Sandymount Pet Hospital

Pet insurance is becoming more and more popular in Ireland, with a variety of providers and policies available that is increasing all the time. Realistically the costs of Veterinary care are also increasing with new advancements in technology and treatments available, as well as greater expectations on the level of care we provide for our pets.

To help with understanding how pet insurance works here are some general pointers:

Taking Out Pet Insurance

• Pet insurance is designed to help pay for the cost of illnesses and accidents that may happen to your pet.
• Policies will often cover a variety of other aspects of pet ownership such as lost and found ads and third party liability.
• In general an insurance policy can be taken out if your pet is between 8 weeks and 8 years of age. Most policies available in Ireland cover your pet for life, as long as cover is unbroken.

Details of Cover

• Most policies do not cover routine preventative health care. This is considered part of good pet ownership and therefore the cost is covered by the owner. Preventative healthcare includes:
  • vaccinations
  • dental care
  • worm and flea treatments
  • grooming
  • spaying and neutering
• It is important to realise that YOU MUST KEEP YOUR PET UP TO DATE WITH VACCINATIONS. If you do not most insurers will not pay any claim that results from illness that can be prevented by vaccination. Your pet must be vaccinated against the following:

• For most policies cover only applies for the Republic of Ireland, though some also include limited time in the UK, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. So if you travel with your pet you should keep this in mind.
• Dental illness and injury is generally only covered if a pet has annual dental checks, this is done at the time of vaccination. Any advised preventative dental care such as a routine scale and polish must be done at the owner's expense.
• Any pre-existing conditions or similar symptoms that occur before the insurance policy is taken out, or within two weeks of commencing the policy, are not covered. Some general exclusions also apply to most policies.

Claims

• Most pet insurance policies involve excesses, these vary between insurance providers. The excess is a sum that is deducted from the claim, generally one excess is deducted per condition per year. For older pets there are often additional deductions applied.

Like any form of insurance, policies, premiums and providers differ. Please always read your policy in detail.