Dog insurance

Health gets complicated. That means calculating your dog's insurance quote can get complicated, too. Broadly, we calculate your insurance quote by looking at your dog's:

• Age - Older dogs (despite what they may tell you) are a little more frail than their younger counterparts. This makes them more likely to get ill or have a pre-existing condition, which can impact your price.

• Breed - Some breeds are more prone to certain health conditions than others.

• Location - Where you (and your dog) live can impact price.

Lots of other factors go into this as well, but the majority of insurers will use the above as a baseline. But remember: the cheapest pet insurance out there may not have the cover you or your dog needs, so make sure you're getting something that works first.

No, vaccinations aren’t covered by dog insurance because they are classed as routine procedures.

Yes, the cost of vet treatment varies around the country, which means your home address can affect how much you pay for pet insurance.

Generally, the cost to insure a one or two-year-old dog is much less than the cost of insuring an older dog.

Your insurer may also ask you to pay a percentage of the cost for any claims an owner makes for pets over seven. This is called a co-payment.

Co-payments are a fixed percentage you'll pay for your pet's treatment. We calculate this percentage from your vet bill minus the excess.

With us, you can choose to pay a 10% or 20% co-payment when your pet is under seven to lower your insurance price.

But you must agree to a 20% co-payment when your pet is seven or over at renewal. You can learn more about this in our excess and co-payment explainer guide.

Many people see the cost of their dog insurance increasing over time, and feel that the insurance company is acting unfairly – but higher costs for older dogs reflect the fact that visits to the vet are more likely.

Some owners opt to 'self-insure' by paying a fixed amount into a savings account each month, so that there is a reserve to draw on if their dog gets sick, instead of continuing to pay the insurance premium. The risk is that you may need vet treatment before your savings have built up or the cost of treatment will be higher than what you've saved.

We have two limits related to death.

All our dog insurance plans excluding Essential Care include Farewell Cover if your pet has to be put to sleep. Standard Care and Standard Care Pre-existing plans provide up to £200, while Complete Care offers up to £500. It's your choice how you use the money. It could be used to cover the cost of putting your dog to sleep and for pet cremation or burial costs.

We have separate limits for paying out the value of your dog if they pass away because of an accident or illness. Essential Care has a limit of up to £500, Standard Care and Standard Care Pre-existing have a limit of up to £1,500 and Complete Care has a limit of up to £6,000.

We have an age limit of nine on our death of your pet cover for pets who pass away due to illness. We can't provide death of your pet cover for pets who pass away due to illness who are over nine.

Please read your handbook for exact details on death of your pet cover and our limits.

Dog insurance is designed to cover unpredictable accidents and illnesses, so routine procedures like spaying and neutering aren't included in on dog insurance plans. 

We love dogs of all ages and therefore have no upper age limit! As long as your dog is over four weeks old, we can provide a plan for you. 

From puppies to older dogs, we've got you covered.

All of our plans have some level of lost or stolen cover.

Dog insurance isn’t compulsory in the UK and you don’t legally have to have it. But it can give you peace of mind that you can pay expensive vet bills and get your dog back to health.

Smaller dogs usually cost less to insure than bigger dogs and cross breeds usually cost less than pedigrees.

The cost of pedigree dog insurance varies significantly between breeds and the cost of insuring cross-breed dogs (such as Cockapoos or Labradoodles) will reflect the cost of insurance for the dominant breed.

Dogs with a propensity to develop breed-specific medical conditions also tend to be more expensive to insure.

Find out more about the average costs to insure different breeds and all their other costs in our guide.