Pet Insurance and Payments
We encourage all clients to take out pet insurance. If your animal has an accident or becomes unwell, insurance means that both Practice and Clients can do all that is needed without worrying about costs . The existence of the NHS means that people don't realise the true cost of medical treatments, and therefore automatically assume Veterinary care is expensive. Here at Abbeyfields we strive to provide the best in animal care; we use the same anaesthetics that are used in Paediatric medicine, we have modern equipment including a digital x-ray machine and provide our own out of hours service so that in an emergency your pet does not have to travel to a distant surgery.
Veterinary treatment does come at a cost and that is why we urge you to get your pet insured. Pet insurance will often also cover 3rd part liability and emergency kennelling costs.
Click the dog for 4 Weeks Free insurance with no obligations
How does Pet Insurance Work?
Pet insurance works in similar ways to House and Car insurance, however one big difference is that if you make a claim the insurance doesn't go up the next year because of it with most policies. You pay either an annual fee or monthly direct debit depending on who you take the policy out with. If you need to claim, then you call your insurance company and ask for a claim form. Every insurance policy will have an excess amount that you pay and this varies from £50-200. When you first take out pet insurance the insurer will put down a 10-14 day waiting period. This will enable claims for accidents to be processed but not for any other conditions- this basically insures that people can't just wait until a problem happens and then take out insurance -so always insure your pet from day 1. Always be careful if you change insurance companies as the new policy may exclude any previous conditions your animal has had.
Taking out pet insurance is not as simple as comparing policies and looking for the cheapest, the most important criteria are;
- That the policy is a lifelong policy - some insurers will only cover a condition for 12 months, so for example; if at a young age a dog is diagnosed with epilepsy, these policies will only pay out for a years worth of treatment. A lifetime policy will ensure that your pet is covered for every year of their life, with no conditions being excluded.
- The cost per condition is at least £4000 -veterinary treatment isn't cheap, so for example a call out late at night to see a dog with a broken leg could cost £2000-£4000 (depending on severity of the fracture, need to refer to a specialist and length of treatment)
If you have pet insurance you have peace of mind, all the staff at Abbeyfields have their animals insured. Please think about taking out insurance, it always ends up paying for itself and helps us provide the best care for your pets with no compromises.
REMEMBER...
At Abbeyfields in Rocester, insured clients receive discounts on vaccinations and greater savings on the Barkers Card loyalty Scheme, which helps towards the costs of any insurance policy.
Please call the Practice on 01889 590449 , if you would like any further advice.
REMEMBER...
All insurance policies differ and whilst being able to give general advice, vets and vet nurses cannot guarantee whether a policy will cover treatment. If an insurer judges a claim to be invalid, it remains the responsibility of the client to settle all outstanding bills. Consequently it is wise to seek any clarification as to the terms and limitations of your policy from your insurer before incurring costs you may not be able to afford independently.
