Dog insurance is health insurance for your dog. You insure your dog against unexpectedly high vet costs by paying a relatively low monthly amount.
Whether you have a puppy, adult dog, or older dog, you want to be able to give your dog all the care it needs. An occasional visit to the vet is, of course, also part of this. Every dog owner fears their dog will get sick and need costly treatment. Then you do not want to experience the costs being too high, and your dog cannot be treated (immediately).
Good dog insurance is the solution to prevent these kinds of situations.
Both purebred and non-pedigree dogs can be insured. Older dogs can also be insured if they are healthy. If your dog has had something once, that does not mean that dog insurance is no longer possible. Check with the insurer whether insurance is possible for your dog.
Why is dog insurance a good idea?
Dog hwalth insurance is sensible to help pay for unexpectedly high vet costs. Increasing veterinary costs mean that it is becoming increasingly interesting to take out insurance. This way, you no longer have to pay for the costs of treatment yourself.
Nowadays, more and more treatments are possible. For example, an MRI scan, chemotherapy, treatment of chronic diseases, and many operations. An operation or treatment of a chronic illness quickly costs more than 1000 euros.
A few considerations you can make:
- Dog insurance is only useful if you have enough money to pay for treatments of 1000 euros or more.
- Do you have money available to pay for a consultation and minor treatments up to, for example, 250 euros, but no larger amounts? Then you can take out dog insurance where you opt for a higher personal contribution, possibly in combination with a voluntary deductible. That saves your premiums, and the more expensive treatments such as operations, medicines, examination costs, and admission to the clinic are largely reimbursed.
- Saving money is also a way, but then you run the risk that the piggy bank still needs to be filled if your dog has to have an expensive operation or long-term medication.
Whether or not to insure is, therefore, a very personal choice.
6 Useful tips when taking out dog insurance
Tip 1: Compare dog insurance policies
By comparing dog insurance, you will find out that there are major differences between the various dog insurance policies. These differences are mainly in the cover, the maximum reimbursement, and the excess, i.e., the amount you have to pay yourself. From about € 20 per month, you already have good basic insurance for your dog that reimburses the most common veterinary treatments. Such as a consultation, laboratory tests, X-rays, a medically necessary operation, admission, and stay in the veterinary clinic and medicines. The monthly premium also depends on the age of your dog. Dog insurance is cheaper with a puppy than with an older dog.
Tip 2: Consider additional insurance
Do you have a dog that is sensitive to certain conditions? Then it is worth looking at additional insurance. Such as dental treatments, chemotherapy, or treatment of hips or elbows. Because the costs of these types of treatments often add up quickly. Insurers offer various packages from which to choose. Also, compare the maximum reimbursements you will be paid per cover because that can often differ. Then make a good cost-benefit assessment for yourself.
Tip 3: Until what age can you insure your dog? Note the age limit.
You can still take out pet insurance for your dog for a maximum of 7 years, which also differs per insurer. In our comparator, you can see the age limit per insurer, so always pay attention to that.
Tip 4: For which period do you insure your dog?
Once taken out, the pet insurance offers coverage for the entire period until your dog dies. Most insurers have a waiting period of 30 days before the cover starts from when you take out the insurance.
Tip 5: What about holidays and abroad?
If you are on holiday in the Netherlands, your insurance is valid. If you take your dog abroad, you need additional foreign coverage.
This coverage reimburses the costs if your dog becomes ill and you must visit a vet abroad.
Tip 6: Can you insure an already sick dog?
Our tip: Always apply for pet insurance by filling in all details with the pet insurer of your choice. Based on the answers you give to the medical questions, it is automatically determined whether your pet can be insured. Then be honest. If you withhold information, this will generally surface as soon as you declare. And then you are further away from home because insurers take fraud seriously.
If you disagree with the medical questions’ outcome, consult the insurer. Also, ask for an extension of the cancellation period of 14 days so that you are not tied to the insurance.
Which insurance for your dog should you choose? And is the best dog insurance always the most expensive?
The best dog insurance is only sometimes the most expensive. You can discover this by comparing all dog insurance policies here. We mainly compare dog insurance on what is reimbursed.
Do you want to compare whether specific treatments are included in the insurance for your dog? Then tick the treatment that you find important on the comparison page. Then you immediately see which dog insurance is suitable.
Top 10 dog breeds with dog insurance:
- labrador retriever
- Jack Russell Terrier
- golden retriever
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Chihuahua
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Shih Tzu
- Labradoodle
- Boomer
- Border Collie
In addition to these breeds, about half of insured dogs are non-pedigree dogs.
