care for your pet while you’re away from home