The health and well-being of your furry companion is a top priority. But with the joy of being pet parents comes the responsibility of ensuring they get the care they need - without breaking the bank. This is where pet insurance becomes invaluable.  

Insure Your Paws has been insuring paws since 2016, but with so many pet insurance options out there, how do you choose the right one?  

Let’s dive in with all four paws to look at the different types of pet insurance available to you... 

The Importance of Pet Insurance 

Before we explore the types of pet insurance, it's crucial to understand why it's a wise investment. Veterinary care can be expensive, especially when it involves emergencies or chronic conditions.  

At Insure Your Paws, we know that as long as our lovable companions find socks a delicious treat or insist on fighting the Tom-cat next door, having professional veterinary assistance on hand is an absolute essential.  

It is not only for emergencies or one-off calamities but is also a must for treating long-term conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis or diabetes – the costs of which can run into thousands of pounds, as can treating a pet that's been injured in an accident. 

Pet insurance offers a safety net that can help cover these costs and gets your pet the treatment it needs without straining your finances. 

Choosing the Right Pet Insurance for Your Pet 

We know your pet’s health is your number one priority so choosing the best pet insurance coverage is essential. When doing your research, make sure to consider the following factors: 

Your Pet's Age and Breed: Some breeds are more prone to specific health issues that may be better covered by comprehensive plans. 

Your Financial Situation: Determine how much you can afford to pay in premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Some pet insurance providers, Insure Your Paws included, can pay some vets directly, meaning that if you choose a policy with us with no excess and opt for a 0% bill share, then it is possible to have no upfront costs. 

Your Pet's Health History: If your pet has pre-existing conditions, find a plan that offers the best coverage for those needs.

 

Types of Pet Insurance Plans 

Lifetime Cover Pet Insurance: At Insure Your Paws, we only offer Lifetime Cover as we believe it is the best policy for pet owners to protect your beloved family member. 

Lifetime Cover is considered the most comprehensive pet insurance as it not only covers emergency issues, but if your dog or cat develops a long-term illness or condition, we will continue to cover their treatment and medication year after year, as long as you continue to renew your policy. 

No matter what health mishap might be around in the corner, pet owners have the peace of mind that they are covered. 

At Insure Your Paws, we do not have a limit on the number of different conditions that can be claimed for as long as the condition is not pre-existing, i.e., before the policy was taken out, and the Lifetime Cover policy continues to be renewed each year, and that you do not exceed your annual cover limit. 

A Lifetime Cover policy with Insure Your Paws also includes additional benefits such as: 

Assist Your Paws 24/7 Careline: Our 24-hour vet helpline is open to take to your calls any time of day or night, 365 days of the year. 

Third party Liability: Up to £2 million cover if your dog causes injury to another person or their pet, or damages their property (eligible dogs only). 

Dental Cover: Cover for dental accident and illnesses as standard. 

Behavioural Treatment: Professional help with your furry companion’s mental or emotional wellbeing, when recommended by a vet. 

Complementary Therapy: Alternative treatments and therapies to help aid your pet’s recovery. This includes hydrotherapy, acupuncture and more, when recommended by a vet. 

Emergency Minding: Kennel, cattery or pet minding costs in an emergency. 

A Lifetime Cover policy is the equivalent to wrapping your pet up in the warmest, snuggest blanket. It will protect them year after year.  

Take a look at the full list of the benefits of our Lifetime Cover.  

Insure Your Paws does not offer other types of pet insurance such as ‘Accident only’, ‘Time Limited’ or ‘Maximum Benefit’ as we do not believe that they offer the best cover for your paws.   

However, we have explained what they are below: 

Accident-Only Pet Insurance:  

This will give a fixed sum for each injury that your dog or cat suffers, but if the treatment goes over the set limit, the extra cost will need to come out of the pet parent’s pocket. 

Accident-Only pet insurance does exactly what it says on the tin – it covers accidents only, rather than on-going illnesses or diseases, which Lifetime Cover policies will cover. This type of pet insurance is generally the cheapest and most basic cover available.  

The main benefit of this cover type is that the premiums are usually lower than more comprehensive policy types. Accident-only can be a great choice for older pets, as some pet insurance providers impose age caps on their Lifetime Cover policies. However, at Insure Your Paws, there is no upper age limit on Lifetime Cover for pets. 

Time-Limited Pet Insurance:  

This will provide a fixed sum for accidents and illnesses, usually within a set 12-month period. However, after this 12 month period, existing conditions will then be considered a pre-existing condition and will not be covered in future policy years. 

This cover type expires either when you reach the policy’s annual cover limit or after the fixed time-limit ends. Due to this, Time-Limited pet insurance is a more affordable option but also gives much more restricted coverage.  

The main benefit of this type of pet insurance is that it provides broader cover than Accident-Only type, but something to bear in mind is that any medical conditions that your pet develops during the duration of the policy, will be considered to be a pre-existing condition once the ‘time limit’ has been reached. 

Maximum Benefit Pet Insurance:  

This covers your cat or dog up to a fixed amount of money for each illness or injury it suffers. However, once you claim up to the set limit for a particular condition, that condition will no longer be covered by the policy. Any new conditions will still be covered up to the set limits. This is sometimes called a money limited policy.   

While Maximum Benefit policies provide a set, one-off amount per condition with no time limit, Lifetime Cover provides a fixed amount per condition which refreshes when you renew your annual policy.  

Making Your Choice  

Choosing the right pet insurance is one of the most important decisions you will make as a pet parent. It’s an investment in the lifetime care and protection of your furry companion and provides peace of mind that in times of tremendous distress your beloved pet is covered. 

For this reason, Insure Your Paws only provides Lifetime Cover pet insurance, as we consider this the best choice for the long term health and happiness of the cats and dogs in our protection. Get a Lifetime Cover quote.