Peace of mind
Pet Insurance
Take the financial burden away from any decisions with Pet Insurance for your Fur-baby.
At Southern Cross Vet we recommend pet insurance for our fur-clients because it can be invaluable to help with unexpected veterinary expenses if your pet has an accident or develops an illness.
Many pet owners do not realise the expense of health care for their pet. New pet owners often become overwhelmed with the amount of information you are bombarded. Pet insurance is often not top of the list and not thought about until the animal is older or unwell.
The Australian Veterinary Association strongly supports pet insurance and at Southern Cross Vet we do see the value in pet insurance. It provides peace of mind and removed uncomfortable financial decisions.
Choosing the right policy
It’s important to do your research, including reading the Product Disclosure Statement for each policy you are looking at
Consider the percentage of cover that the policy offers as well as the excess, some policies do only cover 70-90% of an eligible vet bill, whilst others cover the full amount less an excess.
We can discuss some options with you, but it is important that you also do your own research, based on your individual pet’s species, breed and age.
Most of the major brands in Australia are underwritten by the same company with only minor variations.
The cover provided by different policies varies, there are accident-only policies through to lifetime cover policies. Some have separate accident and illness policies. It is advisable to insure your pet for both accident and illness.
In addition to checking the policy’s annual limit be sure to check sub-limits for certain conditions.
Insurance exclusions
All pet insurance policies have exclusions, the major exclusion being pre-existing conditions.
Some additional examples include:
- Teeth cleaning (some companies cover the extraction of teeth)
- Alternative therapies
- If your pet is a guard dog or working dog
- Diseases for which there is a vaccine, even if the pet is vaccinated
- Diagnostic testing if no conclusive diagnosis is achieved
Percentage cover & your pet’s age
The percentage of claims varies between pet insurance companies. Some companies cover 100% of the claim minus any fixed excess, while others only pay a percentage of the claim (70-80%) with or without a fixed excess also
Most companies will not insure older pets for the first time for illness cover. The cut off age varies but is usually 8-9 years of age or younger for certain breeds
Often the level of cover changes once your pet reaches a certain age and you may have to pay a percentage of the cost of treatment as well as a fixed excess.
Annual Maximum Benefit
This is the maximum amount the company will pay in each policy period. Some companies also apply annual or lifetime sub-limits for certain conditions such as tick paralysis and cruciate ligament disease.
Bilateral Conditions are conditions affecting a body part of which your pet has two (eyes, ears, knees). However, they are often classed as one condition. Therefore only one annual maximum limit may apply.
Waiting period
This is the time between starting the insurance policy and cover commencing. Accident cover is often immediate. The waiting period for illness cover is often 21-30 days. Others can be longer, such as cruciate ligament cover which is often 6 months.