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Welcoming a new puppy into your life brings endless excitement, tail wags, and a fair share of chaotic moments. We’re very jealous of you!
As pet parents, we want to give our newest family member the best care possible, and finding the right pet insurance could be high on the puppy priority list.
Read our guide to find out if puppy insurance is right for you and what are the main things to look out for..
What makes a puppy insurance policy “good”?
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A good insurance policy is one that works for you, your pet and what you both need.
To us, the secret to finding the right puppy insurance is looking at what your plan actually delivers.
But two plans can look similar and cost roughly the same but offer completely different experiences over your pet’s lifetime.
For example, as you know, plans can have different vet fee limits. But what about if the limits reset each year?
Do they both exclude the same types of things, like dental illness cover?
Do you need to pay more excess and co-payment on one plan?
Price tells you what you'll pay every month. But only the policy wording and the quality of an insurer’s service tell you what you'll get back when it matters.
Take time to read handbooks when working out the best policy for your puppy; it’ll pay off in the long run.
The nine checks that tell you whether a policy is right for you
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Nine things decide whether a policy is right for you, and almost none of them show up in insurance cost alone.
| What to check | Why you should check it |
|---|---|
| Vet fee limit | Sets the cap on what's paid for vet fees in a policy year, so check this matches what you need. |
| Does the limit reset each year? | Determines whether a long-term condition stays covered. |
| Excess | This is the amount you pay towards a vet bill before your insurance pays the rest. Most pet insurance will charge the excess per year and per condition. So if your pet has two separate issues you might pay the excess twice in a year. We only charge one excess per year, however many conditions your pet may have. |
| Co-payment (and the age it starts) | This is a set percentage of the vet bill that you pay yourself after your excess is taken off. Many insurers add this when a pet gets older to reduce insurance costs. |
| Dental cover | Check the extent of dental cover available if you think your puppy would benefit from it. For example, do you need both dental accident and illness? |
| Hereditary and congenital conditions | Conditions common in pedigree and cross-breed dogs are sometimes not covered. |
| Complementary treatment | Physiotherapy and similar treatment after an accident or injury may not be included. |
| Pre-existing condition rules | Determines if pre-existing conditions will be covered if you switch insurers. This can be important if you decide you want a change in future. |
| Waiting period | Determines the window after buying when an accident or a new illness isn't yet covered. |
Insurance excess and co-payment, explained
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With any type of insurance, your excess is the amount you pay when making a claim before your insurer will pay out the rest.
Co-payment, meanwhile, is a fixed percentage taken off what’s left after the excess that you’ll need to pay yourself.
This is important when working out if an insurance plan is right for you.
At ManyPets, we only charge one excess per policy year, not per condition. You can add a 10% or 20% co-payment to your plan to lower your price, too, but after your pet turns seven, you’ll need to pay a 20% co-payment on any vet fee claims.
Things like this are worth looking into when you’re comparing plans; the price and cover may look the same, but what happens when you need to claim? Will you be paying more or less excess on one plan than the other?
Our co-payment and excess explainer can help here.
Why the lowest quote may not be the best value
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A lower insurance cost, known as a “premium”, can mean a trade-off has been made somewhere else in the policy. This is most often a lower vet fee limit, a higher excess, or a co-payment that starts younger.
This is fine if it works for you and your circumstances.
But sometimes, these trade-offs aren’t visible until you compare policy wording side by side, because the price alone doesn't show what you're giving up.
The more useful comparison isn't which quote is lowest this month; it's which policy still pays out in year five or six, when your puppy has grown into an adult.
As ever, the focus should be: what’s the right policy both for you and your puppy now and in the years to come?
Spend as much time as you can researching policies and finding the right fit, and try to look beyond the initial price.
Which type of cover gives your puppy the best long-term value?
The four main types of UK pet insurance differ in when they stop paying:
| Policy type | What it means for a growing puppy | What it stops covering |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime | Vet fee limit resets every year you renew, so a condition could stay covered for life. | Doesn't stop, provided you renew with the same provider and plan without a break. |
| Maximum benefit | Pays up to a set amount per condition, however long treatment takes. | Stops once that limit is reached, even mid-treatment. |
| Time-limited | Covers a condition for a fixed period, usually 12 months. | Stops at 12 months, then the condition becomes excluded as pre-existing. |
| Accident-only | Covers injuries only. | Never covers illness. |
All of our plans are lifetime as standard, meaning you can spend your time enjoying life with your pup instead of worrying about future vet bills.
Why insuring before a problem matters more than anything else
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Once a problem shows signs or symptoms, that condition becomes pre-existing, and most insurers won't cover it if you join them.
But if you take out insurance before your dog shows signs or symptoms of a problem, including young puppies, the same condition may be covered for life.
This is a value decision, not a price decision, and is all to do with what a policy will actually help with when it matters.
Do note that we may be able to help if your pet has pre-existing conditions, but it does come with specific rules:
On our Standard Care Pre-existing plan, we can cover conditions that haven’t received medication, treatment or advice from a veterinary professional and haven’t shown signs or symptoms for three months before the policy start date.
All of our plans cover conditions which ended two years before your policy start date, provided they haven’t received medication, treatment or advice and haven’t shown signs or symptoms for two years before your policy start date.
We always recommend reading your policy handbook for exact cover terms for diagnosed conditions; these things can be tricky to work out, so don’t leave it to chance.
Questions to ask before you buy
Am I happy to self-pay for smaller claims?
Are hereditary and congenital conditions covered from day one?
Are there per-condition limits that would impact me and my pet?
Can I afford to pay a vet bill next month if I had to?
Have I checked if the vet fee limit resets every year?
How long is the waiting period, and does it differ for accidents and illness?
Is dental illness and injury covered?
What happens to my cover if I need to switch insurers later?
What is the excess, and at what age does a co-payment start?
Would I prefer a lower premium or lower claim costs?
Puppy insurance for a lifetime of tail wags
Ready to find the right plan for your pup? Learn more and get a puppy insurance quote with ManyPets today.
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FAQs
What’s a co-payment on pet insurance and when does it start?
A co-payment is a percentage taken off a claim after the excess. With us, you can choose a co-payment of 10% or 20% to lower your price, but after your dog turns seven, you’ll need to pay a 20% co-payment on all claims.
It's paid on every vet fee from that point on, not just as a one-off.
What vet fee limit does a puppy need?
There's no fixed figure that suits every dog; it depends on you and your circumstances.
But the limit you choose depends on how much you think future treatment will cost. For example, it may be a good idea to see average treatment costs for your puppy’s breed.
Does lifetime cover matter if my dog is healthy now?
Lifetime cover helps protect your puppy through their adult years, giving you reassurance that your vet fee limit will refresh each policy year and that any conditions your puppy could get during your policy with us may not be classed as pre-existing.
Please read your handbook for exact terms on our pre-existing cover.
Is it ever better to save instead of insure?
Self-funding by setting aside money each month gives you freedom from waiting periods and plan limits.
But it can be risky, and saving rather than insuring only pays off if the money is already there when it's needed.
Why does the price go up as your dog gets older?
As your puppy grows, premiums rise as the likelihood of a claim increases with age.
An older dog is more likely to need medical care or develop a condition that requires ongoing treatment, and insurers account for that when working out their price.
Treatment may become more sophisticated or specialist as pets age, which costs more.
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